The basic principle behind doing a dynamic range of motion warm-up is to prep your body for movement by elevating your heart rate and improving circulation, thereby increasing blood flow and “warming up” your working muscles. Warming up properly will lead to a better performance once the real work begins. Above all, injury prevention is our number one reason to warm-up. On day one at CrossFit Worthy, everyone is taught 10 movements that we refer to as DROM (Dynamic Range of Motion). Let’s go over them again so we can fully understand the purpose and effect of each movement so you can better determine which exercises you NEED to be doing before EVERY workout and why.
- High Knees:
- Stretch glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors
- Butt Kickers:
- Stretch quads, hip flexors
- Karaoke:
- Improve coordination
- Warms-up abductors, adductors, calves, gain Range of Motion (ROM) in torso/spine
- Straight Legs:
- Stretch Hamstrings, glutes, calves, spinal erectors
- Improve balance
- Open the Gate:
- Stretch adductors, gain ROM in external rotation of hips
- Close the Gate:
- Stretch abductors, glutes, gain ROM in internal rotation of hips.
- Squat and Shuffle:
- Stretch adductors, quads, hamstrings.
- Glute activation
- Bear Crawl:
- Warms-up shoulders, builds shoulder strength and stability
- Increases hip mobility
- Improves shoulder and scapula function
- Crab Walk:
- Stretches chest muscles, shoulder and hip flexors
- Inch Worm:
- Stretches hamstrings, glutes, calves, low back muscles and lats
- Improves scapula function, hip function
- Spiderman:
- Stretches hip flexor, glutes, calves, hamstrings, adductors
What you need to be doing before every workout:
- Move to an aerobic warm-up (Row, Bike, or Run 3-5 minutes)
- DROM
- Crossover Activation
- Foam Roll if needed
Here’s a guideline to follow if you are sore/tight in certain key areas:
Foam Rolling has a purpose in warming up, but it is NOT the only thing you should be doing. Foam rolling breaks up fascia to help get muscle flexible again, but without an elevated heart rate, blood won’t circulate to warm your muscles.
Arriving just 10-minutes before the start of class, getting these things done, can give you the most benefit and enjoyment out of the workout that day. We are creatures of habit, so make good warm up habits. If you don’t have good warm up habits, make new ones, now. It doesn’t take long and your lifts will thank you!
