Blog 2: Level Up Your Warm Ups
Part 2: The Perfect 10-Minute Warm-Up Routine
Alright, you read Part 1 and now you're convinced that warming up actually matters. Awesome! Now let's get to the good stuff: what should you actually DO?
I'm going to give you a 10-minute warm-up routine that works for almost ANY sport. Whether you play hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball, run track, or do any other sport—this routine will get you ready to dominate.
As your Oakville chiropractor who treats young athletes, I've tested this routine with hundreds of athletes. It works. It's fast. And it actually makes you perform better.
The Formula: How This Works
Your 10-minute warm-up has three parts:
Minutes 1-3: Wake Everything Up (Get Moving/Mobile)
Minutes 4-7: Activate Your Muscles (Turn Everything On)
Minutes 8-10: Prepare for Your Sport (Think Sport Specific)
Let's break down each section!
Minutes 1-3: Wake Everything Up
Goal: Increase heart rate, get blood flowing, raise body temperature
The Routine:
Light Jog or Skip (1 minute)
- Start easy—like 50% effort
- Just get moving and loosen up
- If you're inside, jog in place or around the gym
Arm Circles (30 seconds)
- 15 seconds forward circles (start small, get bigger)
- 15 seconds backward circles
- Keep them controlled and smooth
Leg Swings (1 minute)
- Hold onto a wall or teammate for balance
- Forward/back swings: 10-20 each leg
- Side-to-side swings: 10-20 each leg
- Let momentum help but stay controlled
High Knees (30 seconds)
- Drive your knees up toward your chest
- Use your arms
- Medium intensity—not a sprint yet!
Why This Works: You're literally warming up your body temperature and telling your brain "Hey, we're about to do athletic stuff!" Your heart starts pumping, blood starts flowing, and your muscles start waking up.
Minutes 4-7: Activate Your Muscles
Goal: Turn on the muscles you're about to use, improve mobility, get everything firing
Examples Of Activation Exercises:
Fire Hydrants:
- Start on all fours with your back flat (option to do it standing)
- Keeping your knee bent, raise one leg out to the side at a height that allows you to keep your pelvis and shoulders parallel to the floor.
- Return to the starting position
- 10-15 reps
- This helps activated your glutes!
Lateral Lunges (1 minute)
- Step to the side into a lunge
- Keep your other leg straight
- 10 total (5 each side)
- This wakes up your inner thighs and helps with side-to-side movement
Glute Bridges (1 minute)
- Lie on your back, feet flat on ground
- Push your hips up toward the ceiling
- Squeeze your glutes at the top
- 15-20 reps
- This is HUGE for injury prevention—wake up those glutes!
Why This Works: These exercises activate the muscles that often "turn off" or get lazy. Activating them BEFORE you play makes you faster, stronger, and way less likely to get injured.
Minutes 8-10: Prepare for Your Sport
Goal: Get sport-specific, increase intensity, prepare for game speed
The Routine (Pick Based on Your Sport):
For Running/Track Athletes:
- A-skips: 20 meters
- B-skips: 20 meters
- High knees (faster): 20 meters
- Butt kicks: 20 meters
- 2-3 gradual strides (50-75% speed)
For Court Sports (Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis):
- Defensive slides: 10 each direction
- Backpedal to sprint: 3 reps
- Jump squats: 10 reps
- Quick feet drill: 30 seconds
For Field Sports (Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey):
- Karaoke/grapevine: 20 meters each side
- Sprint to backpedal: 3 reps
- Lateral shuffles: 10 each direction
- Quick change of direction: 5 reps
For Hockey:
- Lateral bounds: 10 each side
- Single-leg balance holds: 20 seconds each leg
- Explosive starts: 3 reps (if on ice, easy stride progressions)
- Hip swings: 10 each direction
Why This Works: Now you're moving at speeds and in patterns similar to your sport. Your nervous system is fully activated, your muscles are warm, and you're mentally ready to compete.
The Complete 10-Minute Routine (At a Glance)
Minutes 1-3: The Wake Up
- Light jog/skip (1 min)
- Arm circles (30 sec)
- Leg swings (1 min)
- High knees (30 sec)
Minutes 4-7: Activate
- Fire Hydrants (1 min)
- Lateral lunges (1 min)
- Glute bridges (1 min)
Minutes 8-10: Sport-Specific
- Choose exercises based on your sport
- Gradually increase intensity
- End at about 75-80% effort
Pro Tips from My Oakville Clinic
Make It Social:
- Warm up with teammates—it's more fun and keeps you accountable
- Competition during warm-ups is okay (within reason!)
- Music makes everything better
Adjust for Weather:
- Cold weather? Add 2-3 minutes to the warm-up
- Hot weather? Make sure you're hydrated before starting
- Indoor vs. outdoor might need slight adjustments
Listen to Your Body:
- Feeling extra tight? Add more mobility work
- Coming back from injury? Go easier and longer
- Fresh and feeling good? You can still do the full warm-up!
Make It a Habit:
- Do this before EVERY practice, workout and game
- Even if you're just messing around, do a quick version
- Your body will start to expect it and respond better
Make It Yours:
- These are only examples - you can do different exercises that work for you that still stick to the format above
- Make it shorter or longer based on timing
What About Stretching?
"But Dr. Keirstyn, you didn't mention stretching!"
Here's the deal: Static stretching (holding stretches) when you're cold doesn't help and might actually make you weaker temporarily.
Do This Instead:
- Dynamic movements (which we just did!) instead of static stretching
- Save static stretching for AFTER practice or games
- If something feels really tight, do some gentle movement through that range of motion
- If you're consistently super tight, come see me—there might be an underlying issue!
The Mindset Shift
Remember: warming up isn't something you "have to" do—it's something you "GET to" do.
Professional athletes in every sport take their warm-ups seriously. They know it's the foundation for peak performance. You're not too good for a warm-up—you're too good to skip it!
Coming up in Part 3: Sport-specific warm-ups that give you an edge over your competition!
Need help creating a personalized warm-up routine for your sport? Dr. Keirstyn works with young athletes in Oakville to optimize their performance and prevent injuries. Let's chat or click here to book your appointment today!