Warm-up and preparation

These notes combine advice from 264 reviewed passages across 155 workouts.

Overview

A warm-up is a short preparation phase that gets the heart moving, warms the area you are about to work, and slightly increases circulation there. It belongs before any activity: starting without warming up and opening up gives little benefit.

Coach’s advice

The warm-up should be dynamic. Dynamic mobility and dynamic stretching prepare the body for work, while holding a static stretch does not warm you up effectively. Use dynamic movement in the warm-up and save static work for the cool-down.

Why warming up matters

Coach’s advice

Warmed muscles stretch about 40 percent more, which reduces injury risk. Stretching cold can hurt, and straining unwarmed muscles makes tearing more likely. Warming only the upper part of the body without opening and stretching the muscles can also lead to problems.

Coach’s advice

The first fifteen minutes of a session are the warm-up period, and the biggest injuries happen then.

Coach’s advice

Sweating alone does not mean you are warmed up. The inside of the body also needs to warm and become more flexible, and heavy work should wait until you feel that warmth.

Coach’s advice

Warming up this way lets muscles stretch more, allows greater use of the body, and activates more muscles, so exercises feel easier afterward.

At the start of many movements the body feels unfocused and stiff. This initial stiffness has to be worked off.

How much warm-up to do

Coach’s advice

A brief general warm-up is enough before the main work: about twenty jumping jacks, twenty high knees, and rotations of the hands, shoulders, and wrists. Too much warming up is not good either, so finish the warm-up and then start the main exercise.

Keep warm-up efforts short and light. Use bouts of about thirty seconds without pushing hard, and a set of fifty reps is enough to warm the body; much more is unnecessary.

Coach’s advice

For rope work, the warm-up should be longer than three or four minutes; about ten to twelve minutes is normally enough. An hour of jumping rope takes too much out of you for the work that follows.

From a set of four warm-up movements, pick two and do sets of thirty, alternating which pair you use on different occasions.

Build your own warm-up: choose movements that suit you, do enough to get warm, and adjust the pace, slowing down as needed. When there is no time to warm up at the gym, walk with the legs spread wide for five minutes; that warms the lower body.

Warming up the joints

Coach’s advice

Warm up the wrists before practice, especially before holds such as the planche. Rotate them in both directions, about twenty seconds to the right and twenty to the left, and stretch them in the opposite direction under pressure; the pressure is good and prepares the wrists for pressing work.

Coach’s advice

Do wrist and joint movements before leg work. Knee rotations can be used as a warm-up movement.

Use the butterfly stretch as a first stretch and warm-up, lowering as far as your range allows.

Warm-up before specific skills and equipment

Coach’s advice

Do ring work after thorough stretching or about ten minutes of warm-up, every time, and especially when the body is tired.

Before ring training, warm up with shoulder-preparation movements such as the lame-dog walk and a little handstand; this shoulder work improves ring performance.

Before a cartwheel, practice the handstand first. Handstand quality supports cartwheel quality, and the handstand also prepares and warms up for the cartwheel.

When first learning a skill that you practice against the wall, do it on a bed first so the shoulder warms up there. In the plank, rotating the shoulders slightly is better; a heavy warm-up alone is not enough, so the target area itself must be worked.

Warm-up movements and drills

Jumping jacks can be used to warm the body thoroughly.

Jump rope is one of the movements that warms the body the most, so it works well as a whole-body warm-up. Five minutes of jumping with crosses works as a professional warm-up and helps keep you in shape.

Warm up with rope drills that move forward and backward while passing the rope and vary the arm speed; this also improves coordination.

Keep a jump rope in your bag as part of your general warm-up kit.

Animal-named exercises, which athletes commonly use, warm the body and open it up; about fifteen minutes of them works this way. Gymnastics-style warm-ups use crab, bear, and worm-like locomotor movements along a straight line, which needs about ten to fifteen meters of space.

Press clenched fists together at chest height with full effort for twenty to thirty seconds as a quick upper-body warm-up; the body relaxes when you release.

