Pre-workout or pre-game warms are important because it will prepare the body for what is to come next. By priming the central nervous system and elevating your heart rate, body temperature and increasing blood flow throughout the body, will help reduce the likelihood of injury during your workout or game.
The warmup is also a great way to work on your flexibility, mobility and reinforce movement patterns that may be found in your workout. In today’s world, we tend to sit for long periods of time and in some cases the majority of the day. By taking 10-15 minutes a day to work on your body before your workout and especially prior to competition will help get you out of these patterns of dysfunction caused by our jobs, sitting at the computer, looking down at our phones and long periods of sitting.
Key points of the warmup are to activate the CNS and musculature, lengthen the musculature and enhance mobility in the appropriate joints, such as the Thoracic Spine, Hips and Ankles.
Below is a sample warmup that I have used in the past and can be done anywhere with minimal equipment.
Warm-Up