Through research, practice and observation, I’ve weeded out the “junk” and highlighted the best of the best when it comes to basic bodyweight mobility exercises that also serve as perfect dynamic warmup exercises before your training sessions. Many of these focus on common weak spots like glutes, the posterior chain, locked up T-spines and tight groins (all things I commonly see). As you do these, focus on four main points:
1. “Perfect” form and technique – Ok, perfection is a tall order, so just do the best you can to focus on precision and attention to form. Don’t rush these. Do them well. Feel the movements, feel the muscle activation. Do not be sloppy, as that will compromise the quality of your workout ahead and put you at greater risk of injury or imbalance. If something is not jiving (i.e. you know you’re not doing it right or it doesn’t feel or look right), don’t give up! Rather, start “small” and grow from there. It’s better to do an exercise in good form even if you don’t go “all the way” (i.e. quarter squat instead of deep squat) rather than try to push your body to do something with crappy form; over time it will get better with the right form in place (this is important for establishing the proper muscle memory too; you don’t want to reinforce poor movement patterns or imbalances). Also, choose exercises that mimic movement patterns and use muscles in the workout that follows.
2. Address weak spots – It’s also advised to choose exercises that highlight your weak spots to further guard against injury and ultimately turn those weaknesses into strengths. We need to push our bodies to do the things it currently isn’t able to do! And this takes time and discipline. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my movement practice it’s patience. You may have a muscle that just won’t activate or an area that is just super locked up, but if you are GENTLE with your body and persistent, you can change this to your favor! I used to not even feel the muscles in my T-spine because everything was so jacked up (meanwhile upper traps were always turned on and hurt like hell), but with time I worked it out. Now the T-spine muscles fire like old pros, and upper traps don’t dominate, which all in all enhances my workouts and quality of life, while keeping me from injury. I know we sometimes shy away from the ones that are “hardest,” but usually we need those the most.
3. Full-body focus – Choose a handful of exercises that target all body parts: shoulders, chest, back, core/hips, legs, ankles, feet, full body, and of course multi-joint movements and working in different planes of motion. You may only need 5 exercises at a time, that’s fine! Don’t feel like you need to tackle it all.
4. Don’t forget to breathe – simple but you’d be surprised how much we end up holding our breath which actually ruins the effectiveness of a lot of these. So focus on your breath!
The exercises with an asterisk (*) are my personal faves and a good place to start. I advise using this list to build our 3-5 different movement routines that you can rotate through regularly. Choose 1-5 exercises at a time and complete 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps or go by time, 10-60 seconds. Don’t try to do them all at once—instead give quality focused attention to just 3-5 movements at a time, which is always better than trying to make your way through this whole list in less than 10 minutes.
These of course can be used for a dynamic warmup (DWU) before a workout or on their own for your functional strength practice that focuses on the two biggies: mobility and stability using just bodyweight for the most part!
If you need further guidance on execution, please leave a comment and we’ll discuss!
A-Z Dynamic Warmups (DWU)
Balancing Stick*
This one is my jam! A full-body that focuses on a ton of common weaknesses we tend to have including hip/core strength and mobility. This one requires good hip extension and opening up the shoulders, and it also gets the HR up. (Several of my favorite yoga poses sprinkled in here because they’re legit; see a visual here!)
Bands
Resistance band exercises are ideal for warmups (and travel friendly) including: pull-aparts (hands prone or supine), external rotation of the shoulder, reverse fly, lateral band walk in squat position, serving trays, lat pull downs, pushing/press exercises, prayer circles, stretch cord “swimming”, core rotations/twist, chops, etc.
Bear Crawls
This is super dynamic and pretty darn fun too. Get on all fours staying on your toes (not on your knees), and simply crawl forward, keeping butt low. The bear crawl tests your coordination of movement as you move forward with alternating limbs—can you keep the pattern going? Most importantly: Keep your butt low—no stink bugs! See a short demo video here.
