Warming up your body before a workout can help you avoid injuries and get the most out of your workout. Try these 10 warm-up exercises before your next workout.

Bodyweight Squats

It helps warm up the glutes and hip flexor muscles, the quadriceps, abs, calves, and hamstrings. Bodyweight squats are an excellent warm-up if you plan to do any loaded squats during your workout. Since squats are a compound full-body movement, they help warm up multiple muscles at a time and get your central nervous system ready for work.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing straight ahead or slightly outward.

• Place your hands on your hips or in front of your body.

• Hinge your hips backward while bending your knees and keeping the weight on your heels.

Lower your hips toward the floor. Maintain a straight back.

• Continue lowering until you feel a stretch in your quadriceps. Pause and hold for a count of one before returning to the starting position by pushing through your heels and extending your hips.

• Repeat 10 times.

Wall Angels

Wall angels are a fantastic dynamic stretch for your spine, upper back muscles, and joints. This active stretching warm-up movement can also help relieve achy and tight neck muscles. Wall angels challenge your thoracic spine and shoulder mobility. This movement is perfect if your workout contains squats, overhead pressing, or other exercises that rely on your thoracic spine mobility.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Stand against a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and walk your feet out two or three steps. Keep a slight bend in your knees.

• With your core engaged, raise your hands next to your ears and place your shoulders and arms flat against the wall.

• Push your arms by sliding them up the wall above you while maintaining contact with the wall.

• Lower your arms down slowly and repeat the movement.

• Repeat for 10 repetitions.

Bird Dog

The bird dog exercise is excellent for warming up your abs and lower back. This movement will activate the core muscles that support your spine in preparation for your workout. Your glutes and hip flexors will also benefit from this movement.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Get onto all fours on the ground with your knees under your hips and wrists under your shoulders. Contract your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position, pulling your shoulder blades back and down towards your hips.

• Raise and lengthen your left leg until it is straight back and in line with your hips while raising and straightening your right arm at the same time until it is parallel with the floor. Your head and shoulders should be aligned and straight.

• Slowly lower your arm and leg to the starting position and switch sides.

• Repeat 10 times on each side.

Banded Row

Movements performed at the back of your body are sometimes hard to feel correctly. The mind-muscle connection is vital for results and proper form. Performing a banded row will help to activate your back muscles. Banded rows also warm up your shoulder joints and shoulder blades.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Place a resistance band under your feet and hold the handles in your hands. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointed slightly out.

• Keep a slight bend in your knees and bend forward at your hips. Keep your core engaged and your back flat.

• Pull the handles of the resistance band back, leading with your elbows and bringing your shoulder blades closer together. Feel the contraction in your upper back and hold for one count.

• Release slowly to the starting position.

• Repeat 10 times.