Tag: stretching exercises

How to Stretch as a Beginner (3 Routines to Try)
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Today, you’re going to learn how to stretch.

If your warm-up is the appetizer, and your strength-based workout is the main course, then a post-workout stretching routine is the dessert (sorry for making you think about Creme brulee).

In this guide, we’ll cover it all (click to get to those sections):

Now, if you’re stretching as part of a strength training routine, you might be interested in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program.

We don’t just focus on weight loss, but helping people level up their entire lives. That includes nutrition, mobility, goal setting, and even overcoming fears and becoming an actual superhero.

Okay, let’s get bendy like Gumby!

Beginner Full Body Stretching Routine Video
The Beginner Full Body Stretching Routine:

Reach above and fully extend your body.

Keep legs straight, bend forward and stretch for 10 seconds.

Stretch towards the left for 10 seconds, and then the right for 10 seconds.

With legs together bend forwards for 10 seconds.

Squat down and hug your knees to your chest.

Roll onto your back in the same position.

Kneel and lean back with arms extended and rock forwards stretching the lower back (repeat 3-5 times).

Sit with the bottoms of your feet together, lean forward and stretch (repeat 2 or 3 times).

You can do this routine both AFTER your strength training routine, and also on your off days. Do your best to stick with this routine regularly to get maximum benefits like increased mobility and flexibility!
Advanced Stretching Routine

This advanced stretching routine is a mix of yoga, stretching, tai-chi, pilates, and awesome.^[1]

Although I move quickly through the movements to keep the video short, don’t confuse my movements with bouncing. Stretch as far as you can, hold it for a few seconds without bouncing, and then repeat the process

Is Yoga Good for a post-workout stretch?

Yoga is awesome.

It can help improve flexibility, strength, and mindfulness.

Plus, if you’re looking for a stretching routine to cool down with after your training, yoga almost seems built for it. Oftentimes a yoga routine will end in corpse pose, the perfect posture after a hard training session.

Here is a FULL yoga routine you can do anywhere. It’s a great routine to follow on your non-training days:

Want more free videos and demos on yoga poses? You can click right here for “21 Yoga Poses for Beginners.”

Using a Foam Roller for post-workout stretches
Do you own a foam roller?

With that and a little floor space, you’ll have all you need for the perfect post-workout stretch.

Let’s show you how to do the following:

Thoracic Spine

Glutes (both sides)

Quads (one at a time)

Abductors

Here’s a video demonstrating the moves, plus a T-Rex (this is Nerd Fitness after all):
Want more tips on starting a foam roller practice? Click right here for our article “How to Use A Foam Roller.”

Should I stretch Before or After A Workout?

Let’s get the answer to this question right out of the way: “Should I Stretch BEFORE or AFTER My Workout?”

The science is pretty clear on this one: “Strech AFTER a Workout”

Here’s why:
1. This consolidation of studies didn’t find any benefits to stretching before a workout.
2. Static stretching will not result in the reduction of the chance of injury.
3. Static stretching can actually decrease your potential for strength gains and performance.
4. If you stretch after your workout, your muscles will be warm and less likely to suffer an injury.^[2]
Instead, you should be doing a dynamic warm-up before your workout (jump jacking, leg swings, arm circles).

Coach Staci covers such a warm-up in this video:

As this study shows, “a dynamic warm-up” can also help reduce soreness after a workout.

Okay, back to stretching.

Stretching AFTER a workout CAN be helpful, but perhaps not for the reason you’d expect!

Stretching hasn’t been proven to reduce soreness or improve one’s recovery time, but stretching CAN help improve flexibility.

This is super helpful if you have the flexibility and mobility of this robot:

So stretching after a workout allows you to work on flexibility and mobility without needing to worry about losing your strength (if you had stretched before your workout)!

