Prepare your body for exercise with this guided, 10-Minute Dynamic Warm Up. This full body mobility and cardio warm up routine combines the best dynamic exercises to improve workout performance, prevent injury, and improve range of motion.
Prepare for your home workout with this 10-Minute Dynamic Warm Up Routine!
Adding a dynamic warm up to your workout routine is important for many reasons:
Improve athletic performance during a workout. Taking a few minutes to warm up in the beginning of your workout can actually help you have a more effective workout (University of São Paulo).
Reduce risk of injury, which could sideline you for weeks.
Mentally prepare you for a workout so you can make the most of the time you have to workout.
Most of my home workouts include dynamic warm ups. That said, there might be days you need to work on mobility a bit more. This is also a great option for your active rest day.
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Dynamic Warm Up FAQs
What Is A Dynamic Warm Up?
A dynamic warm up is a combination of movements designed to prepare your body for loaded movements. This is different from the kind of stretching you might remember from gym class, where you hold a stretch for 30-60 seconds (“static stretching”). Dynamic stretching includes active movement or energy.
What Is The Best Example Of Dynamic Exercises?
The best dynamic exercises will have you moving in all planes of motion to prevent injury. This includes the sagittal plane (forward and backward movements), frontal plane (side-to-side movements) and transverse plane (twisting and pivoting movements).
What’s The Difference Between A Dynamic Warm Up And Static Stretching?
Dynamic stretching (like this active warm up routine) is better for warming up your body before a workout. Static stretching (or stretches you hold), is great for increasing flexibility. As a certified personal trainer, I personally suggest using dynamic stretching for a pre-workout warm up. Incorporate static stretches into your post-workout cool down. For static stretching routines, check out this 10-Minute Morning Stretch Routine or this Full Body Stretch Routine.
10-Minute Dynamic Warm Up: Mobility and Cardio
Raise your heart rate, improve mobility and range of motion and reduce risk of injury by starting your workout with this 10-Minute Dynamic Warm Up.
This routine includes dynamic warm up exercises designed to prepare all the major muscle groups in your body for loaded movement (your daily workout).
Warm Up Equipment:
No equipment, just your bodyweight.
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Targets: Hip flexors, quads, glutes, hamstrings and core.
Avoid bending at the waist as you reach for your toes. Start slow and increase your speed as you find your rhythm.
How To Do A Step Toe Touch And Step Back Lunge
Start standing tall, feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides.
Take a small step forward with your left foot. As you plant your front leg (left foot) firmly on the ground, swing your right leg out in front of you while simultaneously reaching your left hand towards your right toe. Strive to make the toe to hand connection, if possible. Do not bend at the waist. Keep hip to rib cage open.
As you swing your right leg back towards the ground, plant your right foot slightly behind your left foot.
With right foot planted on the ground, step your left foot back into a reverse lunge, lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front right thigh parallel to the floor.
Drive through your front right foot to return to a starting position.
Rapid Lateral Squats
Targets: Gluteus medius, or outer glute that controls hip movement and side-to-side movements. Also involved are the quads and inner thighs (or adductors).
Think of sending your hips back and down. Start slow and increase your speed as you find your rhythm.
How To Do Lateral Squats
Start with your feet wider than your hips. Think a wide squat stance or sumo squat stance, with your knees and toes pointing forward (or toes just slightly turned out away from your body).
Shift your weight into your right heel as you push your hips back, bending your right knee while leaving your left leg straight. With your left hand, reach for your right foot as you sit back into the lateral squat.
Then drive through your right foot to reverse the movement, pushing back up to center.
Repeat this movement on the left leg, reaching for your right hand towards your left toes as you bend your left knee.
Around The World Lunge Pivots
Targets: Quads, glutes, ankles, calves, core, shoulders and arms. The extension of arms overhead, above your heart, will raise your heart rate.
Toes follow hips; your toes should pivot with your hips.
How To Do Around The World Lunges
Start standing tall with your feet slightly wider than your hips. Toes pointing forward.
Reach your arms straight overhead to activate your core.
Lift your heels off the ground, transferring your weight to the balls of your feet as you pivot your hips (toes follow hips) to the right. With chest, hips and toes facing to the right, bend your knees and lower down into a shortened lunge position. Lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front right thigh parallel to the floor. Reach your fingertips towards the ground if possible.
Then drive through your front right foot to powerfully stand back up, again transferring your weight into the balls of your feet as you pivot your hips (and toes) back to center and then right up and over to the left.
Pivot Front Lunge And Knee Drive
Targets: Hip flexors, quads, glutes, ankles, calves and core.
Toes follow hips; your toes should pivot with your hips.
How To Do A Pivot Lunge And Knee Drive
Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Lift your right knee up to hip height, engaging your core and balancing on the left leg (soft bend in left knee).
Pivot your left toe, opening your body to the right, as you simultaneously step your right foot out in front of your body to land in a low front lunge. Toes follow hips to the right. Your right leg (the one that was floating) should now be at a 90-degree bend, front thigh parallel to the floor. Back left knee lowered towards the ground.
Option to reach left fingertips towards the ground if that’s available to you.
Then drive off your front right foot as you pivot your left toes back to center, the starting position. Again driving your right knee up, floating in line with your right hip.
Repeat this movement for 45 seconds with opening hip rotations to the right. Then switch standing legs, balancing on your right leg with opening hip rotations to the left.
4 Butt Kicks And Squat
Targets: Hips, hamstrings, glutes, calves and ankles (also a great warm up exercise for opening up the front thighs and quads). This warm up movement is sure to raise your heart rate too.
How To Do 4 Butt Kicks And Squat
Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your side.
