Boost Your Workout With These Warmup Exercises

New Delhi: Warming up before a workout is one of the crucial things you should do. So here’s a list of warmup exercises that you can try before kicking your workout.

Warmup exercises

Squats

To do a squat:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and turn your toes to face forward or out to the side slightly.
2. Engage your core, keep your back straight, and slowly lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
3. Pause briefly with your knees over, but not beyond, your toes.
4. Exhale and stand back up.
5. Do 1 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Planks

To do a plank:

1. Get into a pushup position. If you’re a beginner, you can start by doing a plank on your knees. If you’re more advanced, you can try doing a plank on your forearms. If you’re somewhere in between, you can try doing a high plank with your arms fully extended.
2. Keep your palms and toes planted firmly on the ground. Keep your back straight and your core muscles tight. Don’t let your head or back sag downwards.
3. Hold your plank for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Side lunges

To do a side lunge:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Press into your right foot as you step your left foot over to the left.
3. From here, squat down while bending your left leg and keeping your right leg straight.
4. Pause briefly with your left knee over, but not beyond, your toes. Lift your hips and return your left foot to the starting position.
5. Perform a lunge to the right side. This is 1 rep.
6. Do 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

Pushups

To do a pushup:

1. Position yourself in a high plank position, at the top of a pushup, with your palms flat on the floor and hands shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders positioned over your hands. Your back should be flat and your feet should be together behind you. Keep your abs pulled in.
2. Slowly lower your body down toward the floor. Don’t let your torso or back sag. Your elbows may flare out during this movement.
3. Once your chest or chin almost touches the ground, press up and straighten your arms. Keep your elbows slightly bent to avoid hyperextension.
4. Do 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

Triceps warmup

This exercise involves several movements that can help loosen and warm up your triceps.

To do a triceps warmup:

1. Extend your arms out to the sides so they’re parallel to the floor, keeping your palms facing down.
2. Keep your arms straight and rotate them in backward circles.
3. After 20 to 30 seconds, rotate your arms in forward circles.
4. After 20 to 30 seconds, turn your palms to face forward and pulse your arms back and forth.
5. After 20 to 30 seconds, repeat the pulsing movement with your palms facing backwards, up, and down.
6. Do 1 to 3 sets of these movements.