25 Jun Quick Tip #6: Not Sure What To Do For Your Warm-up?

By: Brian Carroll

10/20/Life Warm-Up

As I cover in 10/20/Life and in my articles; a good warm-up is paramount for longevity and performance in both the short and the long term. I talk about the McGill Big 3 to the point of repetitive insanity, but this shit really works and has saved my lifting career.

In case you’ve missed it (the first 25 times), the McGill big 3 is the following: Birddog, Roll to side plank, and the McGill curl-up.

Warming up doesn’t just end with that, here a few more warm-up exercises for you to consider after doing the Big 3 which will help get you as prepared as possible for the work to come on your specific training day.

NOTE: Consider doing a few sets of each with rep schemes in the 8-15 range or until you feel warm. This is not meant to wear you down, but to get your prepared for the work to come.

Squat Day:

Goblet squat. This is a great way to warm-up hips and to help get you ready for a big squat. Take your time and work your way down and get a nice sweat going. Focus on the hip hinge, driving your knees out and dropping below parallel.

Bench Day:

Band fly. This is a great way to flush blood into old, injured, tight or beat-down shoulders, without wearing you down for your heavy bench work. Focus on the contraction while doing this exercise.

Deadlift Day:

Kettlebell swings are a great way to open up your hips and flush some blood into your back to get you ready for the work to come. As with the goblet squat, you are focusing on the hip hinge. Do not sit down and turn this into a screwed up squat to swing; sit back, let the core and the hips do the work.

Core Exercise:

Stir the pot. Probably the most underrated core exercise ever. Do you want abs of steel? Work this movement often. Get creative with your movements. Work north to south, east to west; big circles, small circles, etc. Doesn’t matter what way you move on this one, but once you start doing this exercise on a consistent basis, you will see a tremendous improvement in your core strength.

GET THE 10/20/LIFE EBOOK HERE!

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Brian Carroll

Owner and Founder at PowerRackStrength.com

Brian Carroll is committed to helping people overcome back pain and optimizing lifts and movement. After years of suffering, he met back specialist Prof. McGill in 2013, which led to a life-changing transformation. In 2017, they co-authored the best-selling book "Gift of Injury." On October 3, 2020, Carroll made history in powerlifting by squatting 1306 lbs, becoming the first person to break this record. He retired with a secure legacy and a life free from back pain.

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