Bird Dog Series*
Several variations, do them all in a sequence!
- Basic Bird Dog – Get on all fours, knees down at a 90-degree angle and back parallel to the ground. Knees under hips; wrists under shoulders. Activate core for stability during movement by pushing belly button to the spine (keep core and hips “still” by minimizing excessive lateral side-to-side swaying). Lift opposite limbs (i.e. right arm and left leg) and stretch each limb out as if someone is pulling fingers and toes away from your body. Come back to start position and repeat other limbs (i.e. left arm and right leg). When raised, arm and leg should be parallel to floor with back flat and core engaged!
- Bird Dogs With Hip Extension – Get ready to say, “Hello glutes and hamstrings!” On all fours again like regular bird dog. But this time hands stay planted, and you only lift one leg at a time keeping knee bent at 90-degree angle through full movement. Keep hips still.
- Bird Dog with T-Spine Rotation – In the basic BD position, put your R hand on the back of your head. Keep neck neutral and twist from T-spine so that the elbow of the R hand reaches to the ceiling. It’s important that the movement comes from the T-spine not the neck and upper back muscles. Repeat other side. If you can’t get the elbow all the way pointing to the sky, that’s fine, work on what your body can do with proper form and activation! (I struggled with this one for a long time when T-spine was locked up and my R side is still my trouble side).
Bridges
While the basic bridge is fine, here are two variations I like better:
- Single Leg (SL) – Lie on back with one knee bent and foot planted on the ground, and the other leg fully stretched out and “turned off.” Place arms down on mat to each side of hips, palms against floor. Raise body by activating hamstring/glut/leg of bent leg (i.e. extended hip of bent leg), keeping the other leg/hip straight and hip in line. Return to original position. Repeat and continue with opposite sides. KEY: Make sure hips stay parallel; do not let one side droop down.
- Bride With Reach* – As you come up in bridge position also reach one arm up and over the body and touch the floor on the opposite side of that arm. Wow!
Calf Raises 1
Instead of the traditional calf raise, try this! Get on all fours (the same position as the bear crawl above), stay in one place, and simply alternate bending each knee so it points toward the ground and this will dynamically stretch and activate the calf—while also working core, shoulder stabilization and more! The faster you go, the more of a cardio warmup it is too!
Calf Raises 2 (aka Hops)
Honestly, I think hops—single leg or both legs—are ideal for calf activation and also way more dynamic than simply lifting your heels as you do in the traditional calf raise. Sub with a jump rope, I know sometimes it feels more “legit” to be swinging a rope rather than just hopping and the rope adds a next-level coordination component.
Couchless Couch Stretch*
Get in a half-kneel position facing a wall, with toes of the kneeling knee touching the wall. On the down-knee side, pick up your ankle with you hand from the inside. Then slowly bend lean toward the wall and the other knee will get to the wall aka toe line. Move back slowly to start position, repeat and both sides for several reps.
Dowel Exercises*
These are pretty much mandatory if you’re working out with me! Use a broom or any long stick if you don’t have plain dowel:
- Shoulder/chest openers – Grip pole wider than shoulder width, starting with bar above the head, elbows locked the whole time. Rotate arms forward to front side, stopping when it touches belly. Lift the dowel back up overhead and now rotate it to your backside, opening up chest and keeping straight arms; don’t worry you won’t “break” nor do you have to be a contortionist. Repeat the motion. The wider the grip, the easier it is.
- Helicopters – Place pole behind neck and drape arms over bar so you’re in a T shape. Bend at hips and twist at core, keeping head and hips positioned straight ahead and not moving (only twist at core). One arm/side comes up to 12 o’ clock while the other side is down at 6 o’ clock. Repeat in nonstop continuous motion.
- Standing spine rotation – Hinge at hips, legs straight. Rotate one arm to 12 o clock other arm 6 o’ clock, rotate, repeat. Back stays flat.