Warming up in the morning

Coach’s advice

A short warm-up after waking is a good habit: the body has been inactive for several hours, and warming up increases blood circulation. Slow push-ups are one light option.

Coach’s advice

A short morning routine of about five minutes of jumping jacks or seven to eight minutes of rope warms the body and does not take much time.

Coach’s advice

Faster blood circulation from a warm-up helps you start the day quickly.

Coach’s advice

After several hours of inactivity, such as after waking, open the body gradually instead of moving abruptly.

Coach’s advice

Use wide, slow movements as awakening movements.

Coach’s experience

He starts most of his students with jump rope; in about two months they can learn it comfortably.

In his own warm-ups he picks two of the four movements and alternates which pair he does on different occasions.

He has his own warm-up style and expects students to develop one of their own as their knowledge grows.

In his own training, the coach uses handstand-based movements as a warm-up because they prepare the body well for everything else. For the last two years he has warmed up with one or two minutes of handstand instead of rope work, which saves time.

His warm-up includes handstand circles and inward turns, plus wrist and ankle work, followed by shoulder work. Before handstand practice, he rotates his wrists for twenty to thirty seconds.

In his own training, the coach always does the joint and biceps warm-ups before working that area.

The coach has personally felt intense front-shoulder discomfort from entering the tuck planche without warming up.

In his own warm-ups, the coach uses the elbow handstand more than the handstand because it warms him up more; it is the more difficult of the two.

In his own training, he used to not warm up much.

He regularly uses a well-known tricker warm-up and always performs it right before acrobatics.

In his own training, he warms up for considerably longer than 15 minutes.

In his own training, he starts with a light set or an empty bar before increasing the load.

In his own training, the coach strained a movement and attributed it to inadequate warm-up and to continuing into the movement after noticing the problem, which placed substantial load on it.

Before entering an advanced movement, the coach warms the wrists, elbows, shoulders, and lower back for ten minutes, then does a handstand before entering. He could enter directly, but he knows the risk of doing so is very high.

Further guidance

Coach’s advice

Warm-up prepares the body for training by raising body temperature without causing fatigue. After a long period of inactivity, muscles need time to wake up, so do not load them suddenly; ease into the session instead.

Balance work should start only after the body is warm.

Coach’s advice

Warm up the shoulders, arms, wrists, back, and legs before training. When the legs will be used heavily, include knee mobility work, moving the knees inward and outward.

Coach’s advice

A proper warm-up is dynamic: the muscles need opening and closing movements, and feeling warm by itself is not enough. It should stay light and prepare the body without exhausting it.

Coach’s advice

A warm-up prepares the body for training by raising body temperature through movement, without pushing hard. It should stay dynamic; holding one position too long turns the warm-up into a cool-down.

Coach’s advice

A warm-up also has to open and stretch the areas that will actually work, such as the wrists. A light jog can warm the surface while the inner muscles stay tight, so the working areas need their own preparation.

Coach’s advice

Warming up helps you enter a movement cleanly. After a thorough warm-up, the muscle-up feels smooth and glides easily. Warm the wrists thoroughly before handstand and planche work.

Warm-up also counts as training time. Entering a movement while warmed up is better than starting cold, and dynamic stretching keeps the body warming up.

A warm-up raises body temperature and prepares the body for the work ahead. It should be light enough that you are not tired when the main work starts, and thorough enough that the areas you will use are ready. You can stop preparing an area once it is sufficiently warm.

Coach’s advice

Rapid warming and sweating indicate quick preparation for movement, and this is distinct from becoming breathless after minimal exertion. Slower warming is less favorable.

Warm-up principles

A warm-up needs only enough effort to get warm; there is no need to push hard. Warm weather already raises body warmth, so on hot days a little warm-up can be enough.

Warming up quickly is a good habit and reflects a young, dynamic body. Excessive rapid sweating tends to decrease as you train more. The right emphasis also depends on the sport: strikers warm the feet a lot, while power athletes focus more on the shoulders and arms.

