10 BEST WARM-UP EXERCISES TO DO BEFORE YOUR WORKOUT

GREAT WARM-UP EXERCISES BEFORE WORKOUT:

• NECK CIRCLES:

Neck circles are so effective because they help the muscles on your neck to relax and focus on improved alignment of your head and neck joints. The muscles that hold the head and neck in place need to be strong and flexible. Also, they need to be controlled and coordinated, as well as relaxed. Neck circles exercise will increase the strength of those muscles, thus increasing their flexibility, coordination, and relaxation:

How to perform it:

Start with the head facing forward. Slowly drop your chin down and to one side. Hold for a few seconds; this is your starting position. Now slowly circle your head in a clockwise direction, bringing your ear toward your shoulder. Hold for a few seconds, then reverse the direction counter-clockwise-bringing your ear back toward its original position—and hold for a few seconds again. Repeat this a few times until you feel a gentle stretch along the side of your neck. Then drop your chin down and to the other side, your starting position, and slowly circle to the other side, moving from the shoulder to the ear. Repeat until you feel a gentle stretch on that side as well.

• SHOULDER ROTATION:

If you're looking to relieve and release the tension in your neck and shoulder muscles, this gentle exercise can be just what you need. With only five minutes of your time, you'll feel refreshed after repeating it a couple of times.

Step 1: Stand with your back straight and shoulders relaxed - try to ensure that the buttocks don't protrude outwards.

Step 2: Turn both shoulders downwards in a circular motion for five seconds. Keep turning until they come into alignment with the center of the chest or until you feel any pain or discomfort.

Step 3: Turn both shoulders upwards in a circular motion for five seconds. Keep turning until they come into alignment with the center of the chest or until you feel any pain or discomfort.

Step 4: Turn both shoulders forwards in a circular motion for five seconds. Keep turning until they come into alignment with the center of the chest or until you feel any pain or discomfort.

Step 5: Turn both shoulders backward in a circular motion for five seconds. Keep turning until they come into alignment with the center of the chest or until you feel any pain or discomfort.

Step 6: Turn both shoulders outwards at right angles to each other (almost like an eagle on its prey). This should take five seconds to complete.

Step 7: Turn both shoulders back in at right angles to each other, again taking five seconds to complete.

Step 8: Lift both hands so they are level with your shoulders and push them upwards until they return to a level position - this takes only a second or two.

Step 9: Repeat the entire sequence three or four times, taking a short pause after each cycle. 

You'll feel revived and energized afterward.

The exercise will give you better circulation of blood around your body which you'll notice immediately after completing it.

• ARM CIRCLES:

Place both hands at shoulder level with palms down and shoulder-width apart. Start by turning the right palm up toward the ceiling in an arc with your elbow pointing out behind you. Keep that arm extended as you bring it back down to hanging at knee level with your right palm facing down again. This is one circle completed. Next, mirror the same motion on the left side. By this time, one arm should be extended behind you and the other behind your back with both palms facing down. Sculpt every time you do it. Make sure to keep your elbow straight and your shoulder pointing out. If you need to, bring the knees and feet together and step forward until you can place both hands at shoulder level with palms facing down comfortably. Continue until you feel comfortable doing so –do three sets of 15 –30 repetitions on each side.

• ELBOW CIRCLES:

"Elbow circles exercise" is a great workout for arm and shoulder muscles. The idea is to move your elbows in a circle as if it were an extension of your hands.

The elbow circles can be done with both arms at the same time or individually. For the individual version, start with one arm outstretched straight in front of you while the other rests on its side at your waistline, palm up. Rotate both arms clockwise for one minute then switch to counterclockwise for another minute. 

Elbow circles are also effective during cardio training. After warming up, do 10 repetitions of elbow circles per arm while jogging or running, three days per week. By keeping your upper body steady and feet moving forward at all times, you'll develop better coordination, balance, and leg strength.

Tip: Always keep your elbows close to your sides as you move them in a big circle.

