Crossfit Warm Up

In gyms everywhere warming up constitutes little more than spending fifteen or twenty minutes on a bike, treadmill, or stair climber. While better than nothing, this approach to warming up is largely a waste of time in that it will not improve flexibility, does not involve the whole body or major functional movements, misses an ideal opportunity for reinforcing and practising some critical exercises, and poorly prepares an athlete for rigorous athletic training.

We need a warm-up that will increase body temperature and heart rate, provide some stretching, stimulate the entire body and major biomechanical functions, provide practice for basic movements, and finally, prepare for rigorous athletic training.

The Crossfit warm up consists of one short duration cardio effort (run 400, row 500, or jump rope x 150), followed by 3 rounds of squats (preferably overhead), pull ups, push ups or dips, sit ups, and back extensions. In the beginning, do just a few reps of each, say 5, slowly working up to 15 over a period of months. Each round you can also incorporate the Samson stretch.

This is a basic warm up and should be used as a guide when designing your own, unique warm up. It covers 5 of the basic motions - squat, push, pull, bend, and straighten. It serves as a good departure point to a effective, efficient, and useful warm up.

The warm up is a good time to focus on the skills that trouble you the most, ask for help, and improve them. If you practice them each day, before you are tired, with time weaknesses become strengths.