Lower Body Warm-up Routine

The Warm-up

Earlier this year, I started a personal challenge to deadlift 400# (lifting a weight from the floor to waist height). To accomplish this feat, I incorporated heavy leg training into my workout routines two to three times per week. Within weeks, I became significantly stronger, and after 30 days, I had increased my maximum deadlift by over 100 pounds. When training three times each week, I was often sore at the beginning of the workout. My muscles were rebuilding and adapting to new loads. For this reason, it was vitally important to warm-up my tissues prior to training.

In this post, I discuss four of my favorite exercises that I routinely performed before weight training.  While I use the deadlift as the example exercise, the exercises and principles apply to all lower body movements. 

Components of a Good Warm-up

A proper warm-up has numerous health benefits:

• Improving blood flow to muscles 
• Increasing core temperature
• Improving tissue elasticity
• Building muscle memory for movements that mimic your workout routine

​Each of these benefits relate back to one primary purpose: injury prevention. 

Example Warm-up Routine 1

Below are four warm-up exercises I performed prior to my deadlift routine.

Single Leg Deadlifts prep the hamstrings and glutes for dynamic motion. Adding a kettlebell at chest height engages the posterior shoulders.

Hip Hinges using a dowel provide cueing to maintain a neutral spine position. Load through the hips and avoid rounding the spine.

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Low Back Extensions warm-up the spinal stabilizers and improve overall spinal mobility. Perform in a 1/2 kneeling position to mobilize the front of the hip joint as well. 

Standing T's engage the trapezius muscles, which are primary upper body pulling muscles. Keep the neck lengthened and squeeze the shoulder blades together! 

Example Warm-up Routine 2

While I regularly performed the four exercises above, I have also included another sample routine below. Incorporating full body movements such as squats, romanian deadlifts (RDLs), and treadmill jogging are great ways to raise core temperature and bring blood flow to the entire body.  

As individuals get older, the tissue become less pliable and less elastic. Warming up the bodies tissue prior to any strenuous exercise is important for injury prevention. Invest 5-10 minutes in a foundational warm-up routine- your workout will feel stronger and your body will thank you afterward! 

Post written by:
Dr. Jim Heafner PT, DPT, OCS
Owner of Heafner Health Physical Therapy
Boulder, Colorado 

Questions about your Warm-up Routine?