Many people cut the warm-up short to save time, then lose whole sessions to a pulled muscle or a stiff joint. Ten organised minutes are enough, as long as you know what to do in each minute.
Stage one: raise your temperature (3 minutes)
Rowing or an air bike at an easy pace, until you feel slightly warm and your breathing picks up a little. You don’t need more than that.
Stage two: move your joints (4 minutes)
- Cat and camel: ten times to move your spine.
- Lunge with a twist: five times each side to open your hips.
- Band pull-aparts: fifteen times to wake up the muscles at the back of your shoulders.
- Deep squat hold: thirty seconds to move your ankles and hips.
Stage three: ramp-up sets (3 minutes)
Before the session’s main weight, work up to it gradually with the same exercise:
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empty bar | 10 |
| 2 | About 40% of your working weight | 5 |
| 3 | About 60% | 3 |
| 4 | About 80% | 1 – 2 |
And after the session?
Five minutes of easy walking, deep breathing and light stretching help you wind down. Real recovery comes afterwards, from enough sleep and good food.
If you feel sharp pain during the warm-up, don’t go on to the heavy session; tell your coach so they can adjust the programme.
