Cat-Cow
Spine
- Flex and extend the spine in time with your breath
Preparation
The ten-minute warm-up
Updated 29 August 2026
Not twenty minutes of stretching — a short sequence that raises your body temperature, wakes up the joints you are about to load, and rehearses the first lift before it gets heavy. This is the exact routine the app schedules before every session.
Before every session
- Light cardio — 5 minutes of brisk walking or cycling to raise your body temperature
- Cat-cow — 10 reps
- Arm circles and band pull-aparts — 15 reps each
- Bodyweight squats — 15 reps
- Ramp-up sets — 2 light sets of your first exercise at roughly 50% for 8 reps
The ramp-up sets are the part people skip and the part that matters most: they rehearse the exact movement pattern you are about to load, at weights that cannot hurt you. Cold first working sets are where most small injuries happen.
After the session
- Hamstring stretch — 45 seconds × 2
- Hip flexor stretch — 45 seconds each side
- Doorway chest stretch — 45 seconds
- Breathing — 2 minutes — 4 seconds in, 6 seconds out
This is where the long static holds belong — after training, muscles warm, nothing left to lift.
Mobility work in the programme
Scheduled on active-recovery days. Cues below; the full detail for each is in the exercise library.
Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
Hip Flexors
- Squeezing the glute deepens the stretch considerably
- Essential if you sit for most of the day
Thoracic Rotation
Upper Back
- 8 reps per side
Hamstring Stretch
Hamstrings
- Hold 30–45 seconds
- No bouncing
Band Shoulder Pass-Through
Shoulders
- Start with a wide grip and narrow it over time
- Move slowly
Common questions
How long should a warm-up take?
About ten minutes. Long enough to raise your body temperature and rehearse the movements you are about to load, short enough that it never becomes the reason you skip training.
Is static stretching before lifting a bad idea?
Long static holds before training can temporarily reduce strength slightly and do not reduce injury risk on their own. Before lifting, movement-based preparation works better; save the long holds for after the session, when they help you wind down and work on flexibility.
Do I need to warm up for every session, even short ones?
Yes — especially the short intense ones. The first working set on cold joints is where tweaks happen. If time is tight, shorten the cardio portion, never the ramp-up sets.
Related guides
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