How to warm up before a workout properly matters more once the weather turns — colder mornings mean colder muscles, and skipping or rushing a warm-up in autumn carries a noticeably higher injury risk than doing the same thing in the middle of summer.
The good news is that an effective warm-up doesn’t need to be complicated or take up half your session. Here are five easy, NHS-backed warm-up moves, how long to spend on each, and why they matter more as the temperature drops.
Why Warming Up Matters More in Autumn
Cold muscles are stiffer and less elastic than warm ones, which is part of why cold-weather workouts carry a higher risk of strains and pulls if you skip the warm-up. As indoor and outdoor temperatures both drop through September and October, your body simply starts from a lower baseline than it did in July, and needs a little more time to get moving properly before any demanding exercise.
None of this means autumn workouts are more dangerous overall — it just means how to warm up before a workout matters slightly more this time of year than it did a few months ago, and it’s worth treating the warm-up as a non-negotiable part of the session rather than an optional extra.
How to Warm Up Before a Workout: 5 Easy Moves
This routine, based on official NHS guidance, takes around 6 minutes total and works as the default answer to how to warm up before a workout, whether it’s strength training, cardio, or a home bodyweight circuit.
1. Marching in Place (3 minutes)
March forwards and backwards on the spot, pumping your arms up and down in rhythm with your steps. This is the longest single move in the routine and does most of the work of gradually raising your heart rate.
2. Heel Digs (60 seconds)
Alternate striking your heels out in front of you while punching your arms forward in rhythm — aim for around 60 repetitions across the minute. This starts engaging your lower legs and improves ankle mobility before anything more demanding.
3. Knee Lifts (30 seconds)
Bring alternate knees up to touch the opposite hand, aiming for around 30 lifts across the 30 seconds. This move raises your heart rate further while starting to engage your core and hip flexors.
4. Shoulder Rolls (2 sets of 10)
Roll your shoulders forward for one set of 10, then backward for a second set of 10, ideally while continuing to march on the spot. This loosens the upper body ahead of any workout involving your arms or back.
5. Knee Bends (10 repetitions)
Perform 10 gentle squats, lowering no more than around 10cm — this isn’t a strength exercise at this stage, just a way to prepare your knees and hips for the range of motion your main workout will need.
Here’s the full routine at a glance:
| Move | Duration/Reps | What It Prepares |
|---|---|---|
| Marching in place | 3 minutes | Heart rate, general circulation |
| Heel digs | 60 reps / 60 seconds | Lower legs, ankle mobility |
| Knee lifts | 30 reps / 30 seconds | Core, hip flexors |
| Shoulder rolls | 2 sets of 10 | Upper body, shoulders |
| Knee bends | 10 reps | Knees, hips, range of motion |
How Long Should a Warm-Up Take?
The full five-move routine takes around 6 minutes, which is the minimum the NHS recommends before exercise. On a particularly cold morning, there’s no harm in extending it slightly — an extra minute or two of marching or light movement before you start the main moves costs very little time and further reduces injury risk once the temperature has properly dropped.
Dynamic vs Static Stretching: What to Do Before vs After
The five moves above are all dynamic — continuous movement rather than holding a stretch in place — and that’s deliberate. Static stretching, where you hold a position like touching your toes for 20-30 seconds, is generally better saved for after a workout, once your muscles are already warm, rather than before one. Learning how to warm up before a workout the right way largely comes down to this one distinction: move first, stretch statically later.
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Does the Warm-Up Change by Workout Type?
The core five-move routine works as a base for almost any session, but how to warm up before a workout can be adjusted slightly depending on what follows it. Ahead of a strength-focused session, it’s worth adding a few extra bodyweight reps of whatever movement pattern you’re about to load — a handful of slow squats before a leg day, for example — on top of the standard routine. Ahead of a cardio session, extending the marching or knee-lift portion by a minute or two tends to make the transition into higher-intensity work feel noticeably smoother.
For a short, low-intensity session — a gentle mobility day or a light walk — the full 6-minute routine can reasonably be trimmed down, since the intensity gap between the warm-up and the workout itself is much smaller to begin with.
Warming Up When You’re Genuinely Cold
On the coldest autumn and winter mornings, it’s worth doing the warm-up in a heated room if at all possible, even if the main workout will happen somewhere cooler. Muscles that start genuinely cold — not just “room temperature cold” but actually cold from being outside — need noticeably longer to loosen up, and rushing that process is one of the more avoidable ways people pick up a strain during the colder months.
Common Warm-Up Mistakes
- Skipping it entirely on short-on-time days. A rushed 6-minute warm-up is still far better than none — it’s one of the first things worth protecting even when a session gets cut short.
- Static stretching cold muscles. Holding a deep stretch before your muscles are warm can actually increase strain risk rather than reduce it.
- Jumping straight into heavy or high-intensity work. Even a light warm-up needs to precede anything demanding, especially on colder days when your baseline starts lower.
- Treating the warm-up as identical year-round. Extending it slightly on cold autumn or winter mornings is a small adjustment that meaningfully lowers injury risk compared with using an identical summer routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should you warm up before a workout?
The NHS recommends a minimum of around 6 minutes, extending it slightly on colder days when your muscles start from a lower baseline temperature.
Should I stretch before or after a workout?
Save static stretching (holding a position) for after your workout, once your muscles are already warm. Before a workout, dynamic movement like marching, knee lifts, and shoulder rolls is the safer and more effective choice.
Is it more important to warm up in cold weather?
Yes — cold muscles are stiffer and less elastic than warm ones, so how to warm up before a workout matters more as autumn and winter temperatures drop, since the injury-risk gap between a rushed warm-up and a proper one widens in colder conditions.
Can I skip warming up if I’m short on time?
It’s not recommended, but a shortened 2-3 minute version of marching and light movement is still far better than skipping it entirely if you’re genuinely pressed for time.
Do I need equipment to warm up properly?
No — all five moves in this routine use just bodyweight and floor space, making them suitable for any home workout regardless of what equipment your main session uses.
Does how to warm up before a workout change in winter compared to autumn?
The same five moves work year-round, but the routine is worth extending by a minute or two once temperatures drop further into winter, since genuinely cold muscles need more time to loosen up than muscles starting from a mild autumn baseline.
Can a warm-up actually improve workout performance, not just prevent injury?
Yes — beyond injury prevention, a proper warm-up increases blood flow to working muscles and improves joint range of motion, which tends to make the first several minutes of the main workout feel noticeably less effortful than starting completely cold.
What’s the difference between a warm-up and stretching?
A warm-up is about gradually raising your heart rate and mobility through movement, while stretching (particularly static stretching) is about lengthening muscles — which is why the two serve different purposes and generally belong at different points around your workout.
Once you’re properly warmed up, our Home Workout Guide covers a complete no-equipment programme to follow it with, and our guide to staying motivated through autumn pairs well with building this into a consistent routine.
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This routine is based on official NHS guidance on how to warm up before exercising.
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