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The APK Warm-Up

Monday, 19 December 2005

A thorough warm-up is essential for both effective strength-training and effecient intraday recovery...
Light exercise is the best tool for improved recovery in-between hard workouts. Some light jogging, hiking, swimming or easy Parkour followed by a thorough stretching session is perfect. Along those lines, I have decided to put together the most useful and broad-spectrum exercises into a standardized warm-up for our WOD, and this by itself will be an excellent rest-day activity. General calisthenics performed until you raise your core temperature over a wide-range of movement options are an excellent way to flush your body of accumulated toxins. Each exercise should be performed in a rep-range that allows for a raise in body-temperature, heart rate and range-of-motion, without accumulating undue fatigue. Substitutions for each exercise are fine, as everybody has a different level of fitness, so if Dips are too hard, then perhaps try push-ups, or knee push-ups. If 10 is too many, than perform as many as possible within the range of an effective warm-up is concerned. As you fitness improves, your warm-up will mirror this improvement. The standardized warmup will be as follows:

3 Rounds:

15-25 Squats

10-15 Pull-Ups

10-15 pushups

5 Samson Stretch Each Side

Agility Work- Mark a 10-rung ladder on the floor, each rung 12-18 inches apart. Perform the following agility drills as a circuit, repeat 2-3 times:

High Knees, one step per-block

High Knees, two steps per-block

Side-step, two steps per-block

High Knees, backwards, one step per-block

Butt-kicks, one step per-block

Burpee/Quadrapedal Movement- Perform 5-count burpees, one count for each movement, in control. After 3, perform :30-1:00 of random, varied quadrapedal movement. Repeat as needed or as you feel inspired to ;)

Rest as needed between each exercise, keeping in mind that the goal isn't to kill yourself, but rather to facilitate a raise in core-temperature and improve the pliability of your muscles and connective tissues. If you do this on a rest day, it can be followed by a good session of stretching (issue 3 of the Performance Menu, with an excellent feature on flexibility). If it is before the workout, leave the stretching for the very end of the entire workout session.

For some more info on the benefits an effective warm-up, check out this issue of the Crossfit Journal

Users' Comments

Display 50 of 153 comments

1. 09-09-2006 15:22

Performance Journal Issue 3: Stretching

Extimes

2. 10-07-2006 21:50

Man, i was kinda wondering as soon as i read this: What is a Samson Stretch?

seniore banana

3. 10-31-2006 18:27

it's just like a lunge.. google it

phishfi

4. 11-03-2006 02:01

http:// www.americanparkour.com/ content/view/37/223/

Havoc

5. 11-08-2006 20:44

I'm just starting, and i was wondering what a burpee is

Druid56

6. 11-14-2006 14:37

I'm just starting out as well, but I've had to do burpee's for rugby. It's basically a push-up, deadlift (with no weight), and jumping jack all rolled into one.

Here's a link with an animated gif to give you a sense (scroll down a bit to find it):
http://www.bodybuilding.com/ fun/rossboxing2.htm

rhino

7. 12-29-2006 09:30

Umm...is there another workout that i can do in place of a pull up and get the same results?

SealMan

8. 12-29-2006 09:37

Hey you guys should make a video with the whole apk warm-up in it. :grin

SealMan

9. 01-10-2007 23:12

Even though it's late I did this and it's made me tired took about 20 minutes but that's only because I'm just starting to work out again. Also did some weightlifting and sit-ups.

GoFun

10. 01-11-2007 04:56

Okay, never mind I think I did this in about 10 minutes because I was able to do one round in about 3 minutes. It seemed like 20 minutes though

GoFun

11. 01-11-2007 13:19

dang how often should i do these excerises. and what are these W.O.D's are they Work out for the day?

midnightbats

12. 01-11-2007 17:51

this is awesome it gets me going even longer

urbanhybrid

13. 01-27-2007 01:56

Do you think rowing would help raise my pull up number? My navy training's made the rest a cakewalk, but i need to get my pull ups up to snuff.

delendum

14. 02-05-2007 05:32

ok .. i think i know what a burpee is .. but quadrapedal movement .. not sure what you mean

slydera

15. 02-05-2007 13:59

I read about parkour in the Herald Tribune in Sarasota. FL.http:// www.americanparkour.com/ content/view/1029/243/
I used to do something like this warmup a few months ago, so i think it will be easy for me to move up to the next level quickly.

wettham

16. 02-17-2007 14:08

What do you mean by side steps? like a great vine (where you cross your legs)?

