A great warm-up is more than a cluster of movements, it’s a battery of exercises that’s designed specifically for one’s needs. Needs can be defined by many things, and we’ll dive into a few of those below. It’s tough to say if one warm-up is ever really better than others, but there are some warm-ups that will fair better for your body than others. That’s why it might be worth trying multiple warm-ups to find your perfect fit, or even pulling pieces from different ones and connecting them to build your ideal warm-up.
If you’re a powerlifter, you’ll more than likely have a set warm-up for each of your respective compound workouts. For example, you’ll have a different warm-up for your bench and squat focused days.
What Constitutes a Great Warm-Up
Squat warm-ups can be the toughest to build out for compound movements because of the variance between everyone’s daily needs and activities. As mentioned above, specific warm-up needs could include things like,
- Anthropometric Differences
- Imbalances Present
- Weaknesses In Certain Areas
- Environmental Differences (Cold Vs. Warm Settings)
On the constant quest to find the perfect squat warm-up, we had -72kg IPF Squat World Record holder Isabella von Weissenberg into the office to take us through one of her favorite squat warm-ups. Shout out to Nike HQ for allowing us to come in and film.
Isabella von Weisseinberg Squat Warm-Up
The warm-up in the video below includes a total of six movements and each movement is selected for a specific reason.
- Hip Swings Front/Back & Side: Open Hips & Work Mobility
- Weighted Goblet Squats: Focus On Lower Body Movement Patterns
- Plank: Stimulate Core Before Barbell Loading
- Side Plank + Leg Raise: Stimulate Obliques/Core & Work Coordination
- Barbell Front Squat: Open Lats & Work Squat Movement Pattern
- Barbell Back Squat (Unweighted): Prep the Body for Loading
Interested in seeing more? Follow Isabella von Weissenberg on Instagram, here!
Will this warm-up work for everyone? Yes and no. Weissenberg stressed that while this warm-up can be useful for many, it may not be the perfect fit for everyone getting ready for heavy squat workouts.
She’s found this movement battery tends to work well for her (some days her warm-up varies a bit more), and it’s definitely worth giving a try, especially if you’re trying to dial in your perfect leg day warm-up!
