Your New Favorite Warm Up!

Summary

This script offers a comprehensive warm-up routine designed to awaken the entire body and prepare it for a workout. It incorporates elements from Chinese martial arts and focuses on increasing circulation and heart rate. The routine includes facial massage, neck rotations, chest rubbing, arm movements, and leg exercises, culminating in a series of eye exercises to enhance awareness and readiness for the workout ahead.

Takeaways

• 🕒 The warm-up should last between 3 to 7 minutes to effectively prepare the body for the workout.
• 🧘 The warm-up includes a variety of movements and techniques inspired by Chinese martial arts, with neurologic benefits.
• 🦷 The warm-up starts uniquely with teeth clicking, suggesting 9 or 10 repetitions to activate the body.
• 👀 It involves facial exercises including eye circles and face washing with light pressure to increase blood flow to the head.
• 🤲 The script emphasizes light scalp massage and hair combing to stimulate circulation on the head.
• 👂 Ear massage is included to enhance blood flow, focusing on the earlobe and top areas with circular motions.
• 💆‍♂️ Specific neck exercises are recommended to relieve tension in areas that often become sore.
• 🔁 A swallowing motion is mimicked from the chin to the throat to further engage the neck muscles.
• 🤲 Chest and shoulder rubbing is part of the warm-up to increase circulation in the upper body.
• 💪 Arm exercises include rubbing from shoulder to fingertips and back, ensuring full arm engagement.
• 🍗 The warm-up extends to the legs with a squatting motion that increases heart rate and internal heat.
• 👣 Foot massage is included, focusing on the pad of the foot and searching for tight spots to apply light pressure.
• 🦶 Balance can be aided by holding onto objects during exercises if needed for stability.
• 🏃‍♂️ Arm swings are part of the warm-up routine, acting as an internal massage for the back and rib area.
• 🔄 The 'cross crawl' movement involves coordinated arm and leg movements to enhance body awareness.
• 👁️ Eye exercises conclude the warm-up, focusing on large circles to improve eye flexibility and awareness.
• 💪 The warm-up is designed to increase body awareness, heart rate, and breathing, preparing the body for further exercises.

Q & A

What is the recommended duration for a good warm-up according to the script?

A good warm-up should take somewhere between 3 and 7 minutes.

What is the primary goal of the warm-up routine described in the script?

The primary goal is to warm up and wake up the entire body, increasing circulation, heart rate, and getting the participant slightly sweaty to prepare for the rest of the workout.

Why does the script suggest starting the warm-up with teeth clicking?

Starting with teeth clicking is part of the unique warm-up routine from Z-Health that has neurologic implications, aiming to wake up the entire body.

What is the significance of the face washing and circular movements in the warm-up routine?

The face washing and circular movements are meant to increase blood flow to the face and head, which is part of the overall goal of waking up the entire body.

How many repetitions are suggested for the scalp combing motion in the warm-up?

The script suggests doing about 8 to 10 repetitions for the scalp combing motion.

What is the purpose of the earlobe and top of the ear massage in the warm-up routine?

The earlobe and top of the ear massage is intended to increase blood flow into the face and head, contributing to the overall warm-up effect.

What specific areas does the script mention to focus on for neck rotations during the warm-up?

The script mentions focusing on two specific spots that often get sore, doing light rotations in each direction for 8 to 10 reps.

How does the script describe the throat warm-up exercise?

The throat warm-up involves mimicking a swallowing action starting at the chin and moving down to the throat, with 8 to 10 repetitions.

What is the importance of the arm rubbing motion in the warm-up routine?

The arm rubbing motion is meant to increase circulation and awareness in the arms, ensuring that the participant rubs from the shoulder to the fingertips and back.

How does the script suggest warming up the legs and feet?

The script suggests a squatting motion with hands running down the back of the legs and rotating around the inside of the legs as one stands up, followed by a light massage on the bottom of the foot, focusing on sore or tight spots.

What is the final exercise in the warm-up routine, and what is its purpose?

The final exercise is eye movement, where the participant focuses on their thumb or index finger and creates large circles, aiming for 3 to 5 repetitions in each direction to enhance eye flexibility and awareness.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Comprehensive Warm-Up Routine

The script outlines a detailed warm-up routine that lasts 3 to 7 minutes, designed to awaken the entire body and prepare it for a workout. It includes a mix of Chinese martial arts-inspired movements and neurological exercises. The process starts with teeth clicking, followed by facial massage techniques, scalp combing, ear massage, and neck rotations. It continues with throat and chest rubbing, arm circulation movements, and rib and abdominal massage. The warm-up concludes with back and kidney rotations, navel circling, leg exercises involving squats and leg massages, and finally, a series of arm swings and cross crawl movements to increase heart rate and internal heat. The goal is to improve circulation, raise heart rate, and induce slight sweating to ready the body for further exercise.

