“If you spend too much time warming up, you’ll miss the race. If you don’t warm up at all, you may not finish the race.” – Grand Heidrich
We all know that warming up is essential before training. But the quote above hits the nail on the head — a warm-up must be effective, straightforward, and purposeful. Overcomplicating it can be just as problematic as skipping it altogether. The goal? Address the key areas, break a light sweat, and prep your body for the movements and intensity you’re about to tackle.
At Foundry, our warm-up routine has four stages designed to prepare you for strength training, personal training, or any workout you’ve got lined up.
Pulse Raiser
As simple as it sounds, this step is all about getting your blood flowing. Spend around three minutes on the bike, hit a 500m row, or do some high knees on the spot. Not only does this get your heart rate up, but it also helps you mentally transition from the day’s distractions to focusing on your session. It’s your switch from ‘life mode’ to ‘gym mode.’
Mobility
Mobility is key. Before jumping into any workout, improving your range of motion and ensuring your joints can move freely is crucial. At Foundry, we take a systematic approach, moving up the body, joint by joint. We cover all the bases from the ankle to the knee, hip, spine, and shoulder to ensure you’re limber and ready.
Stability / Activation
Mobility without stability? That’s asking for trouble. Once we’ve loosened things up, we focus on stabilising those key areas. Our warm-up zones are on the “core” and glutes, which often need extra attention thanks to our desk-bound lifestyles. Since these muscles are critical in stabilising the pelvis and supporting overall movement, waking them up is a priority.
Movement Prep
Now, it’s time to prime the body for what’s to come. Movement prep is about getting more efficient in the patterns you will load. Think of it as “greasing the groove” — preparing your body for the workout ahead so that you’re firing on all cylinders when you start lifting. As Eric Cressey says, “What happens when you load a bad pattern? You get good at sucking.”
Below is a video that walks you through our “10-Point Warm-Up,” which covers the mobility and stability components we just mentioned.
Foundry Warm Up
Warm Up Complex 1
Warm Up Complex 2
Warm Up Complex 3
If you have any questions on the above or would like some advice on how we could help you with your fitness goal, don’t hesitate to visit our small group gyms in London and try one of our training classes.