Exercising the elbow like this will strengthen the muscles in your arms and shoulders and improve posture overall. Elbow circles are especially helpful for anyone suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis of the elbow because they promote blood flow to these areas which reduces swelling. It also improves flexibility in the elbow joints.

• HIP ROTATION:

Hip rotation exercise is a type of leg extension exercise. It is often used as a supplementary and stretching motion during the other circular and rotational movements such as hip abduction, lateral flexion, and axial rotation. Hip rotation exercises can also be considered as an alternative to other commonly seen exercises such as lying hip extension or lying side plank which involve similar movement patterns but not necessarily the same muscle group.

To do hip rotation exercises, straightened and horizontally aligned lower extremities should be positioned while lying on your back. One of the hips should be placed higher than the other to form a 90° angle at the knee joint. The side with the higher hip should be used as a support while the lower limb will undergo rotational movement. To begin, bend your knee and place your foot to touch your thigh. While doing so, place your free hand on the upper thigh towards the groin area for support. This part of the body is often referred to as an abduction block or abduction rest for other similar leg exercises such as lying hip abduction or lateral flexion. Then, while keeping your knee bent, rotate your upper leg towards your opposite side making sure not to lift the other hip off the ground. At the same time, keep your support hand on your lower leg. This part of the body is often referred to as a rotation block for other leg exercises such as lying side plank or adduction lunge. The goal of this exercise is to move through 360 degrees in a single set.

Note: When you perform the exercise, try touching both sides with your knee and ankle together without lifting one of them off the ground. Doing so will bring more benefits to the muscle tissue and joint stability in long-term conditions with constant use.

After reaching the full extension of movement, lower your leg slowly by bending the knee again. This is the complete hip rotation exercise. The counting for this move should be straightening and lowering of both lower extremities at one time.

Hip rotation is commonly used as an alternative to lying hip extension or lying side plank which involves similar movement patterns but not necessarily the same muscle group. 

However, it also plays a key role in improving flexibility and range of motion in the hip joint during other common activities such as sitting down or climbing stairs.

This exercise can be added to other rotational movements that include: abducting, flexing, rotating, and adducting side step squats.

• FRONT STATIC LUNGES:

Front static lunges are a great exercise for building strength in the hip muscles, especially the gluteus medius, iliopsoas group, and quadriceps. They also work your abdominal muscles as you use them to maintain balance during the lunge. You'll want to use your arms for balance as you lean forward over your front leg so that only the toes of your back foot are touching the ground. Your torso is at a 45-degree angle with gravity so that it won't be too difficult on your front knee joint.

You will start out by standing with your feet together at shoulder-width apart. You'll want to hold onto something sturdy, I used a barbell for my leg press. Step your back foot out to the side until the point where you are parallel with the ground, this is called a standing lunge. Your back knee will be bent at 90 degrees. Make sure that your torso remains upright as you bend down over your front leg so that your hip crease goes through the middle of your ankle. You should feel a stretch in the front of your iliopsoas group and quadriceps as I do this exercise. Also, make sure that your knee doesn't go past your toes. If you can feel pain, back off and start over.

As the lunge is the first exercise that I would recommend that you do as a beginner, as it's more than just a great core exercise - it also works on your hip flexors and improves their functionality.

Pair these with lunges for legs for even more strengthening benefits!

I do this exercise three times a week before my leg workout at the gym and they definitely work my legs and improve my hip flexor endurance.

For this exercise, I use the most basic equipment the most basic of all being with an elastic band.

I can guarantee you there is no easier way to be stronger in your core or legs than with this set of exercises. You don't need any equipment at all for this, just yourself and a little bit of time!

Here are some things I would recommend to people if they are trying these out for the first time... If you are using the resistance band make sure it isn't stretched too much or you can injure yourself.

• JUMPING JACKS:

Jumping jacks are a great cardio exercise because they get your heart rate up and help you burn calories. Here's how to do them:

1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Put your hands on the back of your head, arching your back and flexing your chest muscles to the ceiling while keeping both knees slightly bent.

2. Jump in the air and spread arms and legs out wide while bringing them together in front of you before landing on both feet again while keeping hands on the back of your head for balance or better yet grabbing hold of something or someone nearby for some extra support!

