Warmups, Mobility, and Flexibility are all topics where there is an overflow of differing information. It’s easy to start looking up some good warmup or mobility routines and next thing you know you’re 50 YouTube videos in and wondering how you’re going to fit 3 hours of mobility drills in before you finally get to squatting..
Like all training related topics, I’m in a fluid learning process with these things. I know specifically with the hips and my bicep tendon/shoulder, I need to do a better job working on mobility and utilizing warmups that get everything moving correctly and help prevent injury. That being said, I don’t want to fall into the trap of spending more time doing a million complicated drills than I do actually training.
Below are a few practical warmup routines I’ve found for lower body training that are fairly simple, straightforward, and effective for many lifters. These coaches tailor things specifically to their athletes for individual needs they may have, but these general warmups are a great place to start no matter who you are. Play around with what works for you, and see if one of these routines has a place in your program. They are all slightly different approaches with different focuses for each..
#1 Hip & Lower Body Warmup from Chris Duffin
1. Goblet Squats: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps
2. Hip Side-to-Sides: 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps per hip
3. Split Squats: 2-3 sets of 10 reps per leg
4. Hip Airplanes: 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps per hip
(movements outlined in videos below)
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjIAS-D7UcY]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8JaC9SVQZs]
#2 DeFranco Agile 8 by Joe DeFranco
1. Foam Roll IT Band – 10-15 rolls
2. Foam Roll Adductors – 10-15 rolls
3. Glute/Piriformis Myofascial Release – Approx. 30 seconds
4. Rollovers into V Sits – 10 reps
5. Fire Hydrant Circles – 10 forward circles and 10 backwards with each leg
6. Mountain Climbers – 20 total reps
7. Groiners – 10 reps
8. Static Hip Flexor Stretch – 3 sets of 10 seconds each leg
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiA0-IatUrY]
#3 Banded Hip Series by David Allen
1. Laying External Rotation w/ Band Around Feet
2. Glute Bridge Abduction w/ Band Around Knees
3. Seated Band Abductions w/ Band Below Knee
4. X-Band Walks
*reps depend on whether being used for warmup, activation, or accessory (outlined HERE)
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjVOgaXrPs0]
...I've also been playing around with some soft tissue work for my bicep tendon and pec/shoulder before benching that Casey Williams showed me (and that he took from Donnie Thompson). It seems to be making a difference so far, so I'll post some info on that once I get a few weeks into trying it.
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