This standing dynamic warm-up takes you from your neck down to your legs in about nine minutes: six gentle movements, done with us in real time, that loosen your joints and get your muscles ready to work. It needs no equipment and suits beginners: do it before a workout or a run, at home, in the gym or outdoors.

This guide accompanies our follow-along video above. The session runs in real time: a countdown brings you into every set, a timer counts every rest, and as you go the video shows the muscles each movement works and the tempo of every counted repetition. At the end it looks back at the muscles you have warmed up, from your neck down to your legs, and at what your warm-up has done.

The six movements, in order

  1. Shoulder circles, 1 set of 10. Stand tall with your arms relaxed by your sides. Lift your shoulders toward your ears, roll them back and let them drop: up for two seconds, down for one, breathing in as they rise and out as they come down.
  2. Neck rotations, 1 set of 8. Stay tall, eyes forward. Turn your head slowly to one side, pause for a moment, come back to the middle, then turn to the other side. Breathe out as you turn and in as you come back, and go only as far as is comfortable.
  3. Arm circles, 2 sets of 10. Raise your arms out to the sides at shoulder height and circle them forward, straight but not locked, with your shoulders down and away from your ears. Keep the circles smooth and even, and breathe normally.
  4. Hip openers, 2 sets of 8, one set for each leg. With your hands on your hips, lift one knee to hip height, open it out to the side and bring it back to the front: out for two seconds, back for two. Stay tall, keep your standing knee soft, and let the movement come from your hip, not your back.
  5. March in place, 2 sets of 30 seconds. Bend your elbows and march, lifting your knees toward hip height, opposite arm with opposite knee. Stand tall, don’t lean back, and breathe steadily.
  6. Squat arm swing, 2 sets of 10. With your feet shoulder-width apart, sit back and down as your arms swing forward, pause at the bottom, then drive up through your heels as your arms swing back. Keep your chest up, your heels down and your knees in line with your toes.

How the session runs

The whole warm-up takes 8 minutes and 41 seconds:

  • Ten sets: one each of shoulder circles and neck rotations, then two each of the other four movements.
  • Rests: 30 seconds between the sets of a movement and 15 seconds before the next movement, each one counted down on screen.
  • The pace: every movement is done at the tempo it is meant to have, which the video shows for every counted repetition, so you never need to time yourself.

What a warm-up does for you

A good warm-up does four things before you train:

  • Your joints: it takes them gently through their whole range.
  • Your muscles: it warms them up, and a warm muscle stretches and contracts more easily.
  • Your heart: it raises your heart rate, so more blood and oxygen reach your muscles.
  • Your nerves: it wakes them up, so signals travel faster between your brain and your muscles.

Make it easier or harder

  • Easier: make smaller circles if a shoulder complains, keep a hand on a wall during the hip openers, march more slowly with your knees lower, or sitting down, and squat only as low as feels good: a shallow squat still counts.
  • Harder: add a few circles, open each knee a little wider or move a little slower, march faster or lift your knees higher, and squat a little faster while staying in control.

Safety

Move only as far as is comfortable and never force a range, especially when you turn your neck. If anything aches, make the movement smaller and slower, and stop if it hurts. If you have a neck, shoulder, hip or knee problem, consult a professional before you start.

Your turn

Play the video above and warm up with the coach, from the first countdown to the last set. Where do you feel the warm-up most: your shoulders, your hips or your legs? Tell us in the comments under the video on YouTube. If this session helped, subscribe to HealthyShape on YouTube for a new workout program and a new exercise lesson every week. Every exercise in the HealthyShape app carries the same muscle view and tempo guide you see in the video.