A short warm-up to do before lifting
By the Bodywise Coach teamLast updated 6 min readGeneral guidance for adults 18+
A short warm-up before lifting raises your heart rate, loosens your joints and prepares the muscles you're about to train. It does not need to be long or complicated. This guide gives a repeatable 6-8 minute routine to do before every weights session.
Before you start
This is general fitness and nutrition guidance for healthy adults aged 18 and over, not medical advice. Speak to a health professional first if you are pregnant or recently gave birth, recovering from surgery, injury or illness, taking medication, living with a heart, lung, metabolic or joint condition, or have a history of disordered eating.
The short answer
A good warm-up before lifting weights takes 6-8 minutes: start with 2-3 minutes of light cardio such as walking or cycling, follow with dynamic movements like leg swings, arm circles and bodyweight squats for 3-4 minutes, then do one or two light warm-up sets of your first exercise before your working weight. This raises your heart rate, prepares your joints, and rehearses the movement pattern.
- 2-3 minutes of light cardio to raise your heart rate
- 3-4 minutes of dynamic movements for the joints you'll use
- One or two light sets of your first exercise before working weight
- Total time: about 6-8 minutes
Why a short warm-up is worth the time
A brief warm-up raises your body temperature and heart rate, which makes your muscles and joints more prepared for load. It also gives you a chance to rehearse the movement pattern of your first exercise with a light weight, so your first working set is not the first time you've moved that way that day.
This does not need to take long. A focused 6-8 minutes covers the main benefits without cutting significantly into your session time, which is usually 40-55 minutes for a beginner full-body workout.
- Raises heart rate and body temperature before working sets
- Rehearses movement patterns with light load first
- Takes only 6-8 minutes out of your session
- Can be adjusted based on which exercises you're doing that day
A 6-8 minute warm-up before lifting
1. Light cardio (2-3 minutes)
Brisk walking, a stationary bike or a rowing machine at an easy pace.
2. Leg swings and arm circles (1-2 minutes)
10-12 leg swings each side, then 10-12 arm circles each direction.
3. Bodyweight squats (1 minute)
10-15 controlled bodyweight squats to open up the hips and knees.
4. Light warm-up sets (2 minutes)
One or two sets of your first exercise using roughly 40-60% of your working weight.
Adjust for the day's exercises
If your session starts with an upper-body push, spend more of the dynamic phase on shoulders and arms rather than legs, and vice versa.
Adjusting the warm-up to your session
| Session focus | Dynamic movements to prioritise |
|---|---|
| Legs (squat, leg press) | Leg swings, bodyweight squats, hip circles |
| Push (chest, shoulders) | Arm circles, shoulder rolls, light push-ups |
| Pull (back, biceps) | Band pull-aparts, arm swings, cat-cow stretch |
| Full body | A mix of leg swings, arm circles and bodyweight squats |
You don't need every movement in the table every session. Picking two or three relevant to your first exercise is enough to keep the whole warm-up within the 6-8 minute target.
Warm-up mistakes worth avoiding
Skipping the warm-up entirely and going straight to a heavy first set is the most common mistake, particularly when short on time. At the other end, spending 20 minutes stretching before lifting is unnecessary for most beginners and eats into time better spent on your working sets.
- Skipping the warm-up when short on time
- Doing long static stretches instead of dynamic movement
- Jumping straight to your heaviest weight without a lighter set first
- Using a warm-up unrelated to the exercises you're about to do
Making the warm-up a habit
The warm-up is most useful when it's done every session, not just when you remember. Treating it as the fixed first 6-8 minutes of your gym time, rather than an optional extra, makes it far more likely to happen consistently.
Consistency beats intensity here
A short, repeatable warm-up done every session is more useful than an elaborate one you only do occasionally.
For which machines to move onto after your warm-up, read machine guide.
For everything to check before your first session, see your first gym session, step by step.
Questions, answered
- How long should a warm-up be before lifting weights?
- Around 6 to 8 minutes is enough for most beginner sessions. This covers light cardio, a few dynamic movements, and one or two light warm-up sets of your first exercise, without cutting significantly into your training time.
- Should I stretch before or after lifting weights?
- Dynamic movements such as leg swings and arm circles are more useful before lifting, since they prepare joints for movement without reducing muscle power. Static stretching, holding a stretch for 20-30 seconds, is generally better saved for after your session.
- What is a dynamic warm-up?
- A dynamic warm-up uses moving stretches and light exercises, such as leg swings, arm circles and bodyweight squats, rather than holding a stretch still. It raises your heart rate and rehearses movement patterns you're about to use.
- Do I need to warm up if I'm only lifting light weights?
- A short warm-up is still worthwhile even with lighter weights, since it prepares your joints and raises your heart rate. It can be brief, perhaps 4-5 minutes, but skipping it entirely increases the chance your first set feels stiff or awkward.
- What should my warm-up sets look like before my main lift?
- One or two sets using roughly 40 to 60% of your planned working weight, for 5-8 reps, is a sensible approach. This rehearses the movement and prepares the muscle without adding fatigue before your working sets.
- Can a warm-up prevent injury during weight training?
- A warm-up helps prepare your muscles and joints for load and can make training feel more comfortable, but it cannot guarantee against injury. Using controlled technique and appropriate weights matters more overall, and you should speak to a health professional about any existing joint concerns.
Next steps
Where to go next, in the order that helps most.
0 of 3 read · next up: Machine guide.
- Step 1 of 4. Machine guide. Not read yet. Recommended next step. 8 min read.Machine guideThe core machines beginners should learn first, with setup steps for each.
- Step 2 of 4. Beginner gym workout plan. Not read yet. 9 min read.Beginner gym workout planThree full-body sessions a week with sets, reps, rest times and a four-week progression roadmap.
- Step 3 of 4. Your first gym session, step by step. Not read yet. 5 min read.Your first gym session, step by stepWhat to bring, where to start, how to use machines and the etiquette that makes day one feel easy.
- Step 4 of 4. Create your free Bodywise Coach account. Takes about 5 minutes.Get all of this built around you, freeBodywise Coach turns these principles into your programme, your starting weights, your energy and protein targets and a meal plan from foods you already eat.