How do I warm up properly?

A good warm-up does three jobs: It raises tissue temperature, it moves the joints you are about to load, and it rehearses the exact movement you are about to perform. Five minutes of easy cardio, a few minutes of targeted mobility, then two or three progressively heavier warm-up sets of your first exercise covers all three.

The three stages

Raise. Five minutes of cycling, rowing, brisk walking, or skipping. You want to feel slightly warm and breathing a little faster, not tired.

Mobilise. Two or three drills for the joints the session actually demands. Squat day might use 90/90 hip switches and ankle rockers. Pressing day might use wall slides and thoracic rotations. Pick what limits you rather than running a fixed twenty-minute routine.

Rehearse. Ramp into the first lift. If your working weight is 100 kg, sets at the empty bar, 40, 60, and 85 kg prepare the pattern and the nervous system without adding fatigue.

Why static stretching does not belong at the start

Long static holds before training can temporarily reduce force and power output, and they do little to prepare a movement. Save them for after the session or for separate mobility work. Dynamic movement through range achieves the preparation you actually want. The distinction between passive range and controlled range is explained in Flexibility vs Mobility in Athletic Performance.

Adjusting the warm-up to the session

• Heavy strength work: More ramp sets, none of them taken to failure.
• Plyometrics or sprinting: Add low-level hops, skips, and build-up runs; never sprint cold.
• Early morning training: Allow longer, since tissues are cooler and stiffer.
• Short sessions: Keep the raise phase brief and let the ramp sets do the work.

Signs your warm-up is working

Your first working set should feel about as good as your third. If the first set is always the worst of the session, extend the ramp. If you feel flat and tired before you start, the warm-up is too long or too hard.

Persistent stiffness or pain that only warms up after twenty minutes and returns the next day is worth discussing with a clinician rather than warming up around indefinitely.