The warm-up should be shorter than the session
This is not physiotherapy. Pain with a specific movement: get it assessed.
A default ramp
- 3–5 minutes easy cardio — bike, walk, ski-erg if it exists. You should be able to talk.
- The first lift, empty or light — goblet squat before squats, push-up before bench, band row before rows. 2–3 sets, climbing toward work weight.
- One targeted drill if you need it — e.g. hip airplanes or a thoracic opener because your first work set told you so, not because a reel said “always activate glutes for 12 minutes.”
That is enough for most commercial gym hours.
What to skip most days
- 40-minute foam rolling novels
- Static stretching a cold muscle into the splits before a 5×5 squat
- Activating every muscle with a mini-band until you are already tired
Save longer mobility for rest days if you enjoy it. Recovery is mostly sleep. A light resistance band is enough for the one drill you actually use — not a 40-minute rolling novel.
Peak-hour version
Cardio machine taken? March on the spot, arm circles, then light sets of the actual lift. Do not hover in the only rack “warming up” for ten minutes while someone waits. Etiquette.
Home version
Same ramp: brisk walk around the block or step-ups on the stair, then light goblet squats. See home gym.
Related: Compound form · Workouts · First week