The 15-minute warm-up
General education, not medical or physiotherapy advice. From VCS coaching.
Two ways to use it: the 15-minute routine before every session, and a menu of 24 drills to pull from when something feels stiff.
The routine (15 minutes)
Do it in order. No rest between drills.
| Step | Time | What |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Raise | 4 min | Bike, rower, incline walk or skipping. Easy, until you're warm and breathing a little harder. |
| 2. Move | 4 min | Cat-cow ×10 slow · World's greatest stretch ×5 a side · 90/90 hip switches ×8 a side |
| 3. Activate | 3 min | Dead bugs ×8 a side · Bird dog ×8 a side · Band pull-aparts ×20 |
| 4. Day add-on | 2 min | Pick your main lift (below). |
| 5. Barbell ramp | 2 min | Empty bar ×8–10 slow, then 3–5 sets up to your first work set, with fewer reps as it gets heavier. |
Day add-ons
| Day | Drills |
|---|---|
| Squat | Ankle rocks (knee to wall) ×10 a side · Banded lateral walks 10–15 steps each way |
| Bench | Thoracic mobilisation over a bench with a dowel ×8–10 · Serratus wall slides ×10 |
| Deadlift | Single-leg glute bridge ×10 a side · Straight-arm pulldown, light, ×15 (feel your lats switch on) |
Three rules
- Painful is different from tight. If it's pain, don't stretch through it.
- Short and consistent beats long and occasional. 15 minutes every session is worth more than an hour once a week.
- Never jump from the empty bar straight to a heavy set.
From VCS coaching.
How to use the drill menu
This is a menu, not a checklist. You're not doing all of it.
- Do general prep every session.
- Then pick 3–5 drills from the other sections, based on what you're training and what feels stiff.
- The whole warm-up should take 10–20 minutes. If it's taking 45, you're doing too much.
- 5–10 reps, or 30–45 seconds a side, is enough per drill.
- Mobility work means waking up a range, not stretching until it hurts. A stretch or mild discomfort is fine. Sharp, pinching, burning or spreading pain means stop.
- Keep holds short before heavy lifting. Save long holds (a minute or more) for after the session or rest days.
- If something hurts every session, a warm-up isn't the fix. See a physiotherapist or doctor.
The 24 drills
Each drill links to a free video demo, mostly from physiotherapist-run channels.
1. General prep (every session, about 5 minutes)
| # | Drill | Dose | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Easy cardio | 5 min | Warm and slightly out of breath, not tired. |
| 02 | Cat-cow | 10 slow | Moves the spine one section at a time before you load it. |
| 03 | World's greatest stretch | 5 a side | Hip flexors, inner thighs, hamstrings and upper back in one move. |
2. Lower body (squat and deadlift days). Pick 2–3. Start with whatever limits you most.
| # | Drill | Dose | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Ankle rocks / knee to wall | 10 a side | If you tip forward in the squat or your heels lift. Stiff ankles are one common limit on depth; hips, knees and your build matter too. |
| 05 | Hip opener | 8–10 a side | Both hips. |
| 06 | 90/90 hip switches | 8–10 a side | Rotation in and out at the hip. |
| 07 | Adductor rockbacks | 10 slow a side | Wide-stance squatters, or a tight inner thigh at the bottom. |
| 08 | Couch stretch | 30–45 s a side | If you sit all day. Squeeze the glute on the stretching side and keep your ribs down; don't arch your lower back for more range. |
| 09 | Pigeon stretch | 30–45 s a side | Glutes and deep hip muscles. Ease in; don't force it. |
3. Trunk and bracing (every session). Do at least one.
| # | Drill | Dose | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | McGill Big 3: curl-up, side plank, bird dog | Short holds of about 10 s, several reps | A well-known routine for trunk endurance. Quality over burn. |
| 11 | Dead bugs | 8 a side | Keep your ribs down and brace while your arms and legs move. Lower back stays on the floor. |
| 12 | Dead hang | 20–30 s | Good for grip and shoulders. Some people find a short hang feels good for the back, but it isn't a proven back treatment. Skip it if your shoulder is painful or unstable. |
4. Upper back (bench and press days). Do these before you bench. A stiff upper back makes a solid bench arch harder to hold.
| # | Drill | Dose | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Thoracic mobilisation over a bench with a dowel | 8–10 | Upper-back extension for your setup. |
| 14 | Lat and rear delt ball rolling | 60–90 s a side | With a lacrosse or massage ball, if your lats limit your overhead position or bench setup. |
| 15 | Serratus wall slides | 8–10 | Shoulder blades move with the arm instead of shrugging. Keep pressure into the wall. |
| 16 | Band pull-aparts | 15–20 | Cheap, quick upper-back warm-up before pressing. |
5. Shoulder extras (if pressing makes your shoulders feel cranky). Pick 2. Light, slow and controlled; never grind these.