And with improved flexibility comes improved performance in almost all areas of life (yup, even THAT).
- Also, as you get older, your flexibility and mobility start to go…making you FEEL older.
- If you can stay flexible, you’re more likely to stay happy and healthy for far longer.
- Staying flexible keeps you active, and staying active keeps you young.
If you are interested in improving your mobility, make sure you check out these two guides:
1. How to Touch Your Toes– which will walk you through 4 stretches to help you reach those little piggy wiggies.
2. Flexibility Practice for the Inflexible – which provides exercises and stretches to help even the most rigid of us to improve mobility.
One last point – even if you’re JUST going to do some stretching, it’s still a good idea to warm up first for about five minutes. Again, it could just be with some legs kicks and arm circles:

pARTING WORDS ON STRETCHING EXERCISES

What’s that? You want even more stretching recommendations?

Depending on how you’re feeling, where you’re sore, and so on – you can throw in some additional movements:

#1) The Ballet Stretch

#2) The Full Body Stretch:

#3) The Back Stretch:

No matter what training you’re doing, whether it’s with bodyweights, actual weights, or running, always make sure you take some time post-workout for some stretching exercises: you’ll be improving your flexibility which gets more important every day you get older!

Before I dip out, if you want Nerd Fitness to help you along with your fitness journey, here are three ways we can help:

#1) If you want a professional coach in your pocket, who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on your experience level, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program!

For example, let’s say you have an old injury and couldn’t perform one of our stretches. A Nerd Fitness Coach can work with you to create a customized routine for your exact situation.

Personally, I’ve been working with the same online coach since 2015 and it’s changed my life. You can learn more by clicking on the box below:

#2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Plus, you can take part in flexibility challenges alongside a group of nerds who are all trying to better themselves!

Try your free trial right here:

#3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out from home” guides.
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit

The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.

Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.

Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
Alright, your turn:

Do you have any favorite post-exercise stretches?

Any difficult areas you try and troubleshoot after your training?

What do you do to help with post-workout recovery?

Let us know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: With all this talk on post-workout stretching, did you remember to warm up before your workout? I got you!

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All photo citations: Decathlon, Amazing, 145, Batman, Nevada, Foam, Yoga.
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Steve Kamb

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October 3, 2023
15 Warm-Up Exercises (to Prevent Injury) | Nerd Fitness
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Today, you’re gonna learn the importance of warming up, and how to warm up with specific video routines…because I’m a nice person.

This is so critical for training safely that whenever we design a workout for our coaching clients, it always starts with a proper warm-up. So I’m excited to share these warm-up tips and tricks with you too.

In this guide we’ll cover the following (click to go to that section):

This stuff is so important because getting injured sucks.

And every single day I watch people wander into the gym, immediately lie down on a bench, and start cranking out their workout with a heavy weight within seconds.

This makes me weep for humanity.

These people are just WAITING to get injured. They’re essentially playing with dynamite (also not recommended).

So you’re reading the right article.

Also, if you’re interested in a program that tells you exactly how to warm up and work out, you may like our new app!

Nerd Fitness Journey will set you on an adventure that will tell you exactly when to workout, when to warm up, and when you should rest. No guesswork needed.

You can sign-up for a free trial right here:

Should I Stretch Before A Workout? No. Warm Up Instead

Above all else, the most important thing you can do when working out is to warm up properly.

Now, you might be saying to yourself, “Come on. Surely it’s not the MOST important thing…”

To which I’d reply: “First, don’t call me Shirley. Secondly, if you don’t have enough time to warm up, then you don’t have enough time to work out.”

Boom!

So WHY is it so important?

Think of your muscles like rubber bands.

If you spend all day sitting at a desk, hunched over a keyboard, those rubber bands have gone almost completely unused.

Then, if you go to a gym and immediately start lifting heavy weights or sprinting really fast, those cold, unstretched rubber bands get pulled apart very quickly and can get snapped or pulled out of shape.

#Fail.

So, what about just regular, static stretching before working out?

Nope.

As we point out in “Should you stretch before or after your workout?“:

“A consolidation of studies showed there aren’t many benefits to static stretching before workouts.

For starters, static stretching will not result in the reduction of the chance of injury.

