Weight Lifting Warm Up Ideas and Why Warm Ups Are Important

When you walk into the gym, what’s the first thing you do? Some people walk right to the weights and start lifting, while others may walk over to the treadmill to get a warm up in, but when it comes to weight lifting a proper warm up is so important and can make a difference in your lifts.

The purpose of a warm up is to increase the warmth of the muscles and prepare them for the activity that they are about to experience. When we start with lighter resistance and movements that we are planning to do in our workout we help our muscles get ready for what is coming and help decrease risk of injury. I like to explain this concept by comparing our muscles to silly putty. If you’ve ever played with silly putty you know that when you first take it out of the container it is usually pretty hard, but as you warm it up by moving it through your hands you are able to stretch it further and it becomes easier to shape. The same concept applies to our muscles. When they are warm we typically have better ranges of motion and we are able to move better through our movements.

All that is great, but what should we be doing for our weight lifting warm ups? Well there is nothing wrong with starting on a treadmill or bike to start to get your body warmed up, but this shouldn’t be all you are doing. Following up your treadmill or bike warm up with some mobility type exercises or dynamic movements and then some warm up sets can be a great way to prepare your body for your weight lifting workouts.

Dynamic movements are movements in which we are consistently moving. Static stretching should be reserved for the end of a workout, but mobility work used as a warm up can be great to prepare the muscles for you. Below I’ve included a small selection of some warm up exercises you can do at the beginning of your weight lifting workouts. Try these the next time your lifting and see if you feel better throughout your lifts!

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