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Exercises

Dynamic warm up for athletes: before speed, power and lifting days

Published October 24, 2026

A dynamic warm up for athletes takes 15 to 20 minutes: 3 minutes of skipping, high knees and butt kicks, 4 minutes of moving mobility (walkouts, walking lunges, cossack squats, leg swings), 3 minutes of activation (dead bugs, lateral band walks, band face pulls), then 5 minutes of power primers that rise in intensity: skater hops, box jumps and med ball throws. On lifting days, finish with ramp-up sets of your first lift.

  1. Skipping in Place Calves, Quads, Hamstrings
  2. High Knees Quads
  3. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  4. Walking Lunge Quads, Glutes
  5. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  6. Lateral Band Walk Abductors
  7. Box Jump Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
  8. Skater Hop Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Raise: skips and run drills

Run drills raise the heart rate and rehearse sprint mechanics at the same time.

Raise, rope-free skipping

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Skipping is the softest way to start bouncing.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your fists beside your hips as if holding rope handles.
  2. Circle your hands and bounce lightly from one foot to the other, as if skipping over a turning rope.
  3. Keep the bounces low and springy for the whole interval.

Cues

  • Bounce off the balls of your feet
  • Hands circle, elbows close
  • Relaxed shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Stomping on the heels: stay on the front of your feet.
  • Hopping high: a small bounce clears an imaginary rope.

Swap for: Jump Rope, Jumping Jack, High Knees

Build a session with Skipping in Place

Raise and sprint prep, knee drive

High Knees

Quads

High knees rehearse the front side of the sprint stride.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and start jogging in place.
  2. Drive each knee up toward hip height while your opposite arm swings forward.
  3. Stay on the balls of your feet and build the pace over the interval.

Cues

  • Knee to hip height
  • Tall chest
  • Arms pump with the legs

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to get the knees higher: keep your torso upright and lower the knee height.

Swap for: Butt Kicks, Skipping in Place, Mountain Climber

Build a session with High Knees

Raise, hamstring and quad prep

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Butt kicks rehearse the heel recovery and warm the hamstrings.

How to do it

  1. Jog in place with your torso upright.
  2. Pull each heel up toward your glutes on every stride.
  3. Keep your knees pointing down and your feet quick.

Cues

  • Heels to glutes
  • Knees stay under hips
  • Quick feet

Common mistakes

  • Letting the knees swing forward: the thigh stays vertical while the heel rises.

Swap for: High Knees, Jumping Jack, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Butt Kicks

Moving mobility

Big-range moves that warm several joints at once.

Hamstring and shoulder mobility, walk to plank

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

Walkouts move the hamstrings and shoulders in one drill.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, hinge forward, and plant your palms on the floor, bending the knees as much as needed.
  2. Walk your hands out until you reach a straight-arm plank.
  3. Walk the hands back toward your feet and stand up.

Cues

  • Hands walk, feet stay
  • Firm plank at the far end
  • Bend knees if needed

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag in the plank: squeeze glutes before walking back.

Swap for: Bear Crawl, Push-Up Plus, Spider Plank

Build a session with Walkout

Mobility, travelling lunge, a plate overhead or hands free

Walking Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Long lunges open the front of the hips before sprinting.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall; hold a light plate overhead or keep hands on hips.
  2. Step forward into a lunge until your back knee is just above the floor.
  3. Push up and step through into the next lunge.

Cues

  • Long step
  • Upright torso
  • Back knee hovers

Common mistakes

  • Short choppy steps that jam the front knee forward: lengthen the stride.

Swap for: Cardio Lunge, Dumbbell Forward Lunge, Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Walking Lunge

Hip and groin mobility, side-to-side squat

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

Side squats prepare the groin and hips for lateral movement.

How to do it

  1. Take a wide stance with toes turned slightly out.
  2. Shift your weight into one leg and sit down over it while the other leg stays straight with toes up.
  3. Push back through the middle and sink to the other side.

Cues

  • Heel of the bent leg down
  • Chest up
  • Go only as deep as you control

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing at the bottom: pause for a breath instead.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Bodyweight Squat, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Hip mobility, front-to-back swings

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swings prepare the hips for full sprinting range.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall or rack with one hand on it for balance.
  2. Swing your outside leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting the range grow with each swing.
  3. Keep your torso still, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Range grows each swing
  • Torso stays quiet
  • Standing knee soft

Common mistakes

  • Throwing the leg as high as possible from the first swing: start small and let it open up.

Swap for: Standing Side Leg Raise, Walking Lunge, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Leg Swings

Activation

Short sets that switch on the trunk, side hips and upper back before high-force work.

Activation, deep core

Dead Bug

Abs

Dead bugs train the trunk to stay solid while the limbs move fast.

How to do it

  1. On your back with arms pointing at the ceiling and knees bent over your hips.
  2. Lower one arm overhead and the opposite leg toward the floor while your lower back stays down.
  3. Return and switch sides.

Cues

  • Lower back pressed down
  • Exhale as you reach
  • Slow

Common mistakes

  • Arching off the floor as the leg goes low: stop the leg higher.

Swap for: Plank, Spider Plank, Lying Knee Raise

Build a session with Dead Bug

Activation, side glutes

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

Band walks wake the side hip for landing and cutting.

How to do it

  1. Put a mini band above your knees or around your ankles and sit into a quarter squat.
  2. Step sideways with tension on the band the whole time.
  3. Take the same number of steps back the other way.