Coach’s advice

Use active movements during the warm-up and held positions during cool-down. Dynamic stretching belongs in the warm-up; for the shoulder stretch, hold for four seconds at a time rather than doing it dynamically. Stretching during the worm movement can also be part of a warm-up.

Coach’s advice

Quick warm-ups can warm the large muscles while leaving the small muscles cold, so they are not strongly recommended.

Warming the wrists and hands

Coach’s advice

Stretch the wrists whenever they will be needed for later work, especially when the load is heavy. The wrists are the key to balance work, so do not skip them.

Coach’s advice

Before a two-foot kick-up, do some wrist work first. Warm the wrists thoroughly before balance practice, using side-to-side movements and clenched-fist variations. Open and prepare the hands and palms one by one, since they will carry your body weight.

Warming the shoulders and other joints

In circle-based warm-ups, the largest circles matter most. Give the most emphasis to the shoulders and one other joint; the rest warms up on its own.

Coach’s advice

For handstand work, pay close attention to the shoulders and wrists. For acrobatics, pay attention to the knees and joints.

Coach’s advice

Warm up well before entering a handstand. At minimum, open the elbows, back, and neck area.

Handstand as warm-up

Even three minutes of handstand practice can be added to the end of a workout to build a habit, and it can also be done at the beginning; it warms the wrists and body quickly. Handstand practice can serve as an introduction or warm-up before new movements.

Handstand turns, rotating 360 degrees on the hands with the legs open or closed, improve coordination and also serve as a warm-up.

Handstands and handstand walks warm you up substantially. Doing handstand in the morning can make an evening session go better, because the body is already opened up.

Coach’s advice

Handstand uses the whole body in one place, but it does not require an extensive warm-up; warming the wrists and shoulders is enough.

Warm-up before balance work

Before balance practice, stretch the shoulders, prepare the wrists, and do a thirty-second chest-to-wall warm-up; rest before beginning balance work.

Coach’s advice

Before a handstand record attempt, warm up with ten open-close repetitions, come down, wait about two minutes, then hold for as long as you can. Do not attempt the record immediately.

Warm the wrists for about a minute and the shoulders for about a minute, then do five or six minutes of wall balance work. Short five-to-ten-minute sessions during breaks produce results faster and can clear the head.

Going straight into a handstand from rest can feel uncomfortable even when you can already hold one for ten minutes. Do general preparation such as a few push-ups first.

Programming the warm-up

Increase the warm-up and stretching duration when you feel the need. With weights, start with lighter loads, for example ten kilos at a time, to wake up the muscles; the first part should always be four or five sets regardless of the working weight.

Pain and safety

Coach’s advice

Warm vulnerable joints carefully. In calisthenics and power work the wrists are the frequent problem area, and in tricks and acrobatics the ankles; these areas are often sprained. The knees and shoulders follow in order.

Coach’s advice

Joints that get into trouble when you step incorrectly need very thorough warm-up.

Coach’s advice

If knee pain begins during an exercise, put the exercise aside. Knee pain can signal that the area was loaded before it was warmed up enough, so pay more attention to warming up when you increase volume.

Coach’s advice

If a knee may have been strained while jumping into a movement, warm that area more carefully and use caution with leg-swinging.

Coach’s advice

A well-warmed wrist does not cause pain. Kicking up into a handstand with no warm-up can produce an immediate sharp pain in the wrist.

Why warm up

A warm body is good, and a short warm-up is a movement that starts the motor and activates the body for the work ahead.

Coach’s advice

Nearly 40 percent of training injuries are said to happen in the first ten minutes of a workout. Warm muscles have more give, so starting without warming up raises the likelihood of a muscle tear.

Coach’s advice

A brief warm-up and cool-down can cut injury risk substantially, on the order of 45 percent.

Coach’s advice

If training feels too hard, check whether you warmed up enough; insufficient rest or sleep can also play a role.

