How To Warm Up For Squats

Well, before you get under that bar and start squatting you will really need to ensure that your warm-up routine is especially secure. It is especially important to make sure that your muscles are stretched and ready for you to perform your main workout.

This will avoid you running into any injuries during or after you have completed your workout.

If you are wondering how to warm up for squats then there are a few things to bear in mind… so yeah, you have definitely come to the right place! Naturally, an effective squat warm-up will include lots of mobility exercises along with dynamic stretching and also muscle activation.

These are all especially important because mobility will increase your range of motion, and the muscle activation will activate that stabilizing muscle group which supports the overall movement.

What Are The Best Mobility Drills For Squats?

So, the purpose of performing mobility work is so that you can increase your range of motion and so that you can also improve the blood flow to the muscles. It is true that mobility drills are usually achieved by using self-massage therapy or by myofascial release.

This is ultimately the practice of applying pressure to the muscle group and you can do this by using a foam roller or by using a lacrosse ball.

Here’s the thing, if tight muscles can be released then you will be able to revitalize the motion at the level of the joint. This is something that you should do to the key areas that you utilize when you are squatting.

What Are The Key Areas That You Need To Warm Up Before Squatting?

There are some areas that are especially important to warm up before you are going to squat. Those areas are:

• The calf - you can do this by using a foam roller to apply pressure to the calf. A great way to do this is by having one leg on top of the other and by pushing downward you can ultimately control the amount of pressure that is being applied to your calf.
• The quadricep - in order to warm up your quadricep effectively, you should put the foam roller on to the quad. Once you have done this it is important to locate a tender spot where your muscles are especially tight - and you can do more of the inner thigh or more of the outer thigh depending on what you feel needs to be warmed up the most. Your bent leg will permit you to roll forward and then backwards on the foam roller.
• The glute - to warm up this area you should put your glute on to the foam roller, and then you should bend one leg on top of the other. When you do this , you will end up applying more pressure to your glute and this will occur through the leg that is not bent. You can use your arms to roll you forward and backward, and you can do this by putting your arms behind you.
• The hamstring - in order to warm up the hamstring then you should apply pressure with the foam roller to the hamstring. You should also use your arms behind you to roll forward and to roll back.
• The hip flexor - to warm up the hip flexor you should use a lacrosse ball. This will really help you to roll out the front hip flexor and you should make sure to keep your back leg straight and then use your arms to roll forward and back.
• The spinal erector - in order to warm up this area you should go back to using the foam roller. You need to put pressure on the lower and also the middle of your back. You need to bend your legs in order to leverage onto the foam roller, and then you will be able to roll forwards and backwards. 

What Is The Best Dynamic Warm Up For Squatting?

The purpose of making sure that your warm up includes dynamic stretching is so that you can lengthen your muscle and also improve the performance of your muscles. It is important to note that dynamic stretching is meant to occur by moving your muscles through a stretched range of motion. 

Dynamic stretching does differ from static stretching, and this is where you instead would hold your muscle in a stretched position. It is key to note that dynamic stretching should be done before you workout and you should do static stretches after you have worked out. 

What Are The Best Activation Rxercises For Squats?

Last but not least, let’s take a look at muscle activation in helping you to warm up. The whole goal of muscle activation is so that you can get the stabilizing muscles ready for their role in supporting the prime movers.

Here’s the thing, while the prime movers are the muscles responsible for producing force then the stabilizing muscles will work to restrict ineffective and also inefficient movement patterns. As a result of this, the stabilizing muscles will work in a way that lets the prime movers complete their job to the absolute fullest.

This is why it is absolutely essential that you make sure that your stabilizing muscles are prepared and primed before you even consider starting squatting.

In Conclusion

In case it wasn’t especially obvious, the goal of warming up is to get your body ready for working out - and this is especially important for getting ready to squat. Warming up is super important because it reduces the possibility of getting injured when you are working out.

Your warm up should not take any longer than 10 minutes, 15 minutes would be an absolute maximum. Warm ups are essential even if you are pushed for time - put it this way, you are always going to regret not doing a warm up, whereas you will not regret spending time doing a warm up before working out.

You will come to find your own personal preference when it comes to warming up, and you will get into a routine that works especially well for you. 

Happy squatting - don’t forget to warm up first.