Before you even attempt your first squat or plank, your body needs time to understand the plan for controlled movement. Your hips might be tight, your shoulders may have crept up to your ears, and your breath is likely shallow, and balance might be a little off. A warm up provides those few minutes to acknowledge these observations prior to the main events.
For squats, the warm up gets the ankles, knees and hips working together smoothly. Without a warm up, the first few reps feel stiff and the knees may cave in as your body tries to take the path of least resistance. A warm up of marching, slow hip hinges, ankle circles and small squats will make squats easier to see through. You’re not looking to make the squat perfectly in the warm up; you’re checking your body’s ability to bend, brace and come back up again without rushing.
Like squats, planks also require preparation despite their still appearance. The shoulders, wrists, core and breath all need to collaborate. Jumping into a plank when you’re tight or distracted will cause arching in your back and a holding of the breath. Try a few shoulder rolls, wrist circles, standing core bracing or modified planks (on the wall or chair) before you do the actual plank. It makes the full version feel less like a surprise.
The slow start also applies to low-impact cardio. Step touches, side-to-side movements, or gentle knee lifts may sound easy, but they still require your body to coordinate rhythm, posture and breathing. Starting fast will tire you out before you find your groove. A warm up lets your breathing smooth out, it gets your joints ready to repeat movements.
A good warm up doesn’t need to be lengthy or fancy. It can begin with some basic movement to get your attention, and then follow the movements in the workout. Include a few simple, easy-to-do squat shapes prior to squats. Warm up your shoulders and core ahead of planks. Practice a similar, but lower intensity cardio movement when you know you’ll have to do a step-by-step routine. The warm up should mimic the actual movements in your workouts, instead of being a random set of unrelated exercises.
Watch your body in the warm up for signs that you’re ready. Do both sides feel roughly the same? Are you holding your breath? Do the knees track toward the toes? Are you moving without any bouncing or forced range? These checks help you choose the right variation. If a squat that’s not quite controlled or a plank doesn’t feel right yet, then you may need to try out the chair-supported squat or elevated plank for example.
A warm up isn’t meant to be an assessment. It is meant to prime practice. When the first few minutes allow squats to be stable, planks to be calm and cardio to be less hurried, the rest of the workout is easier to digest. You give your body better information, and you get better information to train your body with more control.