Preparing for a fight

I see it all the time.

People walk into the gym, stretch out their hamstrings on the floor, hold a quad stretch, maybe reach for their toes a few times and then they’re under a barbell two minutes later.

Not only is that outdated, it’s not how the body works.

Static stretching is holding a muscle in a lengthened position for 30 seconds or more and it has its place. It helps improve flexibility over time. But it’s not how you get ready to perform. When you hold a cold muscle in a long stretch, you're telling it to relax. Then a few minutes later, you're asking it to fire under load and produce force.

That mismatch can reduce power and increase your risk of injury. You’re better off saving static work for after your session or as part of your mobility routine, not before a heavy lift or intense run.

A warmup should do the opposite. You’re not relaxing the body. You’re ramping it up.

I think of a warmup like preparing for a fight. You don’t walk into a ring cold and flat-footed. You bounce around. You shadowbox. You get the heart rate up and practice the same movements you’re about to use when it really matters.

Your training is no different.

Every workout is a controlled fight against resistance, fatigue, distraction, and discomfort.

You need to prepare your body and your mind to step into that.

That’s why I break my warmup into two parts.

First, I get my body and nervous system firing. This can be anything that flips the switch: bike intervals, jump rope, burpees, stair sprints, or just a few minutes of cardio with some all-out bursts. This morning, I rowed hard for one minute and that was enough. The goal isn’t to get tired. It’s to wake your system up.

This part matters even more if you train early in the day. When I walk into the gym at 5 a.m., my body is still half-asleep. This first initial burst gets my heart rate up and tells my brain we are not sleeping or relaxing anymore, its go time.

Next, I go into dynamic and specific prep. This is where you start moving like you're about to train. If I’m squatting, I’ll do bodyweight squats, glute bridges, lunges, or anything that opens up the hips and activates the right muscles. If I’m benching, I’ll hit pushups, banded presses, shoulder circles or anything that mimics the movement I’m about to load.

This part gets blood flowing to the joints and muscles you're going to use. It also grooves the movement pattern so things feel smooth when you pick up weight.

But you’re still not ready to go straight into your working sets.

Even after a full warmup, I always take 1 to 3 warmup sets on my main lift. These sets are just to bridge the gap between moving and lifting heavy. Some people prefer lighter weight and higher reps. Some like to ramp up with lower reps and heavier weight. It doesn’t matter, just don’t burn yourself out before the work begins. These sets are meant to dial in form and put some more resistance on those muscles.

Once the movement feels sharp and your body feels alive, it’s go time.

A proper warmup is one of the simplest ways to train smarter, reduce injury risk, and perform better. Yet it’s still the most overlooked.

You don't need a 20-30 minute warmup everyday, but some days and for some people that may what preps their body and that is perfectly fine if you have time.

I personally usually spend anywhere from 3-10 minutes warming up, that's all I need most days.

You need to wake your body up, move with purpose, and prep the patterns you’re about to train.

That’s it. Whatever works best for you is how you should warmup. We all have different bodies and will all warmup slightly different.

Treat your warmup like it matters, because it does. Then get after it.

1. Wake the body up

2. Get blood into the joints and muscles you are going to use

3. Warmup sets before your working sets

4. Lift some weights

Stay Healthy,

Thomas Stevens 

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