Coach’s advice

A thorough warm-up matters because skipping it can seem harmless for a while and then stop being harmless. Someone who appears able to train without warming up may have built that tolerance through 20 years of warming up, and even advanced efforts can still end in injury. Warming up reduces the chance that an unprepared area takes more load than normal.

Coach’s advice

Warming up becomes especially important after about age 25 to 27.

Coach’s advice

Warmed muscles stretch about 40 percent more, and leaving them unstretched raises the risk of tears. Warm-up matters for the short term; the cool-down is what matters for avoiding pain over the years.

Fifteen minutes is enough for a solid warm-up. A demanding preparatory exercise can also improve readiness for the next movement by activating smaller muscles; feeling full of energy without warming up does not guarantee that you can go straight in. This effect is sometimes called post-activation potentiation.

How to warm up

Do not rush the warm-up. Warm up thoroughly, because you will need it.

Coach’s advice

Keep the warm-up dynamic. Long static stretches at the start are an old mistake: they can make you sleepy and less able to concentrate, so save long holds for later in the workout.

Coach’s advice

Warm-up should be easy. Use light effort, keep the movements simple, and stop before significant fatigue; a few rounds is enough, and warm-up movements should not be very difficult.

Coach’s advice

In warm-up work, move until the body feels uncomfortable, but do not force the range aggressively.

Coach’s advice

In the morning, open the body gradually without forcing it.

Coach’s advice

When the shoulders or the body are already warm, extra warm-up is not necessary.

During warm-up, slight form breakdown is acceptable; what matters is that balance does not break.

Warm-ups are always dynamic, while cool-downs are done by holding positions. Keep this distinction, otherwise the body gets confused.

Build effort gradually. Begin with shorter, comfortable holds to warm up, then increase the effort before using maximum tension. A fifteen-second hold is comfortable and good for warming up, and ten seconds can also serve that purpose.

Coach’s advice

Use preparation movements that match the work ahead. Before a muscle-up, do at least ten pull-ups, then rest for two or three minutes. Before a straddle, warm up the area rather than going directly into it. Opening the relevant area allows a deep squat to be performed more comfortably. For bench press, begin with an empty bar as a technical warm-up before adding weight.

Warm-up by body area

Before working a joint area and the biceps, warm them up first, and do not forget the scapula.

For a band shoulder warm-up, keep the arm slightly open and in front rather than opening it too wide. Work one arm at a time with light circular movements through about 90 degrees; ten repetitions for two sets is enough.

Push-ups can warm the shoulders and count as a shoulder warm-up.

Warm-up for skills and lifts

Coach’s advice

In handstand work, always do the initial chest-to-wall hold first, whatever else you are doing; do not start directly. After chest-to-wall work and some handstand push-up work, the body activates and balance holds become more comfortable.

Before planche work, always do the band exercise first, and add a supported compression drill when possible. A light load on the biceps is enough to warm and prepare that area. Planche also has its own warm-up movements, and a push-up variation can serve as one.

Coach’s advice

Never enter the tuck planche without warming up; doing so can cause problems in the front shoulder.

Coach’s advice

Entering planche work cold can cause a painful condition in which the biceps slips upward. Even a very good planche is not protected if you skip the warm-up; the problem happens when you enter directly from zero.

Coach’s advice

Wrist heaviness is normal during training, and starting any movement without warming up can cause excessive pain.

Coach’s advice

Increase weights gradually and warm up before heavy sets; never jump directly to a heavy load. Before weighted dips, do some bodyweight dips first, then a light loaded set, and build up step by step.

Warm-up routines and programming

One warm-up routine is built around opening the body; it opens the body nicely and is used a lot by trickers.

Easy resistance-band movements can wake up the muscles. During band warm-ups, lift only enough to warm up and lightly challenge the muscle, around 3.5 to 4 out of 10 effort. Bands are excellent for both muscle activation and stretching.

The circle drill is one of the best warm-ups. It dynamically stretches the body, raises energy, opens you up for other movements, and develops the two-sided circle.

