Be honest, do you warm up before exercising? Well, you should. Warming up properly gets your body ready for movement, and it’s an important measure to help lessen the likelihood of injury.

If you think about warming up, you might think about stretches. Y’know, stuff like putting your arm behind your back and stretching it. And while these movements do have a place, they’re static, still stretches, and dynamic movements are much better for preparing to get moving.

Active movements help our bodies limber up and prep muscles for the strain to come. A lighter intensity version of the exercise you’re about to do can really help too.

Not sure where to start? Begin with trying these 5 simple dynamic warm-ups to get the blood flowing and get your primed for action.

Leg swings

  • Standing straight, hold a wall for support.
  • Swing your left leg back and forth gently.
  • Repeat for 10 swings, then swap legs.
  • You should find that each swing allows your leg to go a little higher, increasing the range of movement at the joint.

Lunge rotation

  • Standing tall, gaze forward with your back straight.
  • Take your left leg forward and bend the knee.
  • Drop your right knee to the ground as you do so.
  • Then rotate your torso to the right and turn your head to look over your right shoulder.
  • Hold for 2-3 seconds, then release and come back up to standing.
  • Aim for 4-5 rotations on each side.

Walkouts

  • This is great for engaging your lower and upper body. Stand tall and bend at the hips, keeping your legs straight.
  • Drop your arms down to the floor and walk with your hands forward until your body is in a plank position, with hands under your shoulders and body in a straight horizontal position.
  • Then slowly walk your hands back towards your feet, eventually coming back up to standing.

Arm circles

  • Keeping your arms straight, raise them forward and rotate them all the way behind you in a big circular movement.
  • Repeat 5 arm circles forward, then 5 arm circles back.
    Glute bridges

Waking up your glute (bottom) muscles is important as they’re generally incredibly inactive from long periods spent sitting down. If your glutes aren’t woken up prior to exercise, other muscles in your legs may end up working harder to make up for sleepy bum muscles, and this can lead to injury.

  • Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground.
  • Slowly lift your hips up from the ground, keeping your upper back firmly down on the floor.
  • Once your hips are lifted, hold the position for 5 seconds, squeezing your glutes, then slowly lower yourself back down.
  • Aim to repeat this 10 times.

Not prepared enough and want more? No problemo.

Bodyweight squats

With your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees and drop down slowly, keeping your back upright and gaze forward. Keep your heels glued to the floor. Then, pushing through your heels, rise back up to standing. Aim for 10-15 repetitions.

Skipping

No rope? No problem! Simply act out the movements with an invisible rope. Aim to do this for 1 minute, whether your rope is real or imaginary. Get ready to feel the pump in your calf muscles!

Jumping jacks

AKA star jumps, there will wake up your entire body and raise your heart rate too.

Jump both feet out simultaneously while lifting your arms out to either side of your body and touching your hands up above your head. Then drop your arms back down to your side as you jump your feet back together. Aim for 20 repetitions.