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Exercises

Morning warm up: an 8-minute routine to wake up your body

Published October 24, 2026

A morning warm up takes about 8 minutes: start on the floor with dead bugs and glute bridges, stand up for walkouts, cossack squats and arm circles, then finish with 2 minutes of jumping jacks or skipping to raise your heart rate. Before a morning lift, add light ramp-up sets of your first exercise; before a run, add high knees and butt kicks.

  1. Dead Bug Abs
  2. Single-Leg Glute Bridge Glutes
  3. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  4. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  5. Arm Circles Shoulders
  6. Jumping Jack Calves, Quads
  7. Skipping in Place Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Start on the floor

After a night of lying still, begin with easy floor drills that need no balance.

Activation, deep core

Dead Bug

Abs

Slow dead bugs wake up the trunk and get you breathing deeply.

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, glutes one side at a time

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Glutes

Bridges switch on the hips, which are often stiff after sleeping.

How to do it

  1. On your back, plant one foot flat and the other leg lifted; rest a light kettlebell on the working hip if you have one.
  2. Press the planted heel down and raise your hips until your body is straight from knee to shoulder.
  3. Lower slowly and finish the set before switching.

Cues

  • Push through the heel
  • Hips level
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting one hip drop: lower the height until both stay level.

Swap for: Donkey Kick, Dumbbell Glute Bridge, Clamshell

Build a session with Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Stand up and move

Now move the hamstrings, hips and shoulders through full range.

Hamstring and shoulder mobility, walk to plank

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

Walkouts move the hamstrings, shoulders and trunk 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

Hip and groin mobility, side-to-side squat

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

Side squats open the hips and groin.

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

Shoulder mobility, circles

Arm Circles

Shoulders

Arm circles loosen shoulders that were curled up all night.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your arms straight out to the sides at shoulder height.
  2. Draw small circles forward, growing them bigger over 10 seconds.
  3. Reverse direction and repeat.

Cues

  • Start small, finish big
  • Arms long
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back on the big circles: keep your ribs stacked over your hips.

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart, Plank IYTW, Dumbbell External Rotation

Build a session with Arm Circles

Raise your heart rate

Finish with two minutes of easy bouncing so you feel awake.

Raise, full-body jacks

Jumping Jack

Calves, Quads

Jacks raise your heart rate quickly with no equipment.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet together and arms at your sides.
  2. Hop your feet out past shoulder width as your arms sweep overhead.
  3. Hop back to the start as your arms come down, and keep going at a pace you could talk through.

Cues

  • Arms all the way up
  • Soft knees on landing
  • Even rhythm

Common mistakes

  • Half-height arm swings that skip the shoulders: reach fully overhead.

Swap for: Star Jump, Criss-Cross Jack, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Jumping Jack

Raise, rope-free skipping

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Rope-free skipping is a quieter option if others are still asleep.

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

On run mornings, high knees and butt kicks prepare your 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

Heel kicks warm the hamstrings before a morning run.

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

Morning lifting: the first exercise

Before a morning lift, add light ramp-up sets of your first exercise.

Main lift, squat with ramp-up sets

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Goblet squats are easy to load lightly, so two light sets bring your legs up to speed before your working sets.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your heels, elbows inside the knees.
  3. Stand by pushing through the whole foot.

Cues

  • Weight against the chest
  • Elbows inside knees
  • Full foot pressure

Common mistakes

  • Letting the chest fold forward: keep the weight tight to your body.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Dumbbell Front Squat, Front Squat

Build a session with Goblet 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 a morning lifting session

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You lift soon after waking up.

Your body is stiffer early in the day, so the floor drills come first and the ramp-up sets of the goblet squat climb gradually. Working sets sit at 1 to 3 reps in reserve.

Morning lift
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dead BugPer side. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Single-Leg Glute BridgePer side. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Walkout 1 × 5–6 4 15 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5 4 15 s
Jumping JackSeconds. 2 × 45 5 15 s
Goblet Squat2 warm-up sets firstWorking sets after ramp-up. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
How to run it
Floor, standing, jacks, then 2 warm-up sets of the goblet squat at roughly half and three-quarters of your working weight.
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

Session 2

Before a morning run

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets28 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You run first thing in the morning.

Running loads the calves and hamstrings, so the standing block swaps arm work for high knees and butt kicks, and the cossack squat stays for the hips.

Morning run warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Single-Leg Glute BridgePer side. 1 × 8 4 15 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 15 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5 4 15 s
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 30 4 10 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 2 × 30 4 10 s
How to run it
Floor drills, then the walkout and cossack squat, then high knees and butt kicks. Start your run easy for the first few minutes.
How to progress
Keep the warm-up the same; let the first minutes of the run do the rest.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Wake-up routine before a desk day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts5× a week
  • Working sets25 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You won't train today but want to move before sitting for hours.

No workout follows, so this is just movement: easy reps, quiet drills, and a short raise so you feel awake.

Wake-up routine
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dead BugPer side. 1 × 6–8 5 15 s
Walkout 1 × 4–5 5 15 s
Arm CirclesSeconds each direction. 1 × 20 5 0 s
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 45 5 15 s
How to run it
Do it after waking up, before breakfast or coffee. It takes about 6 minutes.
How to progress
Add a second round when it feels too short.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good morning warm up?

Dead bugs and glute bridges on the floor, then walkouts, cossack squats and arm circles, and two minutes of jumping jacks or skipping.

How long should a morning warm-up be?

About 5 to 10 minutes. Mornings may need a few minutes more than evenings because you start stiffer.

Is it good to stretch as soon as I wake up?

Gentle moving drills are a good start. Keep long held stretches for later in the day.

Is walking a good warmup?

Yes, especially before a run or easy activity. Add the floor drills if you feel stiff.

Should I work out on an empty stomach in the morning?

Many people train fine before breakfast. If you feel weak, a small snack before the session can help.