A light round of an easy movement, such as hijacks, can be used just to raise body heat before moving on.

Ring training can warrant adding some warm-ups beforehand.

A warm-up can be demanding for a well-trained group. A back-to-back sequence of Spartan push-ups and jumping double rope is challenging even for ordinary athletes, but for this group it counts only as a warm-up.

What a warm-up should include

Sit-ups and reverse sit-ups warm the body, and a set of jumping-jack burpees can raise body temperature before moving on to the next exercise.

Clench the hands and open them fully, repeatedly; it is a simple and useful hand warm-up.

A neck action done during the warm-up strengthens neck coordination.

Open the joints with a short movement and repeat it at least once in every workout.

An inward rotator-cuff drill, holding and moving up and down, is preparation for bench work rather than bench work itself.

Handstand and wrist preparation

Coach’s advice

Before handstand work, check whether the wrists feel ready; if they do not, add more band preparation.

For the first handstand part, a few band-based wrist movements are enough; extra shoulder-opening work is not needed.

Warm the wrists a little more and stretch them from side to side, then slowly do three or four consecutive attempts.

Wrist flexibility is relevant preparation for handstands. Stretching the wrists is especially valuable for handstand work and benefits the arms, waist, and shoulders.

Coach’s advice

Warm the wrist in reverse first to reduce stress on it.

For handstand work, warm the knees as well, but focus mainly on the upper body, and have a wall ready because the handstand part is separate.

Instead of going straight into a handstand, do ten push-ups and then ten wall push-ups so the muscles receive a signal and are alerted.

Once the wrists are thoroughly warmed, handstands themselves can be a good warm-up; introduce this gradually.

Practice handstands daily, even on off days, and warm up the wrists, neck, and shoulders first.

Handstand and pistol work can also be included in the warm-up.

Back lever and planche preparation

Coach’s advice

When first learning the back lever, warm up well because the movement loads the shoulders, wrists, and joints. Keep warming up well for at least the first three months.

Coach’s advice

Do not attempt a back lever from a cold start. Even when the movement feels known, the wrist or shoulder can give way, so enter it warmed up and stretched and never suddenly load the shoulder heavily, even if the movement seems safe.

Coach’s advice

Planche training needs a very good warm-up, with particular attention to the wrists, joints, and shoulders.

Preparation for other skills

After warming up, do Skin the Cat lightly before starting from the open position.

A few pull-ups with attention to swinging can open the inner muscles before retrying a movement.

Hanging from a bar without doing pull-ups is important preparation for bridge work.

Coach’s advice

After a long break from a skill, do the warm-up and rehearse the technique before attempting it.

Pain-aware warm-up

Coach’s advice

Test a band pull for severe pain before using it. If the area is tender, warm it lightly with a light weight while keeping it under tension, and use an alternative exercise if the band cannot be pulled.

Coach’s advice

If a position hurts, check the symptom and warm up thoroughly before entering from the wall.

Wrist warm-up

Start a wrist warm-up with the hands on the floor and the wrists straight. Move forward and backward, hold at the front for five seconds, then work the reverse-wrist position while keeping the joints tight.

Finish with slow wrist circles, two to the right and two to the left. Opening and closing the hands and stretching the wrists forward with the knees on the floor are useful additions.

Give the wrists enough rotation work. About one minute of rotations, or 30 to 50 per side, warms them properly, and short sets can leave them under-warmed.

Coach’s advice

Before jumping or impact-based work, prepare the wrists with forward, reverse, and circular stretches, since the jumps have impact.

Shoulders and upper body

Start with wide, backward, circular shoulder-and-arm movements. For handstand preparation, stretch the shoulders against a wall or on the floor.

Chest pulls, such as two sets of fifteen, activate the shoulder blades and back before rolls and band-assisted front-lever work.

Before bench work, warm up with light bodyweight movement, avoid holding the bottom position, feel and relax the back, and rotate.

Coach’s advice

Stretch and let the arms rest before pushing work. Handstand work is closely related to pushing strength.

