11/1/2025

Welcome to Reform's Newsletter, where we discuss hot topics in the physical therapy world, exercise tips, client wins, and upcoming events! This week, we will be discussing the importance of an appropriate warm-up. 

 

When it comes to reducing injury risk and performing your best, your warm-up could be the most important part of your workout. I see so many people walk into the gym, swing their arms a few times, stretch a hamstring, and call it good (...including myself prior to PT school). Then, we wonder why our shoulders ache after bench press or our low back tightens up after deadlifts.

 

Too often, it takes an injury to make us rethink the importance of warming up, and even then, most people aren’t sure what they should be doing to properly prepare their body for the demands of their workout. A large majority of the clients I work with are very active people who prioritize fitness, so adjusting or building a proper warm-up is almost always part of their exercise prescription. It’s one of the simplest ways to move better, feel stronger, and keep training long-term without pain.

 

A proper warm-up does so much more than “loosen up" your muscles. It’s your prep work. It helps your body and brain communicate efficiently so you can lift stronger, move better, and feel better during your workout and after.

What Does a Warm-up ACTUALLY do? 

• Increases blood flow and muscle temperature: this makes your muscles more elastic and reduces the risk of strains or pulls

• Activates your nervous system: Helps your body recruit the right muscles in the right order for the movements ahead.

• Improves range of motion and coordination: Dynamic movements prepare joints for the demands of training.

• Mentally primes you: Gives you a few minutes to shift focus from the rest of your day and get your mind ready to train.

 

 Research has consistently shown that dynamic warm-ups (where you’re moving, not holding stretches) improve performance and decrease injury risk. Especially when they mimic the movements you’ll be performing that day (Behm & Chaouachi, J Strength Cond Res, 2011; Fradkin et al., Sports Med, 2010).

Mobility vs. Muscle Priming

Mobility and muscle priming are both key parts of a good warm-up, but they serve different purposes.

 

Mobility work helps get your joints moving in a controlled manner through full range of motion - movements like thoracic rotations (thread the needle), wall angels or hip openers.

 

Muscle priming, on the other hand, is about activating the key muscles you’ll use for your main lifts. That might mean banded work for the shoulders before an upper body day or glute activation drills before squats.

 

When you combine both, you’re setting your body up for better control, strength, and power as well as drastically lowering your risk of injury.

Why It Matters for Injury Prevention

 

Think of your warm-up like starting your car on a cold morning. You wouldn’t rev the engine to 100 mph the moment you turn the key...your muscles work the same way.

 

Dynamic movements and muscle priming exercises prepare tissues for the specific load it will experience in your workout, improve stability around the joints, and help correct faulty movement patterns that lead to injury.

One 2018 Sports Medicine review found that structured warm-up routines can reduce sports-related injuries by up to 30%. That’s a huge return for just a few extra minutes of focused preparation! 

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So if you’ve been skipping your warm-up or relying on static stretching alone, this is your sign to rethink your routine and implement a more specific warm up tailored to your body, your needs, and the specific workout you are doing that day. 

 

 

Example of what I’d give a patient before an Upper Body Strength Workout for a 

Pull Day (Back/Bi's) 

1. Mobility Drills (3-6 minutes)

   • Thread the Needle 15x/side

   • Foamroll Thoracic Ext + PVC OH 

   • Wall Angels 2x10

   • Scapular Push-Ups x10

2. Muscle Activation / Priming (6-10 minutes)

   • Banded Pull-Aparts (pronated and supinated) 2x10

   • Plank Shoulder Taps x10/side

   • Banded Bicep Hammer Curls

   • Prone IYT 2x10  

3. Cardio - Rower or Upper Body Bike Ergometer for 3-5 minutes at moderate intensity

By the end of this, your shoulders should feel awake, your heart rate slightly elevated, and your movements smooth and controlled. Now, you are ready for your workout!