The Science Based Total Body Dynamic Warm-Up: Get Ready to Perform
Most people treat the warm-up as an afterthought; something to be rushed through or skipped entirely. But at Citizen Athletics, we believe your warm-up can literally make or break your training session.
A high quality warm-up doesn’t just prevent injury; it maximizes your output and sets you up for success. Whether you are hitting the gym, heading out for a run, or training at home, following a science based approach ensures you aren’t wasting time on “fluff” and are actually prepping your body for the work ahead.
The Two Biggest Warm-Up Mistakes
Before we dive into the routine, let’s look at what not to do. Most athletes fall into one of two traps:
- The “Cold Start”: Going from sitting in your car or tying your shoes straight into high-gear training. This increases injury risk and misses out on the performance-boosting benefits of physiological preparation.
- The “Marathon Warm-Up”: Spending 30+ minutes on random, excessive movements. If you’re still warming up by the time other people are finishing their workout, you’re hitting a point of diminishing returns and likely fatiguing yourself before the real work begins.
The 3 Essentials of an Effective Warm-Up
To warm up intelligently, you only need to check three boxes:
- Elevate Body Temperature: Get the blood flowing and the heart rate up.
- Range of Motion (ROM): Move your joints through the specific ranges you’ll be using during your session. Dynamic stretching is the “gold standard” here because it moves muscles through elongation and contraction.
- Nervous System Prep: Gradually build up intensity. This is often done by starting your first actual exercise with lighter loads or a slower pace and building up.
The Citizen Athletics Dynamic Routine
Perform this sequence to get your body moving as a cohesive unit.
1. Quadruped Thoracic Rotation
Set up on your hands and knees with your legs spread slightly. Sit your hips back toward your heels and reach one hand overhead, following it with your eyes.
- Why it works: It opens up the upper back and trunk, which provides more freedom for your shoulders.
- Repetitions: 6–8 per side.
2. Downward Dog Ankle Marching
From a downward dog position, press into the ground with your upper body and begin “marching” your heels toward the floor one at a time.
- Why it works: This preps the ankles (dorsiflexion/plantarflexion), stretches the hamstrings, and gets the shoulders into an overhead position.
- Repetitions: 6–8 per side.
3. The Inchworm
From a standing position, reach down and walk your hands out to a plank. Once stable, walk your feet toward your hands using small steps.
- Why it works: This builds trunk and shoulder control while actively elongating the posterior chain.
- Repetitions: 6 total.
4. Pull-Back Butt Kick to Overhead Lunge Walk
Pull one foot to your glute (quad stretch), then immediately step forward into a lunge while reaching both arms overhead.
- Why it works: This is the most dynamic move in the series. It spikes the heart rate, challenges balance, and integrates full-body movement.
- Repetitions: 6 per side.
Train Like an Athlete
Once you’ve completed one to three rounds of this circuit, you are officially prepped for your session. If you want to take the guesswork out of your training and follow a plan that integrates these science based principles into every single workout, check out our online subscriptions:
- Built for Athletics: Designed for those who want to maximize strength, power, and movement efficiency.
- Sustainable Strength: Our flagship program perfect for busy people who still want to move, lift, and perform like athletes without spending hours in the gym.
Watch the Full Video
Want to see these movements in action? You can watch the full tutorial from Dr. Sam Spinelli here.
Make sure to subscribe to the Citizen Athletics YouTube channel for more tips on mobility, strength, and better movement.