See the videos below for demonstrations of CrossFit warm up ideas from your favorite CrossFit athletes.

A warm-up is a critical aspect of any training program.

A 10-15 minute warm-up that causes you to break a light sweat, raise your heart rate, and deliver blood to the muscle fibers helps prepare the body for intensive work.

A dynamic warm-up is helpful for CrossFit, which often involves full-body exercises with heavy loads. Dynamic warm-ups simulate the movement of the forthcoming workout. For example, air squats are a dynamic warm-up for loaded squats.

Most CrossFit classes will start with mobility, cardio, and dynamic movement.

What are CrossFit classes like?

A CrossFit class has four components.

The Warm-Up

The warm-up prepares the class for the workout of the day (WOD). According to the NSCA, “A well-designed warm-up can mentally and physically prepare athletes for the demands of sports training and athletic events by increasing blood flow to active muscles, raising core body temperature, enhancing metabolic reactions, and improving joint range of motion.”

Instruction

Your CrossFit coach will cover the movements in the day’s workout. This instruction period should include a demonstration first. Then, the instructor should walk around and give the students feedback as they practice the movements.

WOD (Workout of the Day)

WOD is the term used to describe a CrossFit workout. You will complete CrossFit WODs for time or as many rounds as possible within a time cap. There are a few exceptions, but the majority will use time as a factor. Each WOD includes Rx and scaled versions for various fitness levels.

Cooldown

Not every CrossFit class does a cooldown, but they should. According to the NSCA, ” After training, a low-intensity cool-down session should be performed to facilitate a gradual transition from an exercise level to a resting state. A cool-down period is essential after a training session and should last approximately 5–10 minutes. This cool-down period is characterized as a way to transition the body to a state of relaxation after training and if done properly can optimize the process of recovery.”

6 CrossFit Warm Up Ideas from CrossFit Games Athletes

Now, let’s take a look at the warm-up routines from six of CrossFit’s top athletes. CrossFit athletes need to prepare themselves for challenging high-volume, high-tempo workouts. That’s why many spend a good amount of time priming their bodies with a full-body warm-up routine.

Josh Bridges

First up is CrossFit Games star and former Navy SEAL Josh Bridges.

Bridges’ warm-up routine includes nine steps. He focuses his warm-up on mobility and preparing the joints to reduce the risk of injury.

Roll Out

Bridges uses a roller to work his back and posterior chain. Foam rollers are an excellent, affordable option if your gym doesn’t have one available.

3 Minute Air Bike

An air bike is a great way to warm up the muscle groups of the upper and lower body at the same time. A stationary bike is a good option if you don’t have access to an air bike.

Couch Stretch

The couch stretch is an excellent addition to any warm-up routine. Spend 2-3 minutes in this position on each side. Flex and relax your glutes. This will increase mobility to the hips, quads, and hamstrings.

Banded Lunge

Wrap a band around a squat rack upright. Step through and anchor the band at your hip. Lunge forward with the banded leg. Hold the position so that you are resisting the pull of the band. Spend a few minutes on each side to loosen up your hip abductors. Then stand up, walk a few steps with the band still around your leg, and perform ten reps of good mornings. This helps warm up the lower back and hamstrings.

Voodoo Floss

Bridges then wraps one knee in Rouge Voodoo Floss. Perform a few reps of bodyweight squats holding the bottom position. After about 2 minutes, switch the wrap to the other knee.

Shoulder Cross-Overs

Swing your arms from side to side across your chest.

Banded Overhead Stretch

Hold a band in one hand, bending forward. Allow the band to pull the arm into the overhead position.

Banded Overhead Position

Wrap a band around the elbow in the overhead position. These stretches are a great way to prepare for overhead squats and presses.

Neck Stretch

Wrap a band over your head and rotate your neck from side to side.

Dynamic Stretching

Take a step and bring the knee you stepped forward with to your chest—alternate sides.

Lunge Twists

Take a step forward, dropping one knee to the ground. Twist your torso toward the wall behind you. Alternate each leg as you walk.

Toe Touches

Hinge at the waist, touching the floor with your fingers. Walk your hands out to a push-up position. Do a push-up.

Banded Shoulder Presses

Bridges does reps of 9 – 10 – 15 on each side.

From here, Bridges includes a few more minutes on the air bike. Then, he moves into his warm-up sets for a particular exercise.

Josh Bridges’ warm-up routine is an excellent option to prep the entire body.