05:00

🧘‍♀️ Advanced Warm-Up Techniques for Body Awareness

This paragraph continues the warm-up routine with a focus on body awareness and internal heat generation. It starts with leg exercises that include squatting motions and hand rotations around the legs, aiming for 8 to 10 repetitions. The script then instructs a foot massage to find and alleviate tight spots, emphasizing balance and caution for those with stability issues. Following this, participants are guided to perform arm swings to stimulate internal massage and increase circulation. The session wraps up with the 'cross crawl' movement to enhance body coordination and a brief eye exercise to improve focus and eye flexibility. The warm-up is meant to elevate breathing and heart rate, leaving the individual feeling more aware and prepared for subsequent activities.

Keywords

💡Warm up

A warm up is the initial phase of any exercise routine designed to prepare the body for more intense activities. It typically involves light exercises to increase circulation and heart rate. In the video's context, the warm up includes a variety of movements and techniques to awaken the entire body, such as clicking teeth, face washing, and arm swings, aiming to get the participant slightly sweaty and ready for the workout.

💡Circulation

Circulation refers to the process by which blood flows through the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs. The video emphasizes the importance of increasing circulation during the warm up phase to ensure that the body is well-prepared for the workout, as seen in the instructions for face and scalp massages which are meant to stimulate blood flow to the face and head.

💡Heart rate

Heart rate is the number of times a heart beats per minute and is a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness. The script mentions increasing heart rate slightly during the warm up as a way to transition the body into a more active state. This is achieved through various movements that get the blood pumping and prepare the individual for more intense exercise.

💡Neurologic implications

Neurologic implications relate to the effects or consequences on the nervous system. The video mentions that the warm up has neurologic implications, suggesting that the movements are not only physical but also have a neurological benefit, potentially improving brain-body coordination and awareness, as seen in the cross crawl exercise which involves crossing the mid-line of the body with limbs.

💡Chinese martial arts

Chinese martial arts are a variety of fighting styles that have been developed in China over thousands of years. The script references incorporating elements from Chinese martial arts into the warm up, indicating that these exercises draw from a rich cultural tradition and may include movements that are both physically and mentally stimulating, such as the initial teeth clicking and facial movements.

💡Massaging

Massaging is the act of manipulating muscles and other soft tissues in the body to improve circulation, relieve tension, and promote relaxation. The video script includes several massaging techniques, such as face washing and earlobe massage, which are used to stimulate blood flow and prepare the body for the workout.

💡Repetitive movements

Repetitive movements are exercises performed multiple times to achieve a specific fitness goal. The script instructs the viewer to perform a set number of repetitions for each warm up movement, such as 9 or 10 circles around the eyes or 8 to 10 reps for the throat swallowing action, emphasizing the importance of repetition in building body awareness and readiness for exercise.

💡Internal heat

Internal heat refers to the body's natural increase in temperature during physical activity, which can help to improve flexibility and prepare muscles for work. The script mentions increasing internal heat as a goal of the warm up, particularly through movements like the squatting motion with hand rotations, which is designed to raise the body temperature and prepare for more intense activity.

💡Body awareness

Body awareness is the conscious knowledge of where one's body is in space and what it is doing. The video script frequently mentions becoming more aware of different body parts, such as feeling the legs during the squatting motion or the feet during the bottom-of-foot massage, indicating that the warm up is designed to enhance the individual's connection with their body.

💡Breathing

Breathing is the process of taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide, which is crucial for exercise. The script reminds the viewer to breathe during the warm up exercises, such as exhaling during the squat and inhaling as they come back up, highlighting the importance of proper breathing technique in warming up and preparing the body for physical activity.

💡Cross crawl

Cross crawl is a movement pattern where the opposite arm and leg move in unison, such as the right arm crossing to the left knee. The script describes this as a warm up exercise to improve coordination and body awareness, with the goal of crossing the mid-line of the body, which can be beneficial for brain function and overall physical preparedness.

Highlights

Warm up should take 3-7 minutes to wake up the entire body.

Use Chinese martial arts for a unique warm up with neurologic benefits.

Start warm up with teeth clicking for 9-10 reps.

Do light facial massage around eyes and entire face for 9-10 circles.

Claw shape fingers to comb hair from scalp to back of head, 8-10 reps.