| # | Drill | Dose | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Banded shoulder distraction | 30–45 s a side | |
| 18 | External rotation, cable or plate | 12–15 a side | Light. Elbow tucked. Slow on the way back. |
| 19 | Y-raises | 12–15 | Lower traps and serratus. If your neck is doing the work, go lighter. |
| 20 | Band face pulls | 15–20 | Pull to the forehead and rotate out at the end. Good between bench sets. |
If your shoulder hurts, rather than feels stiff, see a physiotherapist before adding drills.
6. Activation (wake up what you're about to use)
| # | Drill | Dose | Day | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Single-leg glute bridge | 10 a side | Squat, deadlift | Squeeze at the top, ribs down; don't arch to get higher. |
| 22 | Banded lateral walks / monster walks | 10–15 steps each way | Squat, deadlift | If your knees drift in on squats. Pair it with practising the squat itself: hip work alone isn't proven to fix it. |
| 23 | Straight-arm pulldown | 12–15, light | Deadlift, bench | A bracing drill, not a back exercise. Learn what "lats on" feels like, to keep the bar close on the pull and your upper back tight on the bench. |
| 24 | Pogo hops | 2–3 × 10 | Optional, squat and deadlift | Stiff ankles, quick ground contact. Some people feel more alert after a few light hops; the evidence for a strength boost is mixed. Skip it if a leg or foot is currently injured. |
7. Barbell ramp-up (always). The empty bar is part of the warm-up, not a formality.
- Empty bar ×8–10: slow, full range, exactly like your working technique.
- Then 3–5 sets up to your first work set, with fewer reps each time (for example 8, 5, 3, 2, 1).
- SpreadLift builds these sets for you on every first lift.
From VCS coaching.
If something feels off
General ideas for stiffness on the day. Not for pain: if it's sharp, pinching, burning, spreading, or the same every session, stop and see a professional. See also Red flags.
| If it feels like… | Try | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Lower back tight today | Cat-cow, McGill Big 3, dead bugs; straight-arm pulldown before you pull | For ordinary stiffness, staying active and building strength helps most people more than a deep back stretch. If pain spreads down a leg, or comes with any warning sign below, stop. |
| Shoulders cranky on bench | Thoracic mobilisation, serratus wall slides, band pull-aparts, face pulls | Keep pressing light, and get it checked if it's pain rather than stiffness. |
| Can't reach squat depth | Ankle rocks first, then 90/90 and adductor rockbacks | |
| Knees achy | Couch stretch, banded lateral walks and a proper barbell ramp | Pogo hops only once there's no pain. |
| Hips stuck or pinching at the bottom | Hip opener, 90/90, pigeon | If it pinches at the front of the hip crease, stop just before the pinch. |
Stop and see a doctor promptly if back pain comes with any of these. Go to A&E the same day for the first two.
- Numbness or tingling in the groin, buttocks or inner thighs
- New trouble controlling your bladder or bowels
- Leg weakness, numbness or pins and needles that keeps getting worse
- Fever, or feeling unwell, or weight loss you can't explain
- Constant pain at night that doesn't ease with rest or changing position
- A past history of cancer
- Pain that started after a fall, accident or other big knock
- Pain that keeps getting worse over days or weeks instead of settling
Other warning signs: Red flags.
What not to do
- Don't do 20 minutes of deep static stretching right before heavy squats or deadlifts.
- Don't foam roll or ball roll into real pain. Uncomfortable is fine; wincing isn't.
- Don't skip the empty bar and ramp sets to save time.
- Don't stretch a muscle that's freshly strained. Protect it for the first 1–3 days with no hard stretching, then bring back movement and load gradually as pain allows.
- Don't use a warm-up instead of a professional assessment. If pain shows up in the same spot every session, get it looked at.
From VCS coaching (Visser Coaching Systems).
About these pages
This is general education, not medical, physiotherapy or personal coaching advice. We are not your doctor or physiotherapist, and we don't diagnose or treat injuries. Each page summarises published research and health guidance in our own words, with the sources linked. Everyone is different, so use what fits and leave what doesn't. If something hurts, an ache isn't improving, or you notice anything on our Red flags page, stop and see a qualified professional, such as a doctor or a registered physiotherapist. How you use this content is your choice and your responsibility. Terms
Credits. Warm-up routines and drills: VCS coaching (Visser Coaching Systems). Research summaries: the sources listed on each page.