- Good Mornings – Place pole behind neck and drape arms over so you’re in a T shape. Hinge at hips keeping legs straight and back flat, and pop back up into upright position.
- Overhead Lunge – Bar raised over head, shoulders/arms back. In this position do forward and/or reverse lunge. Maintain strong core activation and don’t “fall” forward at torso.
- Lat stretch – Place dowel on ground, sticking straight up like a flag pole. Place hands on top pole, step back and straighten arms while bending at hits. Lean R/L getting good stretch in back and lats especially!
- Other – You can also do balancing stick with the dowel placed on C7 (same position when you a back squat), or overhead walking lunges.
Downward Dog Series*
Get in traditional downward dog position (hands knees on ground, butt raised so body forms triangle with ground). Also, in your down dog position this is an ideal time to activate T-spine (mid-back) muscles like traps and rhomboids, as well as rear delt, and open the shoulders. No rounding when doing this at all, you are to form a perfect triangle.
- Leg Lift / Hip Extension – In the down dog position, lift one leg at a time toward the ceiling and point toes. In this same position you can also go back and forth from dorsiflexion to plantarflexion to wake up calves, hammys and back of legs.
- DD Pushup – Next, starting in classic down dog position, lower butt and body down into a plank position then do a pushup, chest to the ground! You can try a tricep pushup by keeping elbows glued to your sides, and lower slowly. Finish off with a cobra if you want by lowering legs and hips to the ground, lifting chest, arching back and pushing shoulders away from the neck. Come back up and into down dog, and repeat starting with the leg lift.
Figure Fours
Lay on back. Put left foot over right thigh by bending left knee outward. Stretch arms out to sides, using as “anchors” and lift up butt/lower back. Should feel the burn in front hips and lower abs. Repeat other side.
Full Locust*
Another yoga-inspired one. Lay on ground, prone, i.e. face down with arms out at sides like an airplane, fingers pointing away from the body. “Glue” your legs, feet and toes together so they make just one “tail.” Now the work: Lift head, chest, arms, legs and feet (everything except your tummy lifts up), and be sure to keep legs glued down to the toes. This is hardcore activation for all muscles in posterior chain. Example here.
Groiners
Get in pushup position, arms extended, shoulders over hands, feet behind you about shoulder width apart and on your toes. Then thrust right leg forward so the R foot plants at the outside of your R hand, and the R knee should be bent at about 90 degrees so that it’s not plunging in front of the toe. Hold it for a brief 3 count, breathe, feeling a good stretch in groin area. Repeat left side. This is a slow, easy movement. You can also do some small knee circles with the forward bent knee.
Groiners With Hip Lift and Overhead Reach*
Gosh I love this one. So say you are in a deep groiner position with R knee forward, L leg extended behind. From here, lift your L arm and slowly rotate your body so that the L hand points toward the sky. Meanwhile, with the R arm, make sure to hold the R knee in place and keep it from caving inwards. Repeat on the other side and definitely make sure to move slowly and mindfully on this one!
Hip Flexion + SL Stability
Stand on R leg and lock that knee (side note: locking the knee when asked to do so helps further activate glute and hammy). Bring the L leg up so your thigh is parallel or higher than that (into hip flexion). Use your own strength to hold up that L leg. Finish with a knee hug on the L leg. This is also also a great stability exercise. Repeat other side.
Hacky Sacks
Super dynamic and great for running and opening hips/adductors (muscles in groin area, which are commonly injured due to being overly tight and lacking mobility). In a standing position, raise knee so upper thigh is parallel to ground, turn knee outward and away from body, and tap foot to opposite hand. Repeat other side. Focus on balance and stability when on one leg. Hacky sack optional 😉 Video demo here.
Half-Moon Pose Series (Bikram Style)*
We all need some half-moon pose action like every. single. day. It’s baically the antithesis of sitting huunched over at your desk. Ii do the bikram half-moon series, check it out here.
