Warm ups; Do I have to?

I bet you're thinking you don't need to do a warmup because you are just going for a run, right? Wrong. If you're going from a sedentary state (sitting at your desk, driving, riding the T) to an active state, then you need to warm up.  I'm here to tell you a little about it.

Well, what is a warm up?
A warm-up is one of the important elements of an exercise program. It safely prepares your body for the increased demands of the workout. Meaning, it gets your cardiovascular system ready to work, it lets your muscles know they're about to take on some load and it even sends signals to your brain so you can mentally prepare for the next 30-90 minutes. 
Having a "good" warm up routine is important to prevent injuries and when you're physically and mentally ready- you'll perform better as well. 

Ok, so what do I do?
Keep in mind that every body is different. As a trainer, it is my duty to create a different warm up for each of my clients because some people take longer to warm up, some have different muscle tightness, etc. But, I'll explain some rule-of-thumbs that I use so you can make a routine for your own.

-Make sure to incorporate the entire body, usually starting from either the feet or head and working your way up or down, respectively.
 
-Each exercise should take about 30-60 seconds, and the whole routine could take 10-15 minutes (On Dave's very tough workout days, he takes about 25 minutes to warm up!)

-Dynamic stretches are the way to go before a workout. Dynamic just means the exercises you're doing are functional and mimic the moves you'll do in the workout. They tend to get your muscles ready for the specific movements they're about to do and get your heart rate up a bit more to prepare it for the workout. 

-Never forget to warm up the parts of your body that give you trouble i.e. lower backs, hamstrings, even ankles! 

Here are some of my favorite exercises I incorporate into my workouts (from the toes up)

Ankle circles- These are great for before running, hiking, or if you plan to do any jumping. Spend at least :30 each way per foot.

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Frankenstein kicks-
​This is a good one to actively warm up your hamstrings, core, shoulders and hip flexors. I'll typically walk the length of the gym 2-4 times (50ft x4).

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Hip Circles-
I like this one to actively warm up and wake up the lower back muscles as well as the muscles of the hips. Make sure to make as big of circles as you can!

Walking Lunge Twist-
This one is great to get some blood movin' in your legs and also warm up your core a tad more. This one can be the same distance as the frankensteins.  

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Inchworm- 
This is a great one to warm up the whole body. If there are pushups in your workout, you can add the pushup part but you don't need to.

Arm Circle
This one is for shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest and upper traps. Make sure to go both ways- forward and back!

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Neck Circles-
I think the most forgotten about part of the body. Most people don't think they need to warm it up because they aren't using it, but it's used more than you think!

Remember, there are so so many dynamic moves to use for your warm ups. A few other ones I like to use are:
-Runners lunge stretches
-Glute bridges
-Supermans
-Bear crawls
-Low squats
-Calf raises