If you’re still using the same warm-up routine your high school gym teacher taught you, it’s time for an upgrade.
A focused, targeted warm-up doesn’t have to take a ton of time, especially if you group a few activation and mobility drills in a sequence you can move through efficiently.
I came up with a mobility flow recently that hits on a few major areas necessary for good squatting, mainly:
- Joint mobility
- Glute activation
- Hip flexion and extension
- Hip mobility
- Adductor stretch
- Scapular mobility
- Core stability
Wowza! That’s a lot of points!
Truth be told, I was actually aiming to deadlift when I did this flow, but realized during it how it can easily apply to another lower body workout where squats might be the focus.
Steal this mobility flow before your next big squat or deadlift day, and get ready to lift heavy!
Coach’s notes:
- Move through the flow slowly! The video was sped up to keep viewing time short.
- Milk the reverse lunge for it’s hip opening stretch, but don’t lean forward into a passive stretch.
- In the lateral lunge with overhead reach, reach your arms to frame your face without flaring out your ribcage. If your lats are really stiff (like mine was at the time) you may have a hard time getting to a full overhead position. That’s OK! Be sure to roll ohttps://vimeo.com/261568646ut your chest and lats afterwards if needed.
- The glute bridge sequence is as follows:
- Basic glute bridge
- One-leg Iso glute bridge
- Pilates glute bridge with plantar flexion and dorsiflexion. Be sure your keep the hips the same level the whole time.
- The core stability sequence requires a little coordination, and you’re welcome to split them into two if coordination is not your strong suit.
- Keep your abdominals pressing in for the dead bug and the arm circles
- Allow the arms to reach overhead without flaring the ribs or allowing your back to arch off the floor.
How many reps?
This depends on you. I was in a bit of a hurry so I stuck to about 6-8 reps of each flow.
Should I foam roll too?
Yes, foam roll before you move into your mobility flow.
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