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Exercises

5 minute warm up: every stage, nothing extra

Published October 24, 2026

A complete 5 minute warm up: 90 seconds of jump rope (or star jumps), 30 seconds of leg swings per leg, 3 walkouts, 10 push-up plus reps and 15 band pull-aparts, then two quick ramp-up sets of your first exercise at about half and three quarters of your working weight. Move from one to the next without resting. For a 10 minute warm up, double the cardio and add a third ramp-up set.

  1. Jump Rope Calves, Quads
  2. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  4. Push-Up Plus Chest
  5. Band Pull-Apart Shoulders, Upper Back
  6. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes

Minute 0 to 1.5: get warm fast

With only five minutes, the cardio has to be quick and a little brisk. A jump rope does it in 90 seconds; star jumps do it with no equipment.

Fastest heart-rate lift

Jump Rope

Calves, Quads

Ninety seconds of easy skipping gets you warm and wakes up the calves and ankles for any session.

How to do it

  1. Hold the handles at hip height with the rope behind you.
  2. Turn the rope with your wrists and hop just high enough to clear it.
  3. Keep a steady, easy rhythm.

Cues

  • Small hops on the balls of your feet.
  • Elbows close to your sides.

Common mistakes

  • Jumping high and swinging from the shoulders.

Swap for: Skipping in Place, Jumping Jack

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No-rope option

Star Jump

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

Ten big jumps with a reset between each raise your heart rate as fast as the rope does.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with feet together and dip into a quarter squat.
  2. Jump up and spread arms and legs into a big X in the air.
  3. Bring the limbs back in and land softly to reset.

Cues

  • Reset fully between jumps.
  • Land with bent knees.

Common mistakes

  • Stringing reps together with stiff landings.

Swap for: Jumping Jack, Jump Squat

Build a session with Star Jump

Minute 1.5 to 3: two drills for every joint

Leg swings and walkouts between them reach hips, hamstrings and shoulders. Thirty seconds per leg of swings, then three slow walkouts.

Hips

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

The fastest way to move the hips through their full range before squats, lunges or running.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a rack, wall or chair and rest one hand on it.
  2. Swing your outside leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting each swing climb a little higher.
  3. Do every swing on one leg, turn around, and repeat on the other.

Cues

  • Keep your torso tall so the hip moves, not your lower back.
  • Start small and let the height come on its own.

Common mistakes

  • Kicking hard at the top before the hip has loosened.

Swap for: Cossack Squat, High Knees

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Hamstrings and shoulders

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

Three reps are enough here; each one stretches the back of the legs and loads the shoulders in a plank.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet hip-width, hinge at the hips and put your palms on the floor, bending the knees as much as you need.
  2. Crawl your hands out one at a time into a high plank.
  3. Hold a beat, then crawl the hands back toward your feet and roll up to standing.

Cues

  • Brace your stomach in the plank so your hips do not sag.
  • Keep the legs as straight as you comfortably can on the way down.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips drop in the plank.

Swap for: Bear Crawl, Spider Plank

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Minute 3 to 4: wake up the shoulders

Two quick drills for the shoulder blades, done back to back. They matter most before upper-body work.

Shoulder blade control

Push-Up Plus

Chest

The extra push at the top of each push-up works the muscles that keep the shoulder blades flat on your ribs.

How to do it

  1. Set up in a high plank with hands under shoulders.
  2. Do a push-up, then at the top keep pushing the floor away so your upper back rounds slightly.
  3. Let the shoulder blades come back together before the next rep.

Cues

  • Push the floor away at the top
  • Body in one line

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the extra push at the top: that last bit is the point.

Swap for: Push-Up, Band Scapular Retraction

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Upper back

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

Fifteen easy pulls balance the push-up plus and set the shoulders back.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band at shoulder height with straight arms and hands about shoulder width.
  2. Pull your hands apart until the band touches your chest.
  3. Let the band bring your hands back slowly.

Cues

  • Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end.
  • Keep your ribs down.

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows to make it easier.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Scapular Retraction

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Minute 4 to 5: two ramp-up sets

Spend the last minute on the first exercise itself: one set at about half your working weight for 8 reps and one at three quarters for 4. That is the shortest ramp that still rehearses the lift. RIRLift records both as warm-up sets.

First lift on leg days

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

One dumbbell, no setup time, so both ramp-up sets fit in the last minute.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom.
  • Chest stays up behind the weight.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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First lift on upper days

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

Grab lighter dumbbells for the two ramp-up sets, then your working pair.

How to do it

  1. Lying on a flat bench, hold two dumbbells above your chest.
  2. Lower the bells to the sides of your chest with elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Press them back up over your shoulders.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinched.
  • Control the lowering.

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out.

Swap for: Push-Up, Barbell Bench Press

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Five minutes before leg day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets21 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope, Dumbbells

You have ten minutes less than you hoped and your first lift is a squat.

Every stage is here but cut to its shortest: rope for warmth, swings and walkouts for range, then the goblet squat's two ramp-up sets. The activation drills are left out on a leg day, since the ramp-up sets wake the legs anyway.

Leg day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. Ninety seconds total. 2 × 45 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10–12 4 15 s
Walkout 1 × 3 4 15 s
Goblet Squat2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
No rest between blocks. The first working set of goblet squats starts at minute five.
How to progress
When the working sets reach 12 reps at 2 RIR, use a heavier dumbbell.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Five minutes before an upper-body day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets21 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Dumbbells, Flat Bench

Your session opens with dumbbell presses.

Upper days lean on the shoulder blades, so this version keeps both activation drills and trades the leg swings for star jumps that warm you and swing the arms overhead. Two ramp-up sets on the press finish it.

Upper day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Star Jump 1 × 10 4 15 s
Walkout 1 × 3 4 15 s
Push-Up Plus 1 × 10 4 15 s
Band Pull-Apart 1 × 15 4 15 s
Flat Dumbbell Press2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Star jumps, walkouts, push-up plus, pull-aparts, then press.
How to progress
Add a rep to each working set before you add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

The 10 minute version

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope, Resistance Bands, Dumbbells

You have ten minutes and want a fuller warm-up before a lower-body session.

Ten minutes lets each stage breathe: three minutes of rope instead of ninety seconds, two rounds of mobility, both activation drills, and three ramp-up sets instead of two.

Ten minute warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. Three minutes, easy. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 2 × 10–12 4 15 s
Walkout 2 × 4 4 15 s
Push-Up Plus 1 × 10 4 15 s
Band Pull-Apart 1 × 15–20 4 15 s
Goblet Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Rope, two rounds of swings and walkouts, push-up plus and pull-aparts, then squat.
How to progress
Keep the warm-up fixed and progress the working sets as usual.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Is a 5 minute warm-up enough?

For most lifting sessions, yes, as long as the last minute is light sets of your first exercise. Take longer when it is cold or the session is very heavy.

How do I warm up in 10 minutes?

Run the 10 minute plan: three minutes of cardio, two rounds of mobility, two activation drills and three ramp-up sets.

What are some good 5-minute warm-ups before lifting weights?

Ninety seconds of jump rope, leg swings, walkouts, push-up plus and pull-aparts, then two ramp-up sets of the first lift.

What should I skip if I only have 2 minutes?

Do 30 seconds of jumping, three walkouts and two ramp-up sets. Keep the ramp-up sets.

Can I warm up with the weights only?

If the session is short and the first exercise is light, yes. Two or three gradually heavier sets are a warm-up on their own.