The Fastest Way to Get Ready to Lift in the Gym

Look around your gym and you’ll see the same guys doing the same things to warm up before every exercise.

When they bench, they’ll cross their arms back and forth a few times—the “meathead swing”— and think they’re good to go. When they squat, they’ll statically stretch their quads and hamstrings, then put a barbell right on their back.

The problem with most solid, dynamic-style warm-ups is that they require space that most gyms simply don’t have. The idea, then, is to find a series of moves that get you ready to train, don’t take a lot of time, and that you can perform while standing in the same place. Here’s how it’s done.

The Workout

Low Jack

Performed like a jumping jack, except your arms cross in front of you at your waist.

Seal Jack

Performed like a jumping jack, but your arms come in and out to the side at chest height.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Step forward into a lunge. Lean back and raise the arm opposite your forward foot over your head and behind it.

Body Weight Squat

Put a broomstick on your shoulders or your hands behind your head and squat.

Band Good Morning

Stand on one end of a looped band with the other end behind your head and perform good mornings.

Band Shoulder Stretch

Hold the ends of a band, stretch your arms to full extension, and reach up and behind your head.

Band Pull-Apart

Hold a band at its ends at chest height and pull your hands directly out to the sides so your body forms a “T.”

Hip Circles

Lean against a wall with arms extended and trace circles with your knees.

Leg Swings

Performed like the side leg swing, but legs should move front to back.

Jumping Jack

Performed in the conventional gym-class fashion.