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Most of us know that warming up before a workout is a good idea, but to get the biggest benefits, it takes more than a quick jog on the spot and those hamstring stretches you remember from PE.
Adding some mobility movements to your routine will help up your game and reduce DOMS, which stands for delayed onset muscle soreness (if you’ve had it, you’ll know).
To get us started, PT and movement specialist Tom Cuff-Burnett (@tomcuffb_fitness) has provided HuffPost UK with a quick, five-minute warm up that can be practised at the gym or home without any equipment.
“If properly integrated into your training schedule, a mobility warm up can reap huge benefits in terms of performing movements with correct technique, as well as playing a role in injury prevention and postural improvement and correction,” he says.
The four moves will give you a full-body mobility flow that primes the key joints and muscles for most, if not all, types of exercise/training session. But they also work as a standalone routine whenever you feel like a quick “movement snack”, in his words – “whether that’s just after waking, stepping away from the desk in the middle of the day, or releasing the day’s tension before you hit the pillow.”
Perform 8-10 reps of each, flowing from one into the next.
High plank walk out
Set your feet hip-width apart, then hinge at the hips to reach down towards the floor, aiming to keep your legs straight as you do so. Once your hands make contact with the floor, slowly walk them out in front of you until your palms end up underneath your shoulders. Return to your original position by pushing your hips into the sky and walking the hands back towards your feet, slowly rolling through the spine as you stand up.
World’s greatest stretch
Begin in a half-kneeling stance, with one knee on the floor and one foot in front of you. Place one hand down opposite and in-line with the front foot, then raise your other arm towards the ceiling, looking to the tips of your fingers as you do so. Try to rotate the arm past the midline of the body, before slowly bringing it back down and threading it through and underneath the armpit of the supporting arm.
‘Cat-cow’ stretch
Start off on all fours, with knees aligned under your hips and palms directly underneath the shoulders. Push up through your upper back (thoracic spine) and spread the shoulder blades apart to create a curved posture. Then reverse this motion and send your chest towards the floor, depressing your shoulder blades so they come together and your back is concave.
Downward > Upward Facing Dog
From a plank position, push your hips into the sky and tuck your head to look back towards your feet, so your head and chest travel towards your thighs. Try to push your heels down into the floor, before slowly moving your body back towards the floor, resting your thighs down and pushing up through your palms with eyes towards the ceiling. Pull your shoulder blades back and down to bring your chest through.
Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.