Warming up for specific skills

Coach’s advice

Do not go straight into a muscle-up. First do eight to ten pull-ups so the muscles know you are about to begin, and use the same idea before every demanding movement.

As a muscle-up warm-up, keep the elbows from flaring, avoid placing the wrists too close, and move inward while maintaining alignment.

A small daily routine of a five-to-ten-minute light wrist warm-up followed by handstand practice can gradually reduce the number of attempts needed to complete a hold.

Few people can do eight or ten handstand entries immediately after waking. A good warm-up generally makes this more achievable.

Coach’s advice

Before fast takeoff-and-landing skills, do a few minutes of wrist and shoulder warm-up.

Coach’s advice

Performing a floor-rise directly without warming up is not advisable.

Coach’s advice

Some ways of getting up from the floor affect the knee less than others.

General warm-up principles

Use jumping jacks or high knees to warm up, for as long as feels comfortable. Stop when you feel warmed up or your body is heated.

Light jump-rope work can get the feet used to the workout before you start. Footwork itself needs no separate warm-up.

A short motor warm-up with jumping jacks and push-ups can activate the body before strength work. A circuit of pull-ups, push-ups, burpees, and squat jumps can also serve as a warm-up, though it will tire you somewhat.

When a movement is used only to warm an area, do it comfortably and calmly. During warm-up, vary the knee angles instead of using only one angle.

Coach’s advice

Wake the body up before every training session. When the body has not built up heat, do a more thorough warm-up, and warm the joints and shoulders even after some mobility work. Warm up thoroughly in your own way before the main exercise.

Do not overdo the warm-up. Too much warm-up work can cause fatigue before the main sets.

Coach’s advice

With heavy weights, use linear paths, up and down or forward and backward, and keep circular motions for very light warm-ups.

A simple warm-up of three or four minutes is enough, and it should not leave you tired. Warm up thoroughly, lightly preparing the areas that need it, and stop once an area is sufficiently warm.

Extensive mobility work is not needed for the neck, shoulders, joints, wrists, waist, and legs; four-second actions are enough.

Coach’s advice

The coach claims that warm-up improves stretching capacity and reduces injury risk.

Use a preparatory movement before the main movement, like letting a car idle before driving. Activating different muscles before subsequent movements makes those movements more useful.

Injury prevention and safety

Coach’s advice

Fast movements in which the foot leaves the ground and returns can strain the wrists or shoulders.

Coach’s advice

Feeling warm on the surface does not mean the deeper muscles are prepared. Entering a skill without adequate preparation can cause tears and injury.

Coach’s advice

Without gradual preparation, larger tears can form. Warming up gradually before each attempt reduces the risk of more serious injury.

Coach’s advice

Circular motions with heavy weights carry risk and could harm the ligaments.

Raising body temperature

Coach’s advice

A brief jumping warm-up, such as one set of 40 to 50 repetitions, is enough to raise body temperature without causing excessive fatigue before weighted flexibility work. The teacher uses jumping jacks to get the blood circulation going and cues the hands to open fully to the sides.

A short sequence of 30 jumping jacks, 30 high knees, and 30 reverse high knees warms the body before the main workout. Repeated movements, including jumping jacks, can be used to raise body temperature.

Jumping jacks and high knees can be sufficient for a warm-up instead of jumping rope. Explosive work can also be useful for warming up.

Wrist preparation

A wrist-preparation sequence can include fist rotations in both directions, opening and closing the hands, and gentle inward stretching or pressing on both sides. Wrist preparation can also include gentle circles, gradual stretching, and applying weight.

Coach’s advice

For a kneeling wrist warm-up, keep the knees down, shift the weight forward, and position the arms at about a right angle; ten repetitions are enough. A knees-down, finger-supported sequence warms the wrists by moving the arms slightly back, bringing the torso forward, and shifting weight onto the wrists for ten repetitions.

Coach’s advice

Warm the wrists thoroughly before HIIT that includes push-ups.