Then pull your right heel towards your right glute, squeezing your hamstring muscle.
Place the ball of your right foot back to the ground, and repeat on the other side — pulling your left heel to your left glute.
Perform 4 butt kicks (2 on right leg and 2 on the left leg).
Then lower down into a squat. Shifting the weight into your heels as you bend your knees and lower your hips down towards the ground, striving for a 90-degree angle with your hips in line with your knees; chest up.
Drive through your heels to return to the starting position and repeat the 4 butt kicks to 1 squat movement, picking up your pace as you progress.
Plank Walk Out And Low Lunge Hip Opener
Targets: Shoulders, arms, core, legs, glutes and hips.
This low lunge hip opener is a great way to increase your squat range of motion.
How To Do A Plank Walk Out And Low Lunge Hip Opener
Start standing with your feet hip-distance apart, arms reaching overhead.
Lower down into a squat position. Weight in your heels as you lower your hips down towards the ground, striving for a 90-degree angle with your hips in line with your knees; chest up, fingertips reaching for the ground.
Plank your hands on the ground and ‘walk out’ into a high plank position, walking your hands away from your feet.
Find a high plank position (or pushup position) with shoulders stacked over wrists, body in a straight line from head to toe.
Then step your right foot outside your right hand, finding a low lunge position. Open your right hand towards the ceiling (gaze follows fingertips), stretching through your left hip and right glute.
Replant your right hand to the mat, step back to high plank and repeat this low lunge on the other side. Stepping your left foot outside your left hand, finding a low lunge position. Open your left hand towards the ceiling (gaze follows fingertips), stretching through your right hip and left glute.
Step back to high plank and then walk your hands back towards your feet; standing back up the to the starting position.
Kick Sits
Targets: All of the core muscles! Also targets the shoulders, quads, hips and ankles. A great exercise to increase mobility of the hips and shoulders.
This is a challenging exercise. To modify: omit the toe touch and open your arm as you rotate, kicking your opposing leg through. Leaving the arm open will create more space for the leg to come through.
How To Do Kick Sits
Start in a table top position on all fours, shoulders over wrists and hips over knees.
Tuck your toes under to lift your knees off the mat (think of just hovering your knees off the mat), as you support yourself through the heels of your hands; core engaged.
Then pivot your right heel down towards the ground, opening your hips to the right as you prepare to kick your left leg through the opening between your left hand and right foot. Your left hip may brush the ground as you kick your left leg through. Left palm stays connected to the ground to support you.
If possible, reach your right hand towards your left toes.
Then pivot your hips back towards the ground, returning to the starting position and perform the kick through on the other side.
Pivot your left heel down towards the ground, opening your hips to the left as you prepare to kick your right leg through the opening between your right hand and left foot. Your right hip may brush the ground as you kick your right leg through. Right palm stays connected to the ground to support you.
If possible, reach your left hand towards your right toes, then return to the starting position.
Prisoner Get Ups
Targets: Glutes, quads, hamstrings and all the stabilizing muscles in your core and back.
Alternate your lead foot with each rep.
How To Do Kneeling Stand Ups
Start in a kneeling position, knees under hips (add additional padding to support your knees if necessary). Shoulders stacked over hips. Hands can be at your sides or placed behind your head for additional core engagement.
From this kneeling position, step your right foot out in front of you, knee in line with right hip. Then step your left foot out to meet your right foot, placing you at the bottom of your squat.
From this loaded squat position, drive through your heels to stand tall.
Then lower back down into the bottom of a squat and reverse this movement; stepping your left foot back and placing your left knee back on the mat. Then stepping your right foot back and placing your right knee back on the mat. Bringing you back to the kneeling starting position.
Repeat this “get up” movement, alternating your lead foot with each rep.
90/90 Hip Switch Kneel Up
Targets: Hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, inner thighs and all the stabilizing muscles in your core, back and shoulders.
This is a challenging hip mobility exercise. To modify, repeat steps 1-2. Once you are comfortable with this movement, try adding on the remainder of the movement.
How To Do A 90/90 Hip Switch Kneel Up
Start in a seated butterfly position, sitting on your sit bones with soles of the feet to touch. Arms extended straight out in front of you at shoulder height.
From this position, slide your right foot behind you, inner arch of foot placed on the mat behind your right glute/hip. Putting you in a 90/90 hip switch position.
From this position, brace your core to lift your hips off the ground, rising up to a half kneeling position, shoulders stacked over hips.
Hold this position as you simultaneously slide your left foot behind you while pulling your right foot back to the butterfly starting position. The inner arch of your left foot should be placed on the mat behind your left glute/hip, and the inner arch of your right foot should face up towards the ceiling (in line with your pelvis).
Lower your hips back to the ground, sitting on your sit bones.
Then slide your left foot back to meet your right foot in the starting butterfly position.
Repeat this movement, alternating your lead foot with each rep.
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2 comments
Hello, I love all your workouts, thank you for posting this great warm up. I can’t wait to try it. Where is your outfit from ?
Hi Karen! So glad you liked this warm up routine! My outfit is: Ebb to Train Bra (affiliate link: lululemon.prf.hn/l/rvOyN53) and Align Leggings (affiliate link: lululemon.prf.hn/l/75yN2bg)!
Dynamic Warm Up
Dynamic Warm Up
Hello, I love all your workouts, thank you for posting this great warm up. I can’t wait to try it. Where is your outfit from ?
Hi Karen! So glad you liked this warm up routine! My outfit is: Ebb to Train Bra (affiliate link: lululemon.prf.hn/l/rvOyN53) and Align Leggings (affiliate link: lululemon.prf.hn/l/75yN2bg)!