Skipping warm-up to “save time” is tempting, especially at home. But going from sitting to jumping or heavy squats in seconds is hard on joints and muscles. A quick, equipment-free warm-up prepares your body for almost any workout.
Start with one or two minutes of gentle whole-body movement: marching in place, light jogging on the spot, or dancing to a fast song. This increases heart rate and blood flow without strain.
Next, add dynamic stretches – movements that take joints through their range without holding long poses. For example:
- Arm circles and shoulder rolls for the upper body.
- Hip circles and leg swings (front-back and side-to-side) for hips.
- Gentle bodyweight squats and lunges for knees and ankles.
If you’ll be doing upper-body work, include a few wall push-ups or light band pulls (if you have bands). For lower-body sessions, a few slower squats with full control signal to your muscles what’s coming.
The whole routine can be done in 5–7 minutes. You should feel slightly warm, looser and more awake, not tired. A good warm-up improves performance and lowers injury risk – a pretty fair trade for a few minutes of your time.