5 Warm-Up Stretches That Will Maximize Your Gym Workout

Patrik Giardino, Getty Images; Graphic by Jocelyn Runice

While it’s tempting to start your workout the second you walk out of the locker room, take a few minutes to focus on your warm-up first. A smart warm-up will help improve your speed, strength, endurance, flexibility…the list goes on. So while those first few minutes may feel like you’re not working up a sweat, you’re actually putting in some serious work. 

The primary purpose of a warm-up is to prepare the body for the rigorous demands of your workout, explains Jessica Matthews, M.S., assistant professor of exercise science at Miramar College and senior advisor for health and fitness education for the American Council on Exercise. “A well-rounded warm-up routine can help address underlying muscle imbalances and enhance your overall movement quality, while also gradually increasing your core body temperature in preparation for the activity to come,” she says.

A proper warm-up will also help decrease your risk for injury, explains assistant director of strength and conditioning at Princeton University Angie Brambley-Moyer, CSCS. “Adequate joint mobility, or range of motion around the joints, is imperative to perform loaded movement patterns safely and effectively,” Matthews adds.

An effective pre-workout routine includes something called dynamic stretching, which means you’re pretty much constantly moving while getting your blood pumping and muscles ready for action. Static stretches, on the other hand, are held in place. And you’ll want to save those stretches for after your workout, explains Brambley-Moyer.

Brambley-Moyer works closely with high-performing collegiate athletes—she trains the women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, and lacrosse teams, as well as the men’s hockey team, so she’s pretty much a pro at running a killer strength program in addition to the warm-ups that make them count. So what’s your game plan? To help make your pre-workout minutes count, try five of Brambley-Moyer’s go-to dynamic stretches below. 

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