A Muay Thai warm up: follow along

Before a performance vehicle gets driven in a race, the driver always runs the engine with controlled amount of RPM for a while, to lubricate the engine and warm up the moving parts. Much like a car, our body requires a similar pre-performance ritual, for some similar reasons. If an athlete wants any longevity through his/her career, they will have to create a warm up routine that works the entire body, and also targets specific ares that get the most wear and tear in their sport. A Muay Thai warm up will consist of movements through the entire body, and without performing this routine, a fighter leaves themselves open to injuries during a training session.

If we neglect to warm up a certain area prior to training, even if it doesn’t get used often, it can relay tightness to other areas causing strained or torn muscles, especially in winter when the body is a little slower to get going. The warm up we will show you aims to incorporate the entire body, even some smaller joints that are often neglected.

The Muay Thai warm up

Video

Here is a list of areas you should move in a Muay Thai warm up routine:

Circles
Fingers
Wrists
Elbows
Shoulders
Hips
Knees
Ankles
Feet
Neck

Rolls
Side to side on back (twists)
Lower back
Upper back
Abdominals (cat-cow)
Swings
Hamstring
Adductor
Glutes
Hip flexor
Chest
Back
Lats
Shoulders
Twists

The thought of warming up is the worst part about it, once you actually begin to stretch your joints and muscles dynamically (with movement), it feels great and makes the workout that follows much easier. Generally speaking, we don’t hold static stretches (holding a still position) prior to exercise, as we lose elasticity and responsiveness in our muscles. These should be saved for after the workout, unless you have an area which is particular tight, in which case you may need to release with with pressure or static stretching pros to training. A great book to read if you are interested in learning more about stretching is “stretching scientifically”.

DON’T BE IN A RUSH! Set aside 15 minutes prior to starting training, or even longer if you are one of the older guys getting around the gym. Not warming up correctly is one of the highest reasons why people get injuries, so if you want to be training again tomorrow, start those dynamics movements before you start hitting things!