Massage ears with light circular motions to increase blood flow.

Perform light rotations on sore neck spots 8-10 reps each direction.

Mimic swallowing action from chin to throat for 8-10 reps.

Rub chest and shoulder area with light motion, switch sides.

Rub arms from shoulder to fingertips and back, ensuring full range.

Perform small circular motions on ribs and abdomen with both hands.

Use back of hands to rotate around kidney area for internal massage.

Circle navel area below umbilicus in both directions.

Perform squat and leg rotation motion to increase heart rate.

Massage bottom of feet with thumb, focusing on tight spots.

Do arm swings for internal massage, starting with 20 reps.

Practice cross crawl movement to improve body awareness.

Finish warm up with eye stretching, making large circles 3-5 times each direction.

Transcripts

We’re going to jump right into the warm up.

Now, a good warm up should take somewhere between 3 and 7 minutes.

As we do this, we’re basically going to try to warm up, or wake up, your entire body.

We’re going to be working on the skin, doing some light massage, doing some big movements.

We want to increase your circulation, increase your heart rate a little bit, and hopefully

get you sweating just a tiny bit by the end so you’re ready to move into the rest of

the workout.

Now for our warm ups, we do things a little bit differently, just like everything else

at Z-Health.

We’re going to do some stuff from Chinese martial arts, and this is a really, really

cool warm up that has a lot of neurologic implications that we can talk about some other

time.

The goal here is to basically work on and wake up your entire body, so we’re actually

going to start with your teeth.

I’m going to have you take 9 or 10 repetitions.

I just want you to click your teeth together.

Next, we’re going to go into some face washing, basically.

We’re going to start around your eyes, you’re going to use your fingers, and you want to

do some light pressure.

Keep your eyes closed, and you want to do 9 or 10 circles.

Now you can clockwise or counterclockwise, I don’t get really picky about that.

After the eyes, we’re going to go to the whole face.

So use your entire palm and do some light circles all over the skin of the face.

Next, you’re going to make some claw shapes with you fingers, you’re going to start

at your scalp, and you’re going to work toward the back of your head.

Basically, combing your hair, or in my case, what little you have left.

Maybe 8, 9, 10 reps.

From here, we’re going to go to your ears.

You’re actually going to do a little massage starting at the lobe of your ear, working

up around the top, just a little bit of light circular massage.

At this point, you should be getting a lot of blood flow into your face and head.

Now, I’m going to turn around, I want you to see this.

You’re going to take 2 fingers, you’re going to come to these spots that often get

quite sore, and we want to do some light rotations right here.

Once again, 8 to 10 reps each direction.

We’re then going to go directly between those 2 spots and do the same thing.

Just giving your neck a little bit of attention as you begin the warm up.

Now from here, we’re going to move to the throat.

I’m going to demonstrate this first.

Goal here is to mimic a swallowing action starting at the chin, moving down to the throat.

Again, 8 to 10 reps.

From there, we’re going to go to our chest.

Take one hand, reach across, and this is just a light rubbing motion over your pec muscles

and over your front of your shoulder.

We’re going to do that, and then we’re going to switch to the opposite side and do

the same thing again.

You can cover as little or as much ground here as you want.

There’s a lot of room around the shoulder that you can work in.

From there, we’re going to move to our arms.

Take your left arm, rotate it so the palm is facing up, start at your shoulder, rub

down all the way to the fingertips.

Make sure that you get all the way down to your fingers.

A lot of people will stop at the wrist.

Once you’ve completed your reps here, turn the arm over, start at the fingers and rub

back up towards the shoulder.

You want to stay relaxed, especially the rubbing hand.

Make sure it’s loose so that it contours to the rest of the body.

Then we’re going to do the same thing on the opposite side.

Start with the palm up, start at the shoulder, rub down to the fingers.

Don’t forget to breathe as you do this.

Now most people, by this time, are starting to get a little bit warm.

Flip the hand over, start at the fingers, up to the shoulder.

For me, every time I do this warm up, I tend to start getting a little bit of sweat going,

actually, right about now.

You may see me shiny on the camera.

From here, we’re going to go to our ribs.

Take both hands, put them on your ribs, basically underneath your arms, and you’re going to

be doing some small circles here.

Try and stay nice and tall as you do this.

If you have shoulder flexibility issues, you can actually reach across and do it this way

too.

You just want to make sure that you’re hitting both sides.

From there, we’re going to follow the shape of the ribs.

Put your hands on your lower ribs, come up towards where they’re going to meet in the

middle, and then down around your abdomen.

