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Warming up

A short warm-up that prepares you without draining strength.

3 min read

A good warm-up raises body temperature, moves the joints you are about to use, and rehearses the first exercise with light weight.

A 10 minute warm-up

  1. Raise. 3 to 5 minutes of easy movement: brisk walk, cycle or skipping.
  2. Mobilise. Dynamic moves through full range: leg swings, arm circles, bodyweight squats.
  3. Rehearse. 2 to 3 lighter sets of your first exercise, building up to your working weight.

Before hard training

  • Dynamic movements
  • Light sets of the main lift
  • Short static stretches if a sport needs the range

Save for later

  • Long static holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle
  • Stretching so hard it hurts

60seconds

or more of static stretching per muscle can reduce strength and power for a short time[1]

Strong evidence

Dynamic stretching has no negative effect and can help performance. Long static stretches cause a small, short-lived drop in force, so keep them after training.[2]

Key points

  • Raise, mobilise, rehearse: about 10 minutes before you lift.
  • Dynamic movement helps; long static holds of 60 seconds or more belong after training.
  • Finish the warm-up with lighter sets of your first exercise.

Up next

Sources

  1. [1] Behm DG et al. Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2016;41(1):1-11.
  2. [2] Warneke K et al. Revisiting the stretch-induced force deficit: a systematic review with multilevel meta-analysis of acute effects. J Sport Health Sci 2024.
  3. [3] Wilson CJ et al. The effect of muscle warm-up on voluntary and evoked force-time parameters: a systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. J Sport Health Sci 2025;14:101024.

General information from published guidelines, not medical advice, and not reviewed by a clinician. See a doctor for pain, illness, pregnancy or before hard training if you have a condition.