3. Repeat for 1 minute.

A) Pause briefly in the middle of each jump to take a deep breath, then immediately explode through your next jump. It's all about the pauses!

B) Don't forget to repeat these moves even if you're doing other exercises, like aerobics or weight lifting, that are more vigorous. Just get in the habit of taking a brief pause in between moves to really get your heart pumping!

• BUTT KICKS:

The butt kicks exercise is a great way to tone the outer thighs and the butt while strengthening your lower back. This exercise can be done with or without weights, sitting at the edge of a chair or on the floor. 

There are two simple steps to do this exercise:

Step One: Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet resting flat on the floor in front of you about hip-width apart; bring one knee up towards your chest and hold it there with both hands just below your knee cap if you're using weights. Do not use weights if you have any problems with high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Step Two: Keeping your knee up to your chest, lift your bottom leg off the floor without moving your knee towards you. Don't drag your foot across the floor or drag it back towards yourself this could cause an injury. Keep both knees level with each other.

The exercise ends when you lower your foot back to the floor, raising your knee down to the starting position. Repeat 10 times on each leg for a total of 20 butt kicks per side. Remember not to push up too hard into that knee. The goal is just to get the leg up high enough that it looks like a kick then lowers it back down slowly.

The butt kicks exercise is a great way to tone the outer thighs and the butt while strengthening your lower back. This exercise can be done with or without weights, sitting at the edge of a chair or on the floor. 

• INCHWORMS:

Inchworms are a great way to stretch the entire body and get a simple workout in at the same time. If you're looking for a good warm-up or stretching exercise, inchworms are perfect!

Learn how to do this simple exercise below. To start, lay down on your stomach with your arms stretched out in front of you and your legs folded up behind you. The next step is to lift both of your feet off the ground and slowly walk them towards you until they reach their starting point. This is one inchworm! Repeat this while lifting alternating limbs until you've made it all the way.

1. Position yourself on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.  Place your hands directly under the middle of your chest then lift one foot off the ground and slowly walk it into position underneath the opposite shoulder with the toes pointed upwards. Keep in mind that it is important to keep both feet in contact with the ground at all times.

2. Now, while lifting the foot in complete control and bending over at the waist, and pushing down with both hands, slowly lower back down to starting position.  Repeat this until you've made it all the way around.

3. Next, slowly lift up both feet and bring them into position underneath the opposite shoulder. 

4. Now, pull up on the toes with both hands to raise the foot vertically in front of your body.

5. Once you've reached the top, lean over slowly at your waist while pushing down with both hands.  Lower back down to starting position and continue repeating this until you've made it all the way around.

6. Keep repeating this sequence for more back exercises!

• HEEL DIPS:

Heel digs exercise is a powerful and low-impact exercise that can strengthen your lower back, abs, and abdominal muscles. It only requires the use of body weight, making it perfect for busy people who want to stay healthy while traveling on vacation.

What is the Heel Dips Exercise? 

The heel dips exercise strengthens your core abdominal muscles by engaging them on an unstable surface such as a mat on the floor or on a Bosu ball. The basic movements that engage your core are bending forward at the hips with knees bent and using opposing arm and leg motions for stability. This moves your thighs closer to your chest which also engages your glutes and hamstrings in the movement.

Heel digs exercise is a great way to strengthen your core without adding the impact of a lot of repetitions on a treadmill or elliptical. It is effective in engaging muscles that might not work during conventional workout routines, such as the deep ab muscles.

How to Do Heel Dips 

1.  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on an exercise mat or balance disc with your knees bent and arms stretched out at your sides. Keep your back straight and bend forward at the hips, keeping them above your knees. This will be the starting position for this abs exercise.

2.  Move through an arching motion by pushing your hips forward and bending your knees in the opposite direction.

3.  Keep your toes flexed and hands by your sides to prevent any valgus (tilting) of the knee joint during this exercise.

4.  Tighten muscles in front of hips with each repetition, then relax back into the starting position for the next rep.

5.  Repeat each rep with each side for additional reps or time if desired.