Half-Tortoise Pose
Another great yoga pose that focuses on fixing tight shoulders and T spine and alleviating low-back pain by activating and opening up these areas and using those muscles in the scapula and T-spine to do so, while also leveraging the ground to increase the stretch. It’s like child’s pose but oh-so different and way more active; hands are in a prayer position and as you bend over press your pinkies into the ground, drop forehead to the ground, keep shoulders behind the ear, and open up the shoulders so that you feel as if your armpits are fully open and exposed. See a video demo here.
Lateral Walk (Band Optional)
A classic, and a real butt and thigh burner if you’re doing it right, i.e. staying low!! Get in a quarter- or half-squat position, butt back, knees behind toes, feet pointing forward (no duck walk), and a strong weight emphasis on heels NOT the toes. Take small lateral side steps by leading with the knee, not the foot. The key is small steps to get proper glute activation! Maintain as deep as squat position as possible and hold it; and keep butt back and torso upright (as if sitting in chair). Complete on both sides.
- Lunge Variation – Use resistance band to make it harder. Small band above the knees, or use larger band which you place under feet and hold up with arms.
Leg Circles
Lay on back and stretch both legs up into sky. Rotate in circles both clockwise and counterclockwise. Harder version: hold legs about 2-3 feet from floor and do circles, keeping back flat on ground and core activated. Stretch arms out to side for additional support.
Lunge Matrix
Lunges are money for a warmup routine and with all these options if can really get your body warmed up in a balanced manner. These are my favorite lunges variations, often done in sequence for a “matrix”:
- Original – Stand with feet together and thrust one leg/foot forward while lowering body by flexing knee and hip of front leg until knee of rear leg is almost in contact with floor. Plant forward foot on firmly on ground. Return to original standing position by forcibly extending hip and knee of forward leg. Repeat other side.
- Reverse – Stand with feet together and thrust one leg/foot backward while keeping your weight/balance centered on the front leg. Goal is to maintain stability in front leg; do not place weight on rear leg. Lower body by flexing knee and hip of front leg until knee of rear leg almost contacts floor. Toes and heels always in line and forward facing as best you can. Do NOT step side to side/laterally. Return to original standing position by thrusting rear leg back to front—think running motion. Repeat other side. I actually prefer reverse lunges for endurance athletes!
- With A Twist – Twist over forward knee while in deep lunge position; aids in opening up hip flexors.
- Deep With Hip Mobility – Go into a deep lunge, so deep that hands are touching ground and rear leg fully extended. Make small circles in the front hip to loosen up. Repeat opposite side.
- Walking – Lunge forward. Emphasize push off of leading leg. Go slowly and keep hands either above head (hard version) or on hips (slightly easier). Repeat other side. Hold a straight line and step in front, not to the side. Do NOT let front knee cave in ever!
Mountain Climbers
Like a groiner, except feet stay under torso between hands, and movement is repetitive to get HR up.
Planks & Side Planks
In pushup position with flat back and tight core, arms bent at 90 degrees with elbow-to-hand portion planted on ground. Toes on ground. Hold. Move to side plank by rotating one side of the body toward ceiling and supporting the body on one leg and one arm only (optional: add rotation to side plank). Repeat other side. Hold each position for 30-60 seconds instead of 10 reps.
Scap Pushups
I don’t really use this as a warmup anymore, but more so for an assessment so it’s still included here. The scap pushup will tell us a lot about the health of your scapulas, or if you having a “scapular winging” issue, and also your ability to use serratus anterior (not pecs) to do the movement. As you do the scap pushups, your scapula should glide over the rib cage and stay relatively flat and formed to the body—they should not point toward the sky; you don’t want to “pitch a tent” on your back. To execute: Get in pushup position with arms locked (no bend in elbows). Dip only at the shoulders keeping elbows locked, and no slump in the back. It’s very important to keep back/core/torso flat and straight as a board—no “donkey slouching” nor rounding or hunching position! See a demo here.
