How to Warm Up Before a Workout
General information: This article is general information about training and warming up and how an app works. It has not been reviewed by a dietitian, doctor or qualified trainer, and it is not a substitute for their advice.
Many people skip the warm-up because time is short, or spend ten minutes holding stretches they saw online. This page checks what two reviews of the research report about warming up and stretching, then gives a short routine that needs no equipment.
The short answer
Yes: warming up improved performance in most outcomes studied, so a short warm-up before you train is a sensible default. A systematic review with meta-analysis (Fradkin et al., 2010) of 32 high-quality studies found that warming up improved performance in 79% of the outcomes examined, and found little evidence that warming up is detrimental. Keep it active: a second review, below, found long static holds before exercise were linked to a small drop in performance straight afterwards.
What the research says
- Warming up helps performance. The systematic review with meta-analysis (Fradkin et al., 2010) counted performance improvements after an adequate warm-up in 79% of the criteria examined. Its authors also say few well-conducted randomised controlled trials exist and more are needed.
- Dynamic beats long static holds, for performance right after. A systematic review of stretching (Behm et al., 2016) of healthy active people found testing straight after stretching changed performance by -3.7% for static stretching (it also reports a 2.2% benefit at longer muscle lengths), +1.3% for dynamic stretching and -4.4% for PNF stretching. Static holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle group were linked to a larger drop (-4.6%) than holds under 60 seconds (-1.1%).
- Follow stretching with movement. The same review reports that when stretching was followed by dynamic activity, no clear performance effect was seen, and that dynamic stretching gave small to moderate improvements when done within minutes of physical activity.
- Injury evidence is limited. The review found no clear effect of static or PNF stretching on all-cause or overuse injuries, and no data for dynamic stretching.
These reviews cover healthy adults and group averages, mostly measured as performance immediately after a warm-up, so they do not tell you what will happen to you or whether a warm-up protects against injury.
A 5-minute routine (our practical template)
The routine below is our own reading of those reviews, not a trial result.
| Minutes | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Easy movement to get warm: march in place, brisk walk, or step side to side. |
| 2 to 4 | Dynamic moves for the day's muscles: arm circles, hip circles, leg swings, slow bodyweight squats. |
| 4 to 5 | For the first lift, do one or two lighter sets before your working weight, as in the beginner gym plan. |
Keep static holds short before lifting, or do them after the session. The beginner home workout plan and the no-equipment programs guide both include a short warm-up, and the recovery guide covers the days between sessions.
When to see a doctor or trainer first
If you have an injury, pain, a joint problem or a medical condition, are pregnant, or have not exercised for a long time, ask your doctor or a qualified trainer before you start, and do not stretch into pain. Stop and get advice if you feel chest pain, dizziness or sharp pain.
Warming up with NYUS
NYUS is an AI diet and workout coach. On the workout screen each exercise shows what you did last time ("Last: ...") and the current target, and you can log each set, use the rest timer, see your personal bests and swap an exercise in your plan. The exercise library has 1,300+ exercises with demos. This routine is our own and is not built into your NYUS plan; an AI-written plan may add a short warm-up note on the first exercise.
Log your session in NYUS
See what you did last time on each exercise and log your sets. An AI diet and workout coach built around Indian food. 30-day free trial, then ₹499/month, no card needed to start. No ads, no data sold.
Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
Do I need to warm up before a workout?
A systematic review with meta-analysis of 32 high-quality studies found warming up improved performance in 79% of the outcomes examined and found little evidence that it is detrimental. The authors note few well-conducted randomised trials exist.
How long should a warm-up be?
The reviews do not give one number. Our practical reading is about 5 minutes for a beginner session: easy movement, a few dynamic moves, then a lighter first set.
Is stretching before a workout bad?
Not necessarily, but a review found static holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle group were linked to a larger drop in performance immediately afterwards (-4.6%) than holds under 60 seconds (-1.1%), and that adding dynamic activity afterwards left no clear performance effect. It also found no clear effect of static stretching on injuries.
Do I need a warm-up for a home workout?
Our practical reading is yes: the same short routine works with no equipment. Beginner home workout plans on this site also start with a short warm-up.
Sources (read 23 October 2026)
- Fradkin, Zazryn and Smoliga, Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis (J Strength Cond Res 2010) (abstract; DOI 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0, PubMed 19996770, read 23 Oct 2026): 32 studies of high quality (PEDro 6.5-9, mean 7.6), warm-up improved performance in 79% of the criteria examined, little evidence that warming up is detrimental, few well-conducted randomised controlled trials.
- Behm, Blazevich, Kay and McHugh, Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review (Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2016) (abstract; DOI 10.1139/apnm-2015-0235, PubMed 26642915, read 23 Oct 2026): static -3.7%, dynamic +1.3%, PNF -4.4% immediately after; 60 s or more per muscle group -4.6% vs under 60 s -1.1% for static stretching; no clear effect when dynamic activity followed; dynamic stretching small to moderate improvement within minutes of activity; static and PNF no clear effect on all-cause or overuse injuries, no data for dynamic.
- The 5-minute routine and the practical rules are NYUS's own reading, not from a trial. App behaviour as described in our beginner gym plan post.