Dynamic Warm Up - Do or Don't?
A detailed breakdown
What if your muscles were rubber bands? Everyday they start in the freezer. When you need to use them you go to the freezer and grab them. Now you have two choices: immediately put them to use by stretching them to the max OR taking a minute to roll them around in your hand and warm them up. I will always go with the latter.
A Dynamic Warm Up is a series of exercises designed to prep your body for training. Could be a combination of mobility exercises and/or locomotion (running) to increase blood flow, heart rate, and activate your nervous system.
Why? The Benefits
As mentioned above:
Increased blood flow to the working tissues
General preparation for training
Improved mobility/flexibility
Activation of the nervous system
Reduces the risk of injury
It doesn’t eliminate the possibility, but a warmed rubber band will always be more resilient than a frozen one.
Have you ever been midway through your working sets on back squat before you start “feeling good”?
I have and it’s a problem.
All the benefits listed above ensure you are operating at a high level before you start your main exercise.
Why does this matter? Because QUALITY training is the most important thing - 80% of your results come from 20% of your program (pareto principle).
If you jump right into your main exercise, you are living the scenario I described above, which results in reduced quality of training.
When training for strength/general performance you must focus on quality sets and reps. Quality refers to multiple things:
Form or Technique
Effort or Intent
Anyone who has jumped into a session cold, knows that you aren’t operating even close to 100%. A short dynamic warm up will always set you up for success in any training session.
If you are still skeptical, check out this simple google scholar search. Over 800,000 peer reviewed research studies discussing the benefits of dynamic warm ups.
Maybe you aren’t skeptical, you know dynamic warm ups are beneficial, but you choose to skip it anyway. The most common excuse, “I don’t have time for that.”
Try an experiment for me. Considering the 80/20 principle - your main exercises are the most important and driving majority of your results. Get rid of the last 5-10 minutes of accessory exercises from your program and spend that time doing the dynamic warm up in the beginning.
I guarantee that you will feel better and not lose any gains in strength or body composition because of this small change.
When to use a Dynamic Warm Up
Pre-workout
Right before you train - 5 to 10 minutes of prep, then head into your specific warm up and right to your working sets.
As the workout
Incorporate extended dynamic warm ups into your GPP training blocks.
specifically locomotion, running based movements: shuffles, carioca, skips, jog, backpedal etc…
GPP is all about developing capacity for movement and moving in many directions. Extended dynamic warm ups accomplish this and more
On recovery days
Recovery is all about moving blood around the body. Every single recovery method I can think of starts and ends with this concept. Sure, there are many other mechanisms working at a cellular level, but blood flow is always one of the
When you wake up in the morning
Feel stiff in the morning? Move your body. A 5 minute dynamic warm up is a game changer. You will feel better the rest of the day.
Applying an Extended Dynamic Warm Up to GPP
Combine 5 minute intervals of running based warm ups with Isometric Holds or Strength Intervals.
Movements to use:
Jog
Backpedal
Shuffle (Left and Right)
Carioca (Left and Right)
Skips - Forward, Lateral. Height and Distance
10 - 15 yards for each movement. Repeat all exercises continuously until 5 minutes has elapsed. Change the time as needed, and monitor your heart rate to stay below 140-150 bpm, take breaks as needed based on heart rate response.
Your goal is to increase the amount of work done within the 5 minute window over 2 - 4 weeks.
Example
This twitter thread breaks down and easy dynamic warm up that can all be done in a single station before lifting. Similar to what I do everyday.
I will change out some exercises based on changing needs from a mobility standpoint or if my training goals change.
Another Option, that includes walking exercises and running movements.
If you found any part of this post helpful, share with a friend. When Strength Protocol grows, we all benefit.
As always, if you have questions or if something is unclear, leave a comment below.
-Milo
DISCLAIMER
This is not Medical advice. Consult a medical professional before starting any workout program, or supplement protocol.