Matt Chan

This warm-up from CrossFit Games athlete Matt Chan is perfect for classes or individuals. It’s simple but effective.

25 Jumping Jacks

The jumping jack is a great warm-up exercise because it works the entire body.

Chan then follows up with 25 forward-reaching jumping jacks. This variation of the jumping jack involves swinging the arms up overhead on the upswing. Then, allowing the arms to swing past the hips on the downswing.

Lunge Twists

Step forward into a lunge, bring the elbow to your ankle, stand up, and then twist your torso, pointing behind you. Do four of these on each side.

Single Leg Lateral Stretch

This movement will help loosen up the hamstrings and hips. With a wide stance, lunge to one side. Rotate the other foot onto the heel. Stand up and lunge to the other side. Complete four reps on each side.

Bent Over Lateral Arm Swings

This movement can help increase scapular mobility. Maintain a wide stance and hinge at the waist. Swing your arms over to one side. Use the momentum to raise them as high as possible. Switch to the other side. Complete ten reps on each side.

Toe Touches to Push-Ups

Place your palms on the ground with a wide stance. Walk your hands out to a push-up position. Do five push-ups. Complete five sets, reducing the number of push-ups (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) in each set.

Arm Circles

Extend your arms out to the side. Make small arm circles in one direction for ten rotations. Repeat for medium circles in the same direction, followed by large circles. Switch directions and repeat.

Shoulder Rotation

This is a great move to warm up the rotator cuff. Start with your arms extended to the side with your palms up. Roll one arm forward, keeping the other in place. Switch sides. Your arms should look like a rolling wave. Do five reps on each side.

Chan’s warm-up is a good, quick option. It uses basic movements to warm up but not exhaust the whole body.

Marcus Filly

This warm-up from CrossFit Games athlete Marcus Filly is an fantastic framework for designing an effective warm-up.

Crab Walk or Bear Crawl

Crawling movements challenge the whole body. Crawling a few feet in one direction and back is a full-body warm-up in itself.

Goblet Curtsey Squat

You can do the goblet curtsey squat with a kettlebell or dumbbell. Hold the weight at your chest and keep your spine neutral. Take a step backward with one leg behind the other leg. Squat.

Single Arm Kettlebell Plank with Isometric Hold

Filly recommends isometric holds to increase core body temperature. Isometric holds can also help develop the mind-muscle connection of a movement. Start in the high plank position. Row a kettlebell up to your rib cage on one side. Hold for 10-15 seconds, and repeat for three reps. Then, switch sides.

Time Under Tension Kneeling Kettlebell Shoulder Presses

Use controlled time under tension movements to prepare stability muscles for demanding work. Start by kneeling on the ground. Hold a kettlebell in one hand at chest level. Make a “J” shape as you rotate the kettlebell and press up. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position, then switch sides. Do three to four slow and controlled reps on each side with light to moderate weight.

Filly’s warm-up strategy is locomotion, unilateral, isometric, and time under tension. Try this framework to add some creativity to your warm-up.

Tia-Claire Toomey

This warm-up comes from CrossFit games champion Tia-Claire Toomey. This is a challenging warm-up for more advanced CrossFitters. 

Roller

Start with your back, lower back, and thoracic spine. Move down to your glutes, then your hamstrings. Flip over and focus on the quads.

Banded Holds

Tie a band to a squat rack. Face away from the rack, holding the band in one hand with your elbow by your ear. The position is like throwing a soccer ball or doing an overhead tricep extension. Hold it for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Handstand Shoulder Taps

Toomey uses dynamic movements after her mobility work. The handstand shoulder tap is an advanced exercise. Most CrossFitters will find this too challenging to include in a warm-up. But if you can do it, Toomey does 10-15 feet of handstand shoulder taps.

Single Leg Hip Thrusts

Use a box or bench to balance your upper body. Plant one foot on the ground and extend the opposite leg. Lower your butt to the ground. Drive up through the heel of your plated foot until you are parallel to the floor.

Back Extensions

Use a Roman chair or Glute Ham Developer (GHD) to perform back extensions. Don’t use any weight. Focus on lengthening the posterior chain in a slow and controlled movement.

Toomey’s warm-up incorporates several different movements that combine for a comprehensive warm-up.

Brooke Ence & Jake Hutton

This warm-up comes from CrossFit Games competitor Brooke Ence, and founder of Fitness Culture, Jake Hutton.

