Skip to content
Your health starts here.
  • Home
  • Meet The Team
  • Exercise Database
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Newsfeed
Menu
  • Home
  • Meet The Team
  • Exercise Database
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Newsfeed
“Your health starts here.”
  • Home
  • Meet The Team
  • Exercise Database
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Newsfeed
Menu
  • Home
  • Meet The Team
  • Exercise Database
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Newsfeed
Search
Close

Best Way to Warm-Up Before Exercise

Over the past 20-30 years, fitness and sports training programs have evolved in a way that yield exceptional human performance results. You may remember in the 70-80’s, a 4.5 second 40m sprint was unheard of. 300lb football players were non-existent. Now, there are 300lb football players who can run the 40m sprint in 4.6 seconds. The average weight of big players in football is 300+ lbs.

You cannot argue with results! Sports science and training is producing some of the biggest, fastest, and strongest people in human history.

 

Another aspect of fitness that has evolved is how athletes and active people warmup prior to exercise. Years ago, we would warm our bodies up with static stretches. Toe touches, knee bends, calve stretches, bending at the waist, arm and shoulder stretches – you name it. We used to have 15-20 different team-based stretches that we went through each day prior to practices and games.

Then that evolved to running a few laps around the field or riding a bike to warmup before you did stretching of the muscles and joints. Now, people are skipping the static stretches altogether and doing dynamic warmup stretches and joint mobility movements before and after lifting, sprinting, and endurance workouts.

 

So, what is the difference between the three methods of warming up and do they help to actually warm you up, build flexibility, and even prevent injury?

 

Static Stretching Cold

This method of warming up and stretching actually does very little of either. Warming up should involve activities that actually increase your body heat. Stretching cold or stiff muscles can actually lead to micro tears deep in the muscle fiber and connective tissues. Even though we would start off the stretch routine with a 20-30 rep set of jumping jacks, it still was not enough to effectively warmup the body. Now, I am personally a fan of static stretching, but only after a workout or after a 10-15 minute warmup working the muscles that will be involved in the prolonged activity I will be doing. In fact, I highly recommend static stretching, yoga based stretches for all parts of the body (core and limbs) for general health and joint maintenance. Plus – you cannot argue – it just feels good to stretch sometimes. Here is an excellent video on many of the static stretches that can be done – notice it is a post workout stretch routine: Static Stretch Video.

 

Warm Up, Then Static Stretching

Running, biking, swimming, or other forms of cardio are great ways to increase your body heat prior to stretching whether you prefer static stretches or moving into more dynamic movements to complete your warmup. The goal to warming up is to warm up! So get moving prior to pushing or pulling any stiff muscles as they will become more pliable as the body warms. Some studies have shown that is takes more than 4-6 months to make a muscle more flexible, so a long term stretching plan is recommended if you have problems with basic movements like toe touches, hips, or shoulder mobility. This method is ok, but has been labeled outdated by many sports professionals. But, yoga has been doing these static stretch holds for hundreds of years so I do not think static stretching is being kicked to the curb.

 

Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic movements prior to exercise or competition has become the gold standard of the warm up over the years. Major joint movements will help reduce stiffness prior to a run or heavy lifting workout. Dynamic stretching works by flexing one group of muscles to stretch the opposite group of muscles. Exercises like the butt-kicker or Frankenstein walks both flex and stretch the front and back side of the leg while working movement in the knee, hip, and ankle joints. Learning several of these movements will be beneficial to how you feel during physical activity.

Check out this excellent dynamic warm up routine.

 

So – which type should you do? The number one rule that most people in the fitness and sports industry will agree on is that you should be warm (increase your body temperature) prior to doing any stretching or activity. So warm up with movement first, then stretch or stretch at the end of the workout, or when you feel like you need to.

Re-posted from Military.com.

 

 

STEWART SMITH, USN, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness books including The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, The Special Ops Workout, Maximum Fitness, The S.W.A.T. Workout, and most recently The Navy SEAL Weight Training Workout and Tactical Fitness. Stew has trained thousands of students for Navy SEAL, Special Forces, SWAT, FBI, ERT, and many other military, law enforcement, and fire fighter professions. He is currently the Special Ops Team Coach at the US Naval Academy that prepares future candidates for SEAL, EOD, and MARSOC training and runs a non-profit called Heroes of Tomorrow where he trains people seeking tactical professions for free. Stew’s new book, 101 Best Pyramid Training Workouts, is available wherever books are sold.

Featured,Workouts
/
Follow Us On
Facebook-f Twitter Youtube Instagram
Categories
Body Sculpting
Family Health
Featured
Health & Beauty
Military Fitness
Navy SEAL Fitness
Gallery

getfitnowdotcom

Behind the scenes for an upcoming project from @se Behind the scenes for an upcoming project from @seanviguefitness: Pilates for Runners.

If you are a runner and have not yet incorporated pilates into your training, you will benefit immensely from this approach to strength and mobility.

#pilates #running #strength #conditioning #marathon #5k #10k
👟 Should You Rotate Between Two Running Shoes? 👟 Should You Rotate Between Two Running Shoes? Experts Weigh In 👟

Running coach, author, and former pro athlete @andrejsbirjukovs shares his expert insight in a new @mensjournal feature on the benefits of rotating your running shoes.

💬 “Shoe rotation helps to strengthen muscles in the feet, which will help to tolerate the increased load when the cushioning of the shoe naturally stiffens,” says Birjukovs, author of "The Resilient Athlete".