Shoulder and joint preparation

Coach’s advice

Before outdoor practice, do not start cold; prepare the shoulders for at least three minutes because holding the body parallel creates substantial shoulder tension. Give deliberate attention to the shoulders during warm-up, stretching, and cool-down.

Warm the front shoulders through lateral and diagonal arm positions at about 45 degrees while bracing the core. If the shoulders have been tensed, include a forward stretch in the warm-up and stretch the joint as well.

External rotations are especially important when the area will be worked with weights.

Coach’s advice

Perform forward and backward circles sequentially from the head and shoulders through the wrists, arms, torso, and legs; ten rotations are sufficient. Before a ground-contact phase, include knee rotations early in the sequence while avoiding excessive tension.

Handstand-specific warm-up

Coach’s advice

Prepare for handstand practice with wrist rotations and forward-and-backward shoulder movement. Use wrist and joint rotation and stretching as part of the warm-up for handstand work.

Warm up chest-to-wall for about 20 seconds, then slow down and progress toward centered balance. A recurring progressive warm-up moves from wall-based positions toward a wall-free position, with timed stages and a 10-second catch attempt. When the wrists and shoulders are already warmed up, an additional chest-to-wall hold may be unnecessary before balance work.

During warm-up balance work, keep the hold to about 10 seconds and avoid overdoing it after stretching. Two or three five-second handstand attempts can supplement a general warm-up.

Attempting a handstand involves substantial mental activity and protective muscular effort and can provide a good warm-up.

Coach’s advice

Rest between handstand attempts and gather energy before going in; having a relatively extensive handstand warm-up is not a problem.

Coach’s advice

With seven or eight minutes of preparation and no aches or pains, handstand entry can be comfortable.

Warm-up for specific movements

A warm-up drill combines moving forward as far as possible with the feet on the floor, briefly holding, and performing one push-up.

A brief pulling sequence can be used to activate pulling work and warm up.

Coach’s advice

Warm up with your own bodyweight first, for example holding a plank for ten to twenty seconds, then add very light resistance such as two kilograms or a water bottle; wrist and arm circles for fifteen minutes can be part of this.

Use a jumping jack as a brief warm-up before handstand preparation. A light general warm-up raises body temperature, followed by handstand coordination work before biceps and other upper-body exercises.

Coach’s advice

Simple mobility movements can increase warmth, and mobility work can be progressed further.

Why warm-up matters

Warming up properly affects how well you perform. If you have not warmed up well, a movement that you could do comfortably becomes harder, and a proper warm-up can bring that comfortable performance back.

Coach’s advice

Warming and opening the body increases flexibility, while suddenly forcing unstretched, cold muscles can cause tearing.

Coach’s advice

Pay close attention to warm-up and cool-down, because in the middle of a session the muscles are already prepared and focused.

Coach’s advice

Moving forward during a descent may contribute to wrist strain. A controlled warm-up and additional stretching of that area were proposed afterward.

What to warm up

Warm-up should cover the joints and areas that will carry the work. The neck can be warmed with movements to the right, left, forward, and backward. A light warm-up gives the knee a feeling for what will be worked. Because the shoulders will be used a lot, do not make the inward and outward or forward and backward arm rotations too small during mobility work.

Warm the wrists by rotating them in both directions. Before the estet exercise, circle the wrists lightly from side to side and in the opposite direction. Before el-sit work, press the wrists into the floor and rotate them, because the body will be supported on the wrists, and point the fingers sideways.

Warm-up and environment

Coach’s advice

In very hot conditions, a warm-up may be unnecessary because the activity itself already produces substantial sweating.

Mobility work can make you feel warm even in a very cold environment, like an internal-combustion engine giving energy to the body.

Related pages

• Exercise order and session design: Supports
• Injury prevention: Supports
• Jump-rope technique: Supports
• Rest and recovery: Related to
• Stretching technique: Supports
• Flexibility training: Often discussed together
• Movement coordination: Often discussed together
• Body line and core tension: Often discussed together