Also, static stretching can actually decrease your potential for strength gains and performance.”

However, dynamic warm-ups – what you’ll learn in this article and what we focus on with our 1-on-1 coaching clients – are AWESOME for prepping you to get ready to strength train:

Think of it like a pregaming for your muscles – except replace “alcohol” with “awesome.” By jumping around and getting your muscles loose, active, warm, and ready for action, you are putting your muscles through their full range of motion and getting them ready to start handling heavier loads (strength training).

As pointed out in this study, “warming up” can also help reduce soreness after a workout.

On top of that, doing a dynamic warm-up can help activate your central nervous system, priming your muscles for a great workout that produces your best effort.

Add “improved blood circulation” to the list of benefits of warming up, which will help you perform well in each exercise.

Need another reason? When your body is properly warmed up, your muscles and joints are ready for maximum flexibility, which means you can perform each exercise with PROPER form (like deep barbell squats, for example) that maximize results and minimize the risk of injury.

So, whether you are running or strength training…a proper warm-up is probably the most important 5-10 minutes of your day.

Still with me?

Great. If you have been injured in the past, and you’re learning to warm up so you can stop stalling out on your progress, let us help!

We create custom workout solutions with nutritional guidance for busy people like you.

In other words, we help you get strong and eat better, every step of the way.

Beginner Dynamic Warm-Up Video And Exercises

The above video comes from Senior Coach Staci Ardison, whose success story is here (and she’s now a lead trainer in our NF Coaching Program)

Don’t overthink this: Your goal is to elevate your heart rate, put your muscles and joints through their range of motion to warm them up and make sure everything is functioning properly, and preparing your body to strength train!

This will get you prepped for a day of getting stronger.

If you read the above paragraph and thought: “Yes I am doing strength training, please tell me more Steve! More!”

Firstly, thanks for saying please – your mom taught you well.

Next: let us help get you strong, safely! We help busy people go from strength-training-newbie to strength training badasses.

Whether you’re doing bodyweight or new to weight training, we create a workout program and provide food guidance that’s specific to YOUR life.

3 Advanced Dynamic Warm-Ups And Videos
#1) Here is an Advanced Warm-up Circuit you can do anywhere:

Jump rope: 2-3 minutes (optional)

Jumping jacks: 50 reps(pull your shoulder blades back, extend arms and really focus on the movement)

Bodyweight Squats: 20 reps

Lunges: 5 reps each leg

Hip extensions: 10 reps

Hip rotations: 10 reps each leg (like you’re stepping over a fence)

Forward leg swings: 10 reps each leg.

Side leg swings: 10 reps each leg

Push-ups: 10-20 reps

Spider-man steps: 5 each leg
This particular warm-up might be more difficult than your actual workout, especially if you’re following something like The Beginner Bodyweight Workout.

Yes, there is a lot of work put on your hips, butt, legs, and core. As nerds/desk jockeys, these tend to be the muscles that are the tighest and least active, and thus most susceptible to an injury.

If your arms and chest are particularly tight or sore, you can throw two more movements as well:
- Arm swings (holding your arms straight out to the side, and then swing them and cross them in front of your chest)
- Shoulder rotations (holding your arms straight out to the side, and move your arms in a circular motion, making bigger circles each time)
Are you a runner?

#2) Check out our warm-up routine specifically designed for runners:

You can also check out our Beginner’s Guide to Running for more tips on how to run safely.

#3) Here’s another advanced dynamic warm-up which also covers a lot of Mobility:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psRf3k2wfII

When it comes time for your workout, if you are doing heavy strength training (with barbells or dumbbells), make sure you do some warm-up sets before jumping into the weight you’ll be training with for EACH EXERCISE.

Always start with a set using just the bar to work on your form and get your body used to the movement.

Then, do a few sets of just a few reps with increasing weight (but won’t tire you out) and THEN start your workout.

It’s something we bring up before every workout in Nerd Fitness Journey, our new habit-building app! If you want, you can test drive it right now for free!

