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Exercises

Muay Thai warm up: rope, hips, then shadow boxing with kicks

Published October 24, 2026

A Muay Thai warm up takes about 15 minutes: 5 minutes of jump rope, 3 minutes of hip mobility (leg swings, standing side leg raises, cossack squats), 2 minutes of glute and trunk activation (clamshells, donkey kicks, side planks), then 2 to 3 rounds of shadow boxing that add kicks, knees and teeps, with a few skater hops between rounds. Each round should be faster than the last.

  1. Jump Rope Calves, Quads
  2. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Standing Side Leg Raise Abductors
  4. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  5. Clamshell Abductors
  6. Donkey Kick Glutes
  7. Shadow Boxing Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps
  8. Skater Hop Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Raise: rope rounds

Start with the rope. Five easy minutes warm the calves and ankles you pivot on for kicks.

Raise, light rope skipping

Jump Rope

Calves, Quads

The rope raises your heart rate and gets your feet ready to bounce and pivot.

How to do it

  1. Hold a handle in each hand with the rope resting behind your heels.
  2. Turn the rope from your wrists, not your shoulders, and hop just high enough for it to pass under you.
  3. Land softly on the balls of your feet and keep a steady, easy rhythm.

Cues

  • Small hops
  • Wrists turn the rope
  • Quiet landings

Common mistakes

  • Jumping high and landing flat-footed: an inch of clearance is plenty.

Swap for: Skipping in Place, Jumping Jack, Rebounder Jumps

Build a session with Jump Rope

Hip mobility for kicking

Round kicks, teeps and knees all need the hips to open forward, sideways and to the side. Swings and side lifts do that without held stretches.

Hip mobility, front-to-back swings

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Front-to-back swings take the hip through the path of a teep and a knee.

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

Hip mobility, side lifts

Standing Side Leg Raise

Abductors

Lifting a straight leg sideways opens the hip for the round kick, controlled instead of thrown.

How to do it

  1. Stand with hands on your hips or one hand on a support.
  2. Lift one straight leg sideways as far as feels smooth, toes pointing forward.
  3. Lower with control and repeat, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Toes point forward
  • Stay tall
  • Lift from the hip

Common mistakes

  • Leaning the torso away to lift higher: keep shoulders level.

Swap for: Leg Swings, Lateral Band Walk, Clamshell

Build a session with Standing Side Leg Raise

Hip and groin mobility, side-to-side squat

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

Sitting low over one leg opens the groin and loads the standing leg you kick from.

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

Activation: glutes and trunk

The standing leg holds you up while the other kicks, and the trunk turns the hips over. These wake up both.

Activation, side glutes

Clamshell

Abductors

Clamshells switch on the side of the hip that keeps your standing knee stable during kicks.

How to do it

  1. On your side, set knees bent and stacked and heels together.
  2. Lift your top knee while the feet stay touching.
  3. Lower slowly without letting your hips roll back.

Cues

  • Heels together
  • Hips stacked
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the top hip backward: keep it pointing forward.

Swap for: Lateral Band Walk, Band Seated Hip Abduction, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Clamshell

Activation, glutes

Donkey Kick

Glutes

Pressing a bent leg up and back wakes the glutes that drive teeps and knees.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
  2. Keeping the knee bent, press one heel up toward the ceiling.
  3. Lower and repeat, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Heel to the ceiling
  • Back stays flat
  • Squeeze at the top

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back to lift higher: stop when the thigh is level.

Swap for: Clamshell, Band Glute Kickback, Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Build a session with Donkey Kick

Activation, side trunk

Side Plank

Abs

Side holds prepare the trunk for the turn of the kick and for clinch pressure.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your side on one forearm with feet stacked.
  2. Lift your hips until your body is straight from head to feet.
  3. Hold, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow under the shoulder
  • Hips up
  • Breathe

Common mistakes

  • Hips drifting back: push them forward into line.

