Warming up before a workout is one of the first things to get neglected when we’re strapped for time. Even I’m guilty of this. I usually just want to jump right into it and get as sweaty as possible as quickly as possible. However, there are so many benefits to warming up that cannot be ignored. For one – it allows your intensity to be even higher because you have adequate blood flow to your major muscle groups. For this alone, it’s worth your attention.

One way that I have addressed my lack of patience for warming up in my own workouts is by building my workout off a set of exercises that kills two birds with one stone. A movement that is challenging but not so intense that my body is not fully prepared to handle it. Something that works through range of motion while using some of the larger muscle groups – raising my heart rate and blood flow… warming me up.

Here is one of my favorite movements to get my hips, glutes, legs, core, back, and shoulders ready to go to work.

In a split squat stance, bend your back knee as you bring your hands to the floor by your front foot. Keep the hands on the floor as you extend your FRONT leg – sending your hips upward. Keep the hands on the floor as you bend your back knee again so it hovers over the floor (don’t place it down). Hold your leg position, raise your shoulders, and extend your arms tall overhead. Try to keep the back knee hovering over the floor – you are not extending your legs at all at this point.

Return the hands to the floor, flex the back knee and repeat. When hovering the back knee, think about squeezing your upper thighs together and using your glutes & core for stability – not just your quads (front of the leg). You should feel a ‘warmth’ in your glutes and legs and a stretch in your back/shoulders and hamstrings.