Cues

  • Stay in the quarter squat
  • Band never goes slack
  • Toes forward

Common mistakes

  • Dragging the trailing foot in close: keep feet apart.

Swap for: Clamshell, Band Standing Hip Abduction, Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk

Activation, rear shoulders and rotator cuff

Band Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Face pulls wake the rear shoulders before throws and upper-body lifts.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a band at face height and hold an end in each hand.
  2. Pull toward your forehead, elbows high, finishing with your hands beside your ears.
  3. Return slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows high
  • Hands finish by the ears
  • Pause one second

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to pull: stand tall and use a lighter band.

Swap for: Face Pull, Band Pull-Apart, TRX Face Pull

Build a session with Band Face Pull

Power primers

Low reps, full intent, full rest. These prepare you for the fastest work of the day without tiring you.

Sport primer, lateral bounds

Skater Hop

Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Lateral bounds prepare cutting and lateral power.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg with a slight bend at the knee and hip.
  2. Push off sideways and land on the opposite foot, letting the trailing leg swing behind.
  3. Stick each landing for a moment, then bound back.

Cues

  • Stick the landing
  • Push sideways, not up
  • Soft knee

Common mistakes

  • Landing stiff-legged: bend the knee to absorb.

Swap for: Lateral Box Jump, Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Single-Leg Jump

Build a session with Skater Hop

Power primer, jump onto a box

Box Jump

Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings

Box jumps let you jump hard with a gentle landing.

How to do it

  1. Stand a short step from a sturdy box.
  2. Dip and swing your arms, then jump up and land softly with both feet on the box.
  3. Stand tall, then step down rather than jumping off.

Cues

  • Land quietly
  • Whole foot on the box
  • Step down

Common mistakes

  • Picking a box so high you land in a deep squat: lower it.

Swap for: Jump Squat, Lateral Box Jump, Frog Jump

Build a session with Box Jump

Sport primer, rotational power

Med Ball Rotational Throw

Abs

Rotational throws prepare the hips and trunk for powerful turns.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall holding a medicine ball at your back hip.
  2. Rotate from the hips and throw the ball into the wall.
  3. Catch it, reset, and repeat before switching sides.

Cues

  • Hips start the throw
  • Pivot the back foot
  • Reset every rep

Common mistakes

  • Throwing with just the arms: let the hips and trunk turn first.

Swap for: Shadow Boxing, Cable Woodchop, Plate Standing Twist

Build a session with Med Ball Rotational Throw

Lifting days: ramp-up sets

On lifting days, end with ramp-up sets of your first lift.

Main lift, barbell squat with ramp-up sets

Front Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Front squat warm-up sets climb from the empty bar to your working weight after the power primers.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar on the front of your shoulders with elbows high.
  2. Sit straight down, keeping your elbows up and chest tall.
  3. Drive up through the middle of your feet.

Cues

  • Elbows high
  • Sit straight down
  • Brace before each rep

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping out of the bottom: lighter weight, higher elbows.

Swap for: Goblet Squat, Barbell Back Squat, Dumbbell Front Squat

Build a session with Front Squat

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

Speed or sprint day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

Today is acceleration or sprint work.

Sprints need the hamstrings and hips ready, so run drills and leg swings get extra sets and the primers are bounds. Nothing takes you near tiring.

Speed warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 30 5 10 s
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 20 4 10 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 2 × 20 4 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 2 × 10 5 0 s
Walking LungePer leg. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Dead BugPer side. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Skater HopPer side. 3 × 4 3 30 s
How to run it
Run drills twice, mobility once, activation once, then skater hops.
How to progress
Keep the routine fixed; the speed work itself is what progresses.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Jump and throw day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Plyo Box, Medicine Ball

Today is plyometrics or med ball work.

Power work rewards fresh legs and full rests, so the primers use low reps with 45 seconds between sets.

Power warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 30 5 10 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 15 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5 4 15 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 1 × 10 4 15 s
Box JumpStep down. 3 × 3 3 45 s
Med Ball Rotational ThrowPer side. 2 × 4 3 45 s
How to run it
Short raise, full mobility, activation, then box jumps and rotational throws.
How to progress
Raise the box height or throw harder only when every rep lands cleanly.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Lifting day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Plyo Box, Barbells

Today is strength training.

Athletes in season lift at 1 to 3 reps in reserve. This version keeps a few jumps for speed, then climbs to your working weight on the front squat.

Lifting warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 20 5 10 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 15 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5 4 15 s
Band Face Pull 1 × 15 4 15 s
Box JumpStep down. 2 × 3 3 45 s
Front Squat3 warm-up sets firstWorking sets after ramp-up. 3 × 3–5 2 3 min
How to run it
Raise, two mobility drills, face pulls, two sets of box jumps, then the front squat ramp-up sets.
How to progress
Add 5 pounds when every working set reaches the top of the range at 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a dynamic warm up for athletes?

A warm-up made only of moving drills: run drills, crawls, lunges and swings, activation, then bounds, jumps and throws.

What are some dynamic warm-up exercises?

Skipping, high knees, butt kicks, walkouts, walking lunges, cossack squats, leg swings, dead bugs, band walks, face pulls, skater hops, box jumps and med ball throws.

How long should an athlete's warm-up be?

About 15 to 20 minutes before speed, power or heavy lifting.

What is the best stretch routine for athletes?

Moving drills before training and longer holds afterward.

Should athletes warm up before lifting?

Yes. Do the dynamic warm-up, then ramp-up sets of your first lift.