It’s this big, circular motion using both hands on both sides of the abdomen.

Now, once we’re completed this, we’re going to turn and go to our back for a minute.

We’re going to take and use the back of our hands, we’re going to put our knuckles

around where your kidneys would be, and you’re going to do some light rotations there.

If you have good shoulder flexibility, you can make that a bigger circle, reaching up

nice and high.

You can also go a little bit lower, down in the sacrum and tailbone region.

All right, shake out any tension that’s built up from there.

We have a couple more to do, just in the abdomen.

We’re going to find your navel, or umbilicus, and you’re going to come just below that

and do some circles in each direction.

Now this is just a small, light amount of circling.

In the Chinese martial arts, they’ll tell you that you need to do about 36 repetitions

in each direction.

Now, I don’t, as I said, get hung up on the reps or the numbers, but you can do circles

in each direction.

All right.

Now once you’ve done that, we’re now ready to go to our legs.

I’m going to tell you what I’m going to do, and then I’m going to show it to you.

This includes a little bit of a squatting motion, and this one will get your heart rate

up a little bit, it will also start to increase your internal heat a little bit.

Once again, if you’re not sweating yet, you may start to after this one.

The goal here is we’re going to run our hands down the back of our legs as we squat

down, then we’re going to rotate our hands around the inside of the legs as we come up.

Again, 8 to 10 reps, all the way down to the feet, and then back up.

Now as you’re doing this, once again, you’re trying to become more aware of your body,

making sure that you can feel your legs, your upper legs, your lower legs.

You might want to exhale as you go down, inhale as you come back up.

You’re going to finish your repetitions, and then we’re going to go to your feet.

Now for this one, if you need to sit down you can do that.

If you need to hold on, you can also do that.

The goal here is to do some light massage on the bottom of the foot.

From here, you’re going to focus on a little spot in the pad of the foot.

I like to use my thumb, and just do a small amount of pressure.

Once again, in some of the more tradition systems, they’ll say 81 circles in this

spot.

I don’t think you need to do that.

You can feel around in the bottom of the foot for sore or tight spots, just give a little

bit of light pressure as you circle.

From there, we’ll go to the opposite foot.

Repeat the same thing.

As I mentioned before, if you have any kind of balance problems, hold onto a chair, a

stool, wall, whatever you can find.

As I said, work through the bottom of the foot, making sure you find anything that feels

a little bit tight.

Now from here, come back up to standing.

Bounce for a second, relax, get nice and tall.

Now I’m going to have you put your hands on your lower ribs, now I want you to take

a couple breaths in and out.

Catch your breath for just a second.

Now what we’re going to do is some arm swings.

I’m going to have you widen your stance, and we’re going to let our arms move nice

and in a relaxed fashion, as we rotate our upper and lower body at the same time.

If you can hear this, my hands are lightly tapping both my back and my ribs.

It’s just a little bit of shock.

This is a really nice internal massage practice.

It feels really, really good.

I start almost all my own training sessions with this movement, following the warm up

we just did.

Depending on how tight I’m feeling, particularly through my back and my legs, I may do anywhere

from 20, just 20 repetitions of this, all the way up to 2 or 3 minutes.

I’m going to let you choose, as you go through, but I want you to aim for a minimum of 20

rotations.

Once you finish that up, come back to standing.

Now from here, we’re going to do a little movement called a ‘cross crawl.’

You’re going to hold your hands up, you’re going to work with your right arm and your

left leg.

You’re going to reach across the body with your right elbow to your left knee, and then

do the opposite.

We’re going to shoot, again, for about 20 repetitions.

The goal here is to make sure that your upper body, particularly, is crossing the mid-line

as you do this little marching motion.

As you finish this, come back to standing.

Again, relax, breathe out.

Then we’re going to finish up the warm up by working on our eyes, briefly.

I’m going to have you take your arm out to arm’s length.

Keep your head still.

Focus on your thumb or index finger with your eyes, and then you’re going to create some

large circles.

Now, as you can see, I tend to switch my hands in the middle of the circle.

The goal here is 3 to 5 repetitions in each direction.

If this feels awkward to switch the hands, you can just do a smaller circle, but bring

the finger closer.

By bringing the finger closer, you can just use one hand and you can still get a nice

stretching effect for the eyes.

3 to 5 repetitions each direction.

That’s the warm up.

You should be feeling pretty good, be much more aware of your whole body, including your

head, your throat, your shoulders, arms, legs, feet.

Everything.

Breathing should be up a little bit.

Heart rate should be up a little bit.

This is going to get you in great shape to move on to the band work.