15 Best Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises To Prevent Injury
These are our favorite quick warm-up exercises that can help you prevent an injury during your workout!

Marching in place while swinging your arms.

Jumping jacks

Walking jacks

Arm circles and shoulder shrugs.

Mountain Climbers

Swinging toe touches.

Leg swings (forward)

Leg swings (side to side).

Hip rotations (like stepping over a fence)

Hip circles (like you’re hula hooping)

Bodyweight squats.

Push-ups.

Lunges.

Hip extensions.

Get into the habit of doing these exercises before doing any workout. They’ll help keep you mobile and limber and injury free. If you’re not sure how to do any of these movements, watch the videos for them below.

1. MARCHING IN PLACE WHILE SWINGING ARMS

2. WALKING JACKS (If You Can’t Do Jumping Jacks)

3. JUMPING JACKS

4. ARM CIRCLES AND SHOULDER SHRUGS

5. MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

6. SWINGING TOE TOUCHES

7. LEG SWINGS (FORWARD)

7. LEG SWINGS (SIDE)

8. HIP ROTATIONS

9. HIP CIRCLES
10. BODYWEIGHT SQUATS

11: KNEE PUSH-UPS

12: REGULAR PUSH-UPS

13. SUPPORTED LUNGES

14. REGULAR LUNGES

15. HIP RAISES

These exercises are the PERFECT movements you should be doing before any strength training program.

Oh, what’s that? You’re new to strength training and not sure what you’re doing? No problem!

We help people exactly like you.

Well, not exactly. You’re a unique snowflake, your mom loves you, etc.

What I mean is we help people like you to start strength training.

We do form checks, create custom workouts based on your equipment and time commitment, and more.

To Answer Your First Few Questions…

“Steve, I can’t do jumping jacks/I live on the second floor.”

That’s okay – the reason I love jumping jacks is that they work out all four of your limbs at once and get you bouncing around.

Instead, channel your inner Chuck Norris and do punches and kicks with each leg. I don’t care if you can’t kick higher than your shins and your punch wouldn’t kill a fly…just get those limbs flailing and warmed up!

You could also just do “Walking Jacks.”

“Um, your warm-up is tougher than my actual workout!”

The dynamic warm-up above is designed for people who are doing serious training.

If you are doing heavy deadlifts and squats and overhead presses, a proper warm-up could keep you out of a career-ending injury.

However, if you are just getting started with exercise and you’re only doing bodyweight exercises, obviously 20 real push-ups during your workout isn’t possible…

THAT’S OKAY. Think of the above as the warm-up you aspire to complete. In the meantime, do the best you can. Let’s say:

Follow the rest of the routine as planned if possible.

In this routine, your warm-up will act as part of your workout, as you’ll be doing the same functional movements.

Do the BEST you can, keep track of your results for your warm-up too, and improve with each workout.

With enough consistency and persistency (not a word, but rhymed better and sounded way better than persistence), you’ll be busting out the full warm-up routine before kicking ass at your actual workout!

Don’t have a program to follow? Or tired of following a random plan online that’s not getting you results?

Check out our Online Coaching Program – we’ll take care of all the heavy lifting (except the actual “heavy lifting,” that’s your job).

Warm-Up Properly and Avoid Injury!

Hopefully, this is a post you bookmark, as it’s probably one of the more important ones I’ve ever written.

If you want to stay injury-free, put your body through a dynamic warm-up before you start your exercise.

If you are somebody that wants to follow a program that is tailor-made for their life and situation and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 Coaching program.

You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, answer any and all fitness questions you have, and program your workouts and nutrition for you.

What other questions can I answer for you about warming up properly?

I’m here to help!

-Steve

PS: Still here, but not sure what to do after your warm-up? Why not let our app tell you exactly what to do!

PPS: The companion post to this guide is “How to Stretch After a Workout.” Give it a read if you’re wondering about what post-workout routines you should try.

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All photo sources can be found right here.^[1]
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Steve Kamb

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January 12, 2023