The Real Reason To Warm Up

Warm Up = Self Assessment

Warming up has been given the wrong name, and created confusion as a result. Because the point of the warm up is not actually to warm up. The point is to take the time before your workout to check in with yourself and see what you’re going to be capable of that day.

People don’t get hurt because they didn’t warm up (temperature wise), they get hurt because they didn’t take the time to listen to their body and assess what’s going on (which can also lead to burn out). And that’s why it is so important not to skip it.

Start slow and easy.

Take 5 minutes to foam roll and investigate what’s sore.

Take 5 minutes to stretch and lengthen your body. Where is your range of motion limited?

Take 5 minutes for some dynamic movements. Identify what is sore, limited and tired.

Take the first 1 - 2 sets of your workout to assess more before really pushing it.

Each one of these will change daily, so it’s important to reassess daily.

There’s another benefit to the warm up as well. It acts to ground us before a workout. By doing the one thing we all want to skip, it forces us to slow down and enter the workout with a level head that’s ready to go.

During your next warm up, listen to your body. Is today a day to push it? Or is today just about getting through the motions? Two very different days, but both are necessary. The warm up is where you can figure that out.