External Rotator Cuff Rotation

Sit on the ground with one foot planted and the other extended. Hold a light weight in one hand. Balance your arm, holding the weight on your knee. Lower the weight to your inner leg toward your calf. Bring it back to a 90 degree angle. Do three rounds of ten reps on each side.

Cuban Press

Hold a trainer barbell, PVC pipe, or pair of dumbbells at your waist. Perform an upright row, bringing the bar to your chest and raising your elbows. Rotate the bar so it’s parallel to the top of your head. Press up to full extension. Lower the bar to your head and reverse the movement. Complete 10-15 reps.

Trap Three

Lay face down on an incline bench. Hold a lightweight in each hand. Raise the weights as high as possible in a “Y” shape. Flex your triceps the entire time. You can also do this without any weights. Perform three sets of ten reps.

Landmine Bar Rotation

Use a landmine attachment to anchor the barbell. Hold the barbell out in front with arms extended. Tighten your core muscles and glutes. Keep the core stationary as you rotate the bar from one side to the other.

Plank

Hold a plank for 1 minute. Keep your core tight; don’t let your hips drop.

Bull Dog

Get down on all fours. Rotate one leg up, hold, then reverse the movement. This is called the bulldog movement because it resembles a dog hiking its leg to a fire hydrant. It’s a great exercise for warming up the hip flexor muscles. Perform ten reps on each side.

Banded Squats

Tie a band around a squat rack upright. Step into it and place it around knee level. Perform a deep squat. Your knees should drive outward and track outside your big toe. Perform ten reps.

Glute Bridge

Lay face up on the ground. Bring your heels toward your butt. Bridge up from the hips, squeezing the glutes at the top. Perform three sets of 10 reps.

The high rep ranges will provide a good warm-up for more advanced CrossFitters but may be too much for beginners. Ence and Hutton advise picking a few of these and performing three rounds of ten reps to reduce the time.

Cole Sager

CrossFit Games athlete Cole Sager gives his favorite warm-up exercises you can use in your routine.

Cardio

Sager advises starting with a cardio warm-up of your choice.

Banded Pull-Aparts

Hold a band out in front of your chest. Pull the band apart until your arms are perpendicular to your torso.

Banded Y’s

Stand with your feet on the band, pull up over your head, and make a “Y” shape with your arms.

Overhead Holds

Holding a resistance band, extend your arms overhead. You can hold the position while standing or work on the overhead squat movement from here.

Across the Body Holds

Hold your arm across your chest for 10 seconds. Then, switch sides.

Banded Walks

Sager starts work on his hip mobility with banded walks. Step into a band and place it around your knees. Drive your knees out and walk ten steps one way and ten steps back.

Gate Openers

Hold onto a squat rack for stability. Lift your knee to hip height, then rotate out to one side.

Hip Pilates

Lay on your side on the floor. Roll forward slightly and lift with your heel. This will engage your hamstrings and glutes as well as your hip flexors.

Couch Stretch

Place one foot in front and the other against a wall or elevated surface. Squeeze the glutes and release them to get deeper into the full range of motion.

Wrist Mobility

Point your fingers toward the ground, palm up. Gently pull the fingers of your right hand back toward your wrist using your left hand as you extend your arm. Hold for 10 seconds and switch sides.

Handstand Push-Ups and Hold

Lean up against a wall. Perform a handstand push-up, then hold yourself with arms extended for 30 seconds.

Overhead Press and Hold

Using a barbell, perform an overhead press. Hold the position with the barbell overhead for 30 seconds.

Weighted Wall Sits

Sit against a wall and drop down to the floor at the end range of motion. Sager holds a medicine ball in this position and sits for a few minutes.

Banded Overhead Position

Hold a band attached to a squat rack in one hand. Bend forward, allowing the band to pull the arm into the overhead position.

Bar Holds

Using a pull-up bar, hang at full extension. Move and hold your legs to one side for a few seconds, then switch sides. Then, hang from one hand for a few seconds, then switch sides.

Conclusion

A solid 10-15 minutes is all you need for a good CrossFit warm-up session. Focus on incorporating one movement for each area of the body. Include light cardio for 2-5 minutes. Feel free to pick and choose different exercises to best suit your needs. Your warm-up should prepare you for your workout. It shouldn’t be a challenging workout on its own.

Have an effective CrossFit warm-up of your own? Shoot me a message using the Contact link in the footer to let me know what it is so I can share it with the Outdoor Muscle audience.

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