RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Gymnastics warm up exercises: a 12-minute routine before you train

Published October 24, 2026

Jump rope for 3 minutes, then do 3 minutes of mobility: 10 arm circles each direction, 10 leg swings each way per leg, 4 walkouts and 5 cossack squats per side. Prepare the body shapes with 2 lengths of bear crawls, 2 x 15-20 second hollow holds, 10 supermans and 10 plank shoulder taps per side. Finish with 2 x 15-20 second dead hangs, 2 x 15-30 second wall handstand holds and a few jump squats, then begin on your first apparatus with easy skills. About 12 minutes.

  1. Jump Rope Calves, Quads
  2. Arm Circles Shoulders
  3. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  4. Bear Crawl Abs, Shoulders
  5. Plate Hollow Hold Abs
  6. Superman Lower Back
  7. Dead Hang Forearms
  8. Handstand Hold Shoulders

Get warm: 3 minutes

Gymnastics asks for full range and fast power right away, so start with a proper raise. Jump rope and butt kicks get you warm and light on your feet.

Raise, quick feet

Jump Rope

Calves, Quads

It warms you quickly and trains the bouncy ankles of tumbling and vault.

How to do it

  1. Hold the handles at hip height with your elbows close to your ribs.
  2. Turn the rope with your wrists and hop just high enough to clear it.
  3. Keep the hops small and even, landing on the balls of your feet.

Cues

  • Wrists turn, not shoulders
  • Small, quiet hops

Common mistakes

  • Jumping high and tucking the knees: an inch of clearance is plenty.

Swap for: Jumping Jack, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Jump Rope

Raise, legs

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Butt kicks warm the quads and hamstrings while keeping you on the balls of your feet.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and jog in place on the balls of your feet.
  2. Flick each heel up toward your glutes as it leaves the floor.
  3. Keep your knees pointing down and your arms swinging easily.

Cues

  • Heels to glutes
  • Knees stay under you

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the knees forward: the thigh stays nearly vertical and only the lower leg moves.

Swap for: High Knees, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Butt Kicks

Wrists, shoulders and hips: 3 minutes

Gymnastics loads the shoulders and wrists overhead and takes the hips to extreme ranges. Move them gradually: walkouts and bear crawls also put weight on the wrists. Save held splits and bridges for later in the session.

Shoulder mobility

Arm Circles

Shoulders

Gymnastics is overhead work. Circles move the shoulder through its whole range before it bears weight.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your arms straight out to your sides at shoulder height.
  2. Draw small forward circles, then let them grow larger over the set.
  3. Reverse the direction for the second half.

Cues

  • Small to big
  • Ribs stay down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging up into your ears: keep the shoulders low while the arms circle.

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart, Plate Halo

Build a session with Arm Circles

Hip mobility

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swings prepare the hips for leaps, kicks and splits without static holds.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall or post and rest one hand on it.
  2. Swing your outside leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting the range grow each rep.
  3. Do all reps on one leg, then turn around and switch.

Cues

  • Loose leg, still torso
  • Let the range grow

Common mistakes

  • Rounding your back to kick higher: only go as high as your torso can stay upright.

Swap for: Walkout, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Leg Swings

Shoulders, wrists and hamstrings

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

It loads the wrists and shoulders gradually and moves the hamstrings, all in one drill.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, hinge at your hips and put your palms on the floor, bending your knees as much as you need.
  2. Walk your hands forward until you reach a high plank.
  3. Walk your hands back toward your feet and roll up to standing.

Cues

  • Hands walk, feet stay
  • Hips level in the plank

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag at the front: brace your belly before you walk back.

Swap for: Bear Crawl, Plank to Push-Up

Build a session with Walkout

Hip and adductor range

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

Deep side squats open the inner thighs for straddles and side splits.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about twice shoulder width, toes turned slightly out.
  2. Shift your weight to one side and sit down into that knee while the other leg straightens, toes up.
  3. Push back to center and sink to the other side.

Cues

  • Heel of the bent leg stays down
  • Chest proud

Common mistakes

  • Dropping deeper than your hips allow: stop where your heel starts to lift, and go a little lower each rep.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Kettlebell Lateral Lunge

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Body shapes and trunk: 3 minutes

The hollow and the arch are the two basic shapes of gymnastics. Holding them, plus crawls and taps, switches on the trunk and shoulders so you keep your shape in skills.

Wrist and shoulder loading

Bear Crawl

Abs, Shoulders

Crawling puts weight through the hands in short bursts, preparing the wrists for handstands and floor work.

How to do it

  1. Start on your hands and toes knees bent, hovering an inch off the floor.
  2. Crawl forward by moving the opposite hand and foot together in short steps.
  3. Keep your back flat and your knees low the whole way.

Cues

  • Knees hover low
  • Opposite hand and foot

Common mistakes

  • Hips shooting up into a pike: keep your back level like a tabletop.

Swap for: Walkout, Plank Shoulder Tap

Build a session with Bear Crawl

Hollow body shape

Plate Hollow Hold

Abs

The hollow is the base position of most skills. A light plate makes the shape clear without adding much load.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back holding a light plate with straight arms above your chest.
  2. Press your lower back into the floor and lift your shoulders and straight legs off the floor.
  3. Hold the shape while breathing steadily.

Cues

  • Lower back glued down
  • Ribs pulled in

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the legs so low the back arches: raise them until your back stays flat.

Swap for: Dead Bug, L-Sit Hold

Build a session with Plate Hollow Hold

Arch shape

Superman

Lower Back

The arch is the hollow's opposite and prepares the back and glutes for back walkovers and swings.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your arms stretched overhead.
  2. Raise your chest, both arms and both legs a few inches off the floor together.
  3. Pause briefly, then lower with control.