Serving Trays
Sounds odd, but basically you grab a *light* resistance band, stand upright, elbows and side and forearms sticking straight ahead (like you’re holding a serving try), hold the bend at opposite ends with palms facing up (arms are parallel in the start position). Next pull out slightly to the sides (hans away from body) but keeping elbows “glued” to your sides. This enacts external rotation that activates rear shoulders, scapula and mid-back muscles. Be careful to not let upper traps and neck take over, and do not arch your back—stay neutral.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift (aka SLRDL or Inverted Hamstring)
Remember that the Romanian DL means maintaining a straight leg. Stand on R foot, hinge at hips, bending torso and pushing butt back. R leg stays planted with weight evenly distributed on foot (don’t come up on toes nor fall back on heels). Knee stays straight and locked out (no bend). The other leg (L) raises behind you coming parallel to ground and forming T with torso—try to get that rear leg as high up as possible for glute/hamstring activation. Also point toes of rear elevated leg. Repeat other side. Watch for stability in planted leg and minimize lateral swaying of knee.
- Variation 1 – Add light weight for warmup purposes if you can do this 100% correctly without weight.
- Variation 2 – Bend knee of planted foot for a “traditional” deadlift that gets more quad activation.
Single-Leg Squats
Doing this assisted with a TRX is fine, but make sure you’re still doing the work (especially posteriorly speaking) and not just hanging on to TRX for dear life. Start with one foot planted on the ground (toes froward) and the other leg extended forward off the ground. Keep the leg that’s squatting as stable as possible with minimal lateral movement in knee area, and also DO NOT excessively shift weight (i.e. hips) over the planted leg. You should lower body down as if sitting in chair—do not “fall forward” and do not cave in on the down side but instead emphasize weight on heel and stable hips. The TRX should help you to go lower, but not be a crutch if you’re lacking the ability to execute the basics. If you must, start with a shallow quarter squat working just on form. It’s better to get the movement pattern down before trying to go super deep. Repeat other side.
Squats
Gotta love squats. I have several variations that I advise:
- Air Squats – Nail this before moving on! From standing position with feet shoulder width apart pointing straight out ahead or slightly pointed outward, squat down as if sitting in chair, keeping weight emphasis on heels not toes. KEY: Keep knees behind toe line. Butt should be back and slightly elevated, with torso upright and slightly forward to maximize glute activation. We don’t want quad dominance in this, we want GLUTE dominance! Thrust up by activating glutes and hamstrings; open hips at finish.
- Deep Squats With “Knee Push” – Take a wider leg stance with toes pointed slightly outward. Squat down as if sitting in chair. Keep knees facing out and do not let them “bow” inward. Keep flat back, perpendicular to ground. Drop elbows to inside of knees (back still flat) and push knees out! Stretches groin; puts knees in good alignment for glute firing.
- Split Squats – Stay in one place, not moving forward or laterally. Squat down by flexing knee and hip of front leg. Allow heel of rear foot to rise up while knee of rear leg bends slightly until it almost makes contact with floor. Return to original standing position by extending hip and knee of forward leg. Repeat. Continue with opposite leg. Keep both feet facing forward, keep back perpendicular to ground, and make sure knee is behind the toe line on front leg. Go down as far as body will allow.
- Bulgarian Split Squats* – Great for hip extension, which we all need! Stand in split squat and elevate rear foot on anything from a curb to a bench (higher you can get foot elevated, the better, but on’t force it if you can’t keep form). Squat down with the rear leg elevated and in hip extension. Cues: 1) The rear elevated foot should stay flat on the elevated surface (i.e. plantarflexed) with toes and heels in line with the rest of the leg (if the ankle is tight the foot will want to tweak R or L, don’t allow this); 2) the knee of front foot must stay behind the toeline and cannot cave inward; 3) chest stays up; 4) shoulders stay back and torso remains perpendicular to floor (if hips tight torso will want to come forward, don’t let this happen).