Swap for: Copenhagen Plank, Plank, Dumbbell Side Plank

Build a session with Side Plank

Muay Thai primers

Finish with the art itself. Shadow box with punches first, then add kicks and knees, and bound side to side between rounds.

Sport primer, punching

Shadow Boxing

Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps

Alternating straight punches at rising speed warm the shoulders and arms before you add kicks, knees and teeps on the pads.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width and your fists up by your chin.
  2. Punch straight out with one hand, then the other, in a steady alternating rhythm.
  3. Pull each fist back to your chin as the other one goes out, and build the speed over the round.

Cues

  • Fists back to the chin
  • Shoulders relaxed
  • Build the speed

Common mistakes

  • Throwing at full power from the start: build from about half speed.

Swap for: Battle Rope Wave, Med Ball Rotational Throw, Jumping Jack

Build a session with Shadow Boxing

Sport primer, lateral bounds

Skater Hop

Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Lateral bounds wake up the legs for fast angle changes and stepping off.

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

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 pads or bag

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets48 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope

You have pad rounds with a trainer or a bag session ahead.

Pad rounds are tiring on their own. This warm-up keeps everything at 3 to 5 reps in reserve and saves your speed for the pads.

Pad warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. 5 × 60 5 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 12 5 0 s
Standing Side Leg RaisePer leg. 1 × 8–10 5 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 5–6 4 15 s
ClamshellPer side. 1 × 12–15 4 15 s
Shadow BoxingSeconds. Hands, add kicks, add knees and teeps. 3 × 60 3 20 s
How to run it
Five rope rounds of a minute, then the hip and glute blocks once, then three shadow rounds: hands only, add kicks, add knees and teeps.
How to progress
Keep the time steady. Make the shadow rounds more detailed over the weeks.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Before sparring or clinch work

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentJump Rope

You are about to spar or clinch and want the trunk and hips braced.

Clinch and sparring add pulling and collisions, so this version gives more time to glutes and trunk and adds bounds before the last shadow round.

Sparring warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jump RopeSeconds. 3 × 60 5 10 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10 5 0 s
Donkey KickPer side. 1 × 10–12 4 15 s
Side PlankSeconds per side. 1 × 20 4 15 s
Skater HopPer side. 2 × 5 3 20 s
Shadow BoxingSeconds. Sharp. 2 × 60 2 20 s
How to run it
Three rope rounds, the hip block, both activation drills plus side planks, then two shadow rounds with skater hops between.
How to progress
Same order every time. Shorten the rope if your gym runs its own group warm-up.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

At home before solo kicking

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You train alone at home with only floor space.

Without a rope, shadow boxing becomes the raise and the hip work does the rest. The side lifts get more sets because solo kicking needs open hips more than anything.

Home warm-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Shadow BoxingSeconds. Easy, bouncing. 2 × 60 5 15 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 2 × 10–12 5 0 s
Standing Side Leg RaisePer leg. 2 × 8–10 4 0 s
ClamshellPer side. 1 × 12 4 15 s
Shadow BoxingSeconds. With kicks. 2 × 60 3 20 s
How to run it
Two easy shadow rounds, two sets of the hip drills, clamshells, then two faster rounds with kicks.
How to progress
Add a round of kicks only when the session feels easy, rather than more warm-up time.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good Muay Thai warm up?

Jump rope, leg swings, standing side leg raises, cossack squats, clamshells, donkey kicks, side planks, then shadow boxing with kicks and a few skater hops.

How long should a Muay Thai warm up be?

About 15 minutes. Five of those are the rope.

Should I stretch before Muay Thai?

Use leg swings and side leg raises to open the hips before training, and keep long held stretches for afterward.

Why do Muay Thai fighters skip rope?

It warms the calves and ankles and trains the light, bouncing footwork you use in every round.

What muscles need warming up for kicks?

The hips, the glutes of the standing leg and the trunk. The hip and activation blocks above cover all three.