Cues

  • Long body, eyes down
  • Squeeze your glutes

Common mistakes

  • Cranking the neck back: keep your gaze on the floor.

Swap for: Plank IYTW, Band Reverse Hyperextension

Build a session with Superman

Shoulder stability

Plank Shoulder Tap

Abs

Tapping from a plank teaches the shoulders and trunk to hold still with the body weight on one hand.

How to do it

  1. Start in a high plank with your feet a little apart.
  2. Lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder.
  3. Put the hand back down and tap with the other side.

Cues

  • Hips don't rock
  • Slow taps

Common mistakes

  • Swaying the hips with every tap: widen your stance and move slower.

Swap for: Plank, Bear Crawl

Build a session with Plank Shoulder Tap

Hangs, handstands and jumps: 3 minutes

Finish with the positions you will use on apparatus: hanging from a bar, holding a handstand against the wall and a few jumps for vault and tumbling.

Grip and shoulders for bars

Dead Hang

Forearms

Short hangs prepare the grip and shoulders for bars and rings.

How to do it

  1. Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip a bit wider than your shoulders.
  2. Lift your feet and hang with your arms straight.
  3. Breathe and let your shoulders stay active, not shrugged into your ears or fully slack.

Cues

  • Long arms, steady breath
  • Grip firm

Common mistakes

  • Swinging on the bar: start still and keep your legs quiet.

Swap for: Band-Assisted Pull-Up, Pull-Up

Build a session with Dead Hang

Inverted shoulder loading

Handstand Hold

Shoulders

Holding a handstand against the wall gets the shoulders, wrists and body line ready to go upside down.

How to do it

  1. Set your hands a shoulder's width apart on the floor about a hand's length from a wall.
  2. Kick up so your heels rest on the wall and your arms are straight.
  3. Push the floor away, squeeze your legs together and hold.

Cues

  • Push tall through the shoulders
  • Ribs in, body straight

Common mistakes

  • Sinking into the shoulders: press up as if trying to grow taller.

Swap for: Pike Push-Up, Plank

Build a session with Handstand Hold

Power primer

Jump Squat

Quads, Glutes

A few jumps at rising height prepare the legs for vault and tumbling take-offs.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about shoulder width and your arms ready.
  2. Dip into a quarter to half squat, then jump straight up, swinging your arms.
  3. Land softly with bent knees and reset before the next jump.

Cues

  • Soft, quiet landing
  • Reset between reps

Common mistakes

  • Landing stiff-legged: let the hips and knees bend to absorb the landing.

Swap for: Box Jump, Bodyweight Squat

Build a session with Jump 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

Before gymnastics practice

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets60 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope, Barbells, Pull-Up Bar

You train gymnastics several times a week on apparatus.

The full 12-minute routine, ending with hangs and handstands so your first skills are on warm shoulders and wrists.

Practice Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. 3 × 45–60 4 15 s
Arm CirclesEach direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 4 4 15 s
Bear CrawlSeconds. 2 × 20–30 3 20 s
Plate Hollow HoldSeconds. 2 × 15–20 3 20 s
Superman 1 × 10 3 15 s
Dead HangSeconds. 2 × 15–20 4 30 s
Handstand HoldSeconds. Against a wall. 2 × 15–30 3 45 s
How to run it
Do it at the start of every practice, before your first apparatus.
How to progress
Add seconds to the handstand hold before adding sets.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Before tumbling or vault

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope, Barbells

Your session starts on floor or vault with jumps and take-offs.

Shifts time from the hang to leg mobility and jump primers, since take-offs come first.

Tumbling Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. 2 × 60 4 15 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 1 × 30 4 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 2 × 10 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5 4 15 s
Bear CrawlSeconds. 1 × 30 3 20 s
Plate Hollow HoldSeconds. 1 × 20 3 20 s
Plank Shoulder TapPer side. 1 × 10 3 20 s
Jump SquatHigher each set. 3 × 3–5 3 45 s
How to run it
Use it on days that open with floor or vault.
How to progress
Add one jump per set as your landings stay quiet.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Before gymnastics strength training at home

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope, Barbells

You train gymnastic strength at home or in the gym without apparatus coaching.

A shorter routine that leans on shapes and wrist loading, ending in handstand holds before strength work.

Strength Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. 2 × 45 4 15 s
Arm CirclesEach direction. 1 × 12 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 15 s
Plank Shoulder TapPer side. 1 × 10 3 20 s
Superman 1 × 10 3 15 s
Plate Hollow HoldSeconds. 2 × 20 3 20 s
Handstand HoldSeconds. 2 × 20–30 3 45 s
How to run it
Use it before every bodyweight strength session.
How to progress
Increase the handstand time as your shoulders adapt.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What are good warm-up exercises for gymnastics?

Jump rope, arm circles, leg swings, walkouts, bear crawls, hollow holds, supermans, dead hangs and handstand holds.

What are the stages of a gymnastics warm-up?

Raise your temperature, move the joints, switch on the body shapes, then rehearse the positions you will use on apparatus.

How long should a gymnastics warm-up be?

About 12 minutes before apparatus work, followed by easy skills on your first event.

What are the best stretches for gymnastics?

Before training, moving drills like leg swings and cossack squats. Held splits and bridges work better later, once you are warm.

Why warm up the wrists for gymnastics?

Handstands, floor work and vault all bear weight through the wrists. Walkouts and bear crawls load them gradually first.