- Overhead Squats – Lift arms overhead, elbows locked and squat down – back, shoulders, arms form a straight line. Lower legs and torso should be parallel, hands are behind knees, and so on. Oh the OH squat!
Spiderman Crawl
Pushup position (toes, hands firmly on ground) and step R foot up toward R hand while simultaneously extending L hand (opposite side) forward. Repeat other side. Lower down pushup style on each rep. Stay lower to ground entire time, and do NOT let butt raise up in air! There aren’t stink bugs 😉 They are more aggressive than bear crawls.
Stability Ball Exercises
Like with the dowel, there are many easy movements you can do with stability ball. Any time you make the surface “lass stable” you increase the functional aspect in an particular core and stability muscle activation for more benefit! The following series can be entirely its own workout, or used as a more “intense” warmup, this is something I’d do before heavy lifting or a hard strength circuit for example.
- Back extensions – chest on ball, gently elevate back and arms extended out like and airplane. Pinch scaps. Release all tension in neck.
- Reverse extensions – chest on ball, hands on ground, lift legs with strong glute/hamstring activation; point toes.
- Bridges – single and/or double leg.
- Hamstring curls – in bridge position, pull feet/heels toward body, contracting hamstrings.
- Plank variations – zig zags, saws, circles, hands to elbows, etc.
- Knee tucks – Prone with toes on ball and hands on the ground; tuck the ball toward the chest by bending the knees.
Standing Bow Pose*
This is one of those poses that is part of your lifelong practice, so get used to making it part of the routine! I love trying to get better and better at this pose and break through personal barriers. While the improvements may be minuscule, they are improvements and it feels amazing when you nail something you couldn’t do yesterday. I also think this one can tell us a lot about your strengths and weaknesses as an athlete, especially a runner with things like hip extension. So, start today and see where you’re at and keep it going regularly! For a demo, watch a pro here (this girl is legit, so don’t feel bad if you don’t look like this haha).
Supermans
Lay on stomach (prone) with arms stretched straight out ahead and legs stretched out behind. Lift arms up toward ceiling, causing muscles on backside from head to toe to contract. Variation: single limb at a time; i.e. lift R arm & L leg; lift L arm & R leg; repeating fast.
Triangle Pose*
So dynamic and quite frankly a great way to wake your mind and body up, and get that HR to increase nicely! This guy does a good job laying it out here.
Wall Angels*
This is an example of something that I simply could not do whatsoever about 5 years ago, and now I think I have it down pretty well; it just took time to work out the tightness and imbalances I incurred for so long. To execute: Stand against wall in quarter squat position. Press low back against wall if you can. Stretch arms out to sides palms facing out and elbows bent 90 degrees; the back of your arms and hands touch the wall. Slide arms up above head; same movement as making show angel. Keep back against wall and don’t let arms/hands come off wall. If you’re extremely tight your back will arch and hands/elbows will not be able to stick against wall; that is ok. Just work on improving!!!
Windshield Wipers
Lie on floor head facing up. Bend hips and knees each at 90-degree angle (position as if you were sitting in a chair, except you’re lying on your back). Twist at hips and drop knees/legs from side to side; each touch of the ground counts as 1 rep. Turn head opposite direction from the side that knees/legs are touching the ground. Shoulders/back stay planted on ground.
Ws, Ys, Ts, Is
If you have poor shoulder mobility and T-spine is locked up, these may not feel like they’re doing much. But over time you’ll feel the difference (just like with wall angels) and even though they are kinda like the “ho hum” physical therapy exercises, I think more endurance athletes can benefit. Perform these movements with the arms and as implied, your arm makes the shape of the letter. Each opens up chest and helps shoulder/scapula stabilization. Subtle but powerful. Use bands for the next level. but bands, or not, this exercise is not about trying to get a heavier and heavier load, it’s about waking up the smaller stabilizing muscles so you always want to keep the resistance light.