✅ Boost foot strength
✅ Reduce injury risk
✅ Extend the life of your shoes
✅ Improve total-body performance

Whether you're training for a marathon or just getting started, this is a must-read for every runner. 🏃‍♂️💨

📖 Read the full article by @alexamellardo: "Should You Rotate Between Two Running Shoes? Here's What Experts Say" — now live on MensJournal.com.

#RunningTips #AndrejsBirjukovs #TheResilientAthlete #MensJournal #RunningCoach #ShoeRotation #InjuryPrevention #EnduranceTraining #RunnersOfInstagram
If you’re working toward a fitness goal, getting If you’re working toward a fitness goal, getting stuck with an injury can feel like a frustrating setback. But alongside things like physiotherapy and rest, focusing on nutrition may also help support your recovery.

VegNews spoke with Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN—the author of "The Vegan Athlete’s Nutrition Handbook" and the founder of plant-based wellness platform Purely Planted—to gather some of the best vegan nutrition tips for sports injury recovery.

Follow: @purely__planted @vegnews

#vegan #athlete #nutrition #diet #plantbased #recipes #sports
🌱 This Cookbook Could Save Your Heart—Literal 🌱 This Cookbook Could Save Your Heart—Literally! ❤️

What happens when a gourmet chef and a lifestyle medicine expert team up? You get the Heart-Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook—a revolutionary guide to salt-free, oil-free, flavor-packed meals that heal from the inside out. 🥦👨‍🍳

✨ Over 100 recipes.
🩺 Backed by real medical science.
🔥 Zero salt. Zero oil. 100% delicious.
📈 Perfect for beginners and pro chefs.
💡 Learn why each ingredient helps your heart.
🌍 Change your plate, change your life.

Whether you're fighting heart disease or just want to eat smarter, this book is your new kitchen essential. Ready to fall in love with food that loves you back? 💚

Follow @globalcookingschool @haripulapaka @jennefferp @alwaysjenneffer 

#hearthealth #cooking #recipes
Created by a licensed professional counselor, “G Created by a licensed professional counselor, “GRACE: A Model for Grieving” fills in the gaps of current grief models which have their limitations due to a lack of inclusion for spirituality, situational factors, cultural variables and other factors. This book analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the prevailing model of CBT to offer a new framework that supports individual beliefs, goals and sense of purpose in the grieving process.

Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578269970 (link in bio)

#grief #griefsupport #griefjourney #grieving #grievingsupport
Did you know avocados are rich in fiber, B6, vitam Did you know avocados are rich in fiber, B6, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin E, folate, and copper?

#avocado #avocados #nutrition #healthyfood #healthyeating
Self-care is so important! How do you like to rela Self-care is so important! How do you like to relax?

#relax #selfcare #selfcaretips #selfcareideas #howtorelax
#MotivationMonday #MotivationMonday
“Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!” leads you through the b “Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!” leads you through the basics with step-by-step instructions as well tips and tricks to help you create awesome pizza every time. Plus you'll get over 75 pizza recipes, all easy to make and all delicious.

Available for pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578269687 (link in bio) 

#pizza #pizzapizzapizza #pizzarecipe #pizzarecipes #homemadepizza
8 Ways to Survive Being Single This Summer: https: 8 Ways to Survive Being Single This Summer: https://getfitnow.com/8-ways-survive-single-summer/ (link in bio)

#single #singlevibes #singlesummer #livingsingle #singlelife
Taste summer with this Mediterranean Summer Salad Taste summer with this Mediterranean Summer Salad Recipe: https://getfitnow.com/mediterranean-summer-salad-recipe/ (link in bio)

#summersalad #summerrecipes #summereats #summerfood #cooking
Tell us something that made you smile today! #smi Tell us something that made you smile today!

#smile #smilemore #smiletoday #reasonstosmile #happiness
#FitnessMotivation #FitnessMotivation
This one’s for the workout warriors! #workout # This one’s for the workout warriors!

#workout #workoutlife #workoutwarrior #workoutwarriors #lift
Where are you adventuring this summer? #summer #s Where are you adventuring this summer?

#summer #summer2024 #summeradventures #travel #traveler
July is National Blueberry Month! Did you know tha July is National Blueberry Month! Did you know that blueberries are a great source of vitamin C?

#nationalblueberrymonth #blueberries #vitaminc #nutrition #healthyfood
#SummerVibes #SummerVibes
Infused water is a great way to make hydrating mor Infused water is a great way to make hydrating more exciting this summer!

#infusedwater #water #hydration #summer #summervibes
6 Reasons Why You Should Play Pickleball: https:// 6 Reasons Why You Should Play Pickleball: https://getfitnow.com/6-reasons-why-you-should-play-pickleball/ (link in bio)

#pickleball #pickleballislife #sports #exercise
Happy Fresh Spinach Day! Spinach is rich in iron, Happy Fresh Spinach Day! Spinach is rich in iron, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, and magnesium.

#freshspinachday #freshspinach #spinach #nutrition #healthyfood
Follow on Instagram

JOIN GETFITNOW

It’s Fitness 24/7. Videos, Workouts, Nutrition, Recipes, Tips, and more!
* indicates required

  • Home
  • Workouts
  • Nutrition
  • Submissions
  • Follow us on Facebook
Menu
  • Home
  • Workouts
  • Nutrition
  • Submissions
  • Follow us on Facebook
Facebook-f Twitter Youtube Pinterest Instagram
Get Fit Now © Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved.
  • Website Maintenance Prateeksha Web Design

Your health starts here.

Subscribe for a healthy dose of fitness, plus the latest articles, videos, and expert content.

* indicates required