This lower body warm-up starts with a few minutes of easy cardio, moves your hips, knees and ankles through the same patterns as your workout, and finishes with lighter sets of your first lift.
Workout Routine Examples
Track macros and calories
Lower Body Warm-Up Example
About 8 minutes, before leg day.
| Move | Amount | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bike or brisk walk | 3 to 5 min | Raises your body temperature and heart rate. Keep it easy. |
| Bodyweight squat | 2 × 10 | Takes your hips, knees and ankles through the squat. |
| Leg swings, front to back | 10 per leg | Loosens your hips. Hold onto something for balance. |
| Leg swings, side to side | 10 per leg | Opens up the inside and outside of your hips. |
| Glute bridge | 2 × 10 | Wakes up your glutes before squats and deadlifts. |
| Walking lunge | 8 per leg | Works each leg on its own and tests your balance. |
| Warm-up sets of your first lift | 3 to 4 sets | Lighter sets that build up to your working weight. |
This is an example, not a prescription or medical advice. If you have an injury, a heart condition or another health condition, check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.
Warm-up sets, for example
If your working sets of squats are at 185 lb (84 kg), the warm-up sets before them could look like this. Each set gets heavier and shorter, so you're warm but not tired when the real sets start.
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empty bar, 45 lb (20 kg) | 8 |
| 2 | 95 lb (43 kg) | 5 |
| 3 | 135 lb (61 kg) | 3 |
| 4 | 165 lb (75 kg) | 1 to 2 |
Want to track your workouts?
In Somatics, you can save any workout as a template, then log your sets, reps and weight as you go, plus RIR (Reps in Reserve) with Pro.
Who is this for?
This example can work well for you if:
- you're about to train legs, like a leg day or a lower body day
- you have about 8 minutes before your first set
- your hips or knees feel stiff at the start of a squat session
Before an upper body day, see the upper body warm-up. Before a workout that covers everything, the full body warm-up has a move or two for each area.
About this example
A warm-up before lifting works best when it looks like the workout you're about to do. Light cardio gets you warm, the bodyweight moves take your joints through the same ranges as squats and deadlifts, and the warm-up sets let you practice the lift with a light weight.
Long static stretches, where you hold one position for a minute or more, can lower your strength a little for a short time afterward. Most lifters keep the stretching short before a workout and save the longer holds for after it.
Common questions
How long is a good warm-up?
Most people do well with 5 to 10 minutes, plus warm-up sets for their first big lift. On heavier days or in a cold gym, you may want a little longer.
Do warm-up sets go before every exercise?
Usually only for the first exercise that works a muscle group. Once your legs are warm from squats, one light set is often enough before the next leg exercise.
Can I use this before deadlifts?
Yes. The leg swings and glute bridges get your hips moving, and your warm-up sets do the rest. You can start them with the bar or a light weight and build up to your first working set in 3 or 4 jumps.
Track macros and calories
with Somatics
