Whether you’re working on your deadlift PR, getting ready for a jog, or training for (gasp!) your first pull-up, warm-ups are nonnegotiable. It doesn’t matter your fitness level or age either, says Tina Tang, CPT, creator of the WH+ Ultimate Pull-Up Plan. “I never skip a warm up, especially as I’ve gotten older,” Tang says in the video.
So, how should you warm up, exactly, when you’re chasing a pull-up goal? Tang has it down to a science in this tutorial. In the video, Tang demonstrates exactly how to do each warm-up exercise she includes in her comprehensive six-week pull-up strength training program. You will repeat this warm-up—which only takes about five minutes—before starting each workout during the program.
Meet your trainer: Tina Tang is a certified personal trainer and the owner of Iron Strong Fitness. She focuses on helping women 40 and over add strength training into their lives. Follow her on Instagram at @ironstrongfit.
Oh, and this warm-up is an effective precursor to *any* type of workout—bookmark it for after you complete the Ultimate Pull-Up Plan challenge and use it for life. Press play on the video below to get started.
WATCH NOW: How To Warm Up
The Warm-Up Breakdown
Tang’s pull-up program warm-up includes exercises like the scorpion stretch and bird dogs to warm up the shoulders, hips, core, and beyond. She also includes a power exercise, the medicine ball slam, to activate the central nervous system (CNS). The rapid, high-intensity action of slamming the ball requires coordination between your muscles, joints, and brain, signaling the CNS to “wake up” and get prepped for your workout.
Here’s how to perform each warm-up exercise, step by step.
Instructions: Move through each move in the order below. Repeat the entire warm-up circuit 2-3 times.
Time: 5-7 minutes | Equipment: light medicine ball (2 to 10 pounds) | Good for: full body
Scorpion Stretch
How to:
- Lie facedown on floor with arms extended out to sides, palms facing down.
- Lift right leg, bend the knee, and bring it across body toward left hand.
- As you rotate right leg over to the left, open torso to the right, while pushing left shoulder toward floor, to feel through right hip and left shoulder. Hold the stretch for 1-2 seconds.
- Return leg and torso to the starting position. That’s 1 rep. Do 10 reps per side.
Bird Dog
How to:
- Start on hands and knees with wrists directly under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Engage core and slowly extend right arm forward while simultaneously extending left leg straight back, keeping both parallel to floor.
- Hold for a moment, then return to starting position. That’s 1 rep. Repeat on the other side by extending opposite arm and leg. Do 7 reps per side.
World’s Greatest Stretch
How to:
- Start in a high plank and step right foot forward into a lunge, keeping left leg straight behind you.
- Place left hand on floor inside right foot, then twist torso to the right, reaching right arm toward ceiling. Hold the stretch for a moment, then bring right elbow down toward floor on the inside of right thigh to deepen the stretch.
- Extend right arm to ceiling once again. That’s 1 rep. Do 10 reps, then step back to plank and repeat on left side.
Half-Kneeling Windmill
How to:
- Start in a half-kneeling position with right leg forward and left knee on ground. Extend right arm to ceiling, keeping left arm at side.
- Keeping hips stable, rotate torso to the right while extending right arm upward and left arm downward, reaching left to the floor until left forearm is on floor (or as close as you can get it).
- Hold for a moment, then return, with control, to the starting position. That’s 1 rep. Do 7 reps per side.
Medicine Ball Slam
How to:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball with both hands. Raise the ball overhead, extending arms fully, and lifting to toes.
- Using your core, slam the ball forcefully into the floor in front of you, bending knees and hips as you do.
- Catch the ball on the bounce and reset. That’s 1 rep. Do 10 reps.
Jacqueline Andriakos, CPT, is the executive health and fitness director at Women’s Health, where she oversees all health and fitness content across WomensHealthMag.com and the print magazine. She has more than a decade of experience covering the wellness space and has edited ASME-nominated health features, spearheaded brand packages such as Fitness Awards, and represented the brand on the TODAY show, podcasts, and more. Before Women’s Health, Jacqueline was the deputy health features editor at Self.com, and previously worked as the senior editor at Health magazine. As a writer-reporter, she has contributed to print and online publications including TIME, Real Simple, and People, among others. A dancer throughout her youth, Jacqueline went on to study journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and stoked her passion for health and fitness during her college years, ultimately inspiring her to make women’s health content the focus of her media career. She is constantly researching the latest health and wellness trends, trying a buzzy new workout class, hiking and snowboarding, or browsing athleisure. Her friends would describe her as the confidant to turn to for fitness and wellness advice, not to mention answers to any weird body questions. Jacqueline is also a former group exercise instructor and is a certified personal trainer via the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
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