Neon

17. 03-06-2007 03:23

The warm up is great, I used similar warm ups for snowboarding, as well as cross country training. Minus the Pull-ups. I need to work on those much more.

theunconformist

18. 03-20-2007 10:22

i saw a question about pullups. if you're going to being doing parkour, you're going to want to be doing pullups a lot. you asked for an alternate excersise, i'm assuming becasue you may not be great at them. try going to your local rock climbing gym every week or two. after a while, you'll be able to do a ton of pullups without breaking a sweat.

casualtynumber1

19. 03-26-2007 15:35

what would be a good substitution for sqauts if i have no weights? i have done wall sits in the past, and those work a ok. any suggestions?

rebsrule58

20. 03-26-2007 15:36

sorry i meant they work OK, not A OK

rebsrule58

21. 03-30-2007 06:19

I still can't do a lot of pull-ups myself because 1)I'm a girl, and 2)I'm just starting to really workout. To build up to being able to do pull-ups, I've tried the following techniques and they work pretty well:

-Doing 1 or 2 pull-ups at random points throughout the day as I get a chance (like grabbing a random tree branch or pipe or door frame).

-If you don't want to spend the money on rock climbing (those gyms are out of my budget, at least), try climbing trees.

-Do sissy pull-ups. I purposely use a shorter bar so that I can use my legs (just a little) to give that extra push. This allows me to do more "pull-ups" and helps build stamina, which helps me build up to being able to do more true pull-ups... *without* using my legs.

I'm no trainer or guru. Those are just some thoughts.

lauriejennifer

22. 03-30-2007 06:20

Getting "back in shape" has really made me wish I never got "out of shape" in the first place...

lauriejennifer

23. 04-02-2007 07:52

Free Issue #3 on Stretching

freeman.matt

24. 04-15-2007 19:27

you can try lunges, but doing wall sits with weights, such as books, on your knees are the best subs for squats, imo

25. 04-15-2007 20:52

see if your local gym has a pull-up machine that you can minus weight from how much you have to lift (your own weight). It is great to use if you can only do a couple and will build up your stamina to do many actual ones in no time.

x3r0

26. 04-24-2007 13:16

Recon Ron - that is your answer.

Don't try to get around pullups, that will come back to haunt you. Do pullups, do them often, do them repetitively. That is how you get better. Take 5 minutes, every or every other day, and do pullups. During this, start with as many as you can do, then do 1 less, and then again, 2 less, and so forth for about 5 reps. If you can find the Recon Ron program - that helped me a ton. Brought mine from a measly 4 to over 20 in one semester.

What will also help with pullups and all parkour movements is forearm strength. Work your forearms, and do it often. Everything else will improve, probably quite noticeably. That's not a warm up though - that's a strength thing - I wouldn't recommend any of the stuff in my post for warm up!

Good luck guys!

anthraciteangel

27. 05-01-2007 13:34

man i did the workout and it took me about ten minutes and it is great and recon ron is right that u should really work your forearms alot it really helps

sirfoxalot

28. 05-01-2007 13:35

i meant the recon ron thing works not recon ron is right

sirfoxalot

29. 05-17-2007 14:37

These exercises look great for upper and lower body strength, but shouldn't there maybe be some core exercise included...maybe crunches or something?

mrestko

30. 05-25-2007 11:53

damn all this just so i can do some stuff ive dun befor just didnt know it was a sport

Billy the flying kid

31. 05-27-2007 10:30

what do u do if we dont have a ladder handy?

CRAPFACE

32. 07-17-2007 03:47

You can imagine the rungs on the floor, trying to land your feet within the same "box" on each agility movement.

Crunches are necessarily needed because push-ups, squats, pull-ups, samson stretch, Quadrapedal movement (crawling on all fours, read the exercise descriptions!) and agility work all stress the "core"

Good subs for pull-ups are jumping pull-ups and jumping to slow negatives in the pull-up. It's VERY important that if you want to get better at pull-ups you...do more pull-ups!

gearsighted

33. 07-20-2007 19:14

instead of rungs, I just used 20 pins and a tape measurer (do not use this method on tile, or hardwood flooring; pins can bend :grin

)

Crosseyes

34. 08-24-2007 06:27

Marine females have to do what's called a flexed arm hang instead of pull ups, that helps build up the muscle that you will use to do pull ups. That's what I've been working on...and now I can do a half a pull up. It's sounds pathetic, but considering my grandpa worked construction all his life and still can't do a pull up (something about the way our shoulders are built, so we can't) It's a huge acomplishment. I'm on my way to a full one!!!

Dot

35. 09-02-2007 14:05

Found a sit that shows what a burpee is....
http://www.rosstraining.com/ articles/burpeeclip.htm

Anaki72

36. 09-25-2007 13:00

Use masking tape on the floor to define the shape. Cheap, easy to do, and there's nothing to step on and turn an ankle.
:grin

BW7

37. 09-29-2007 06:49

for those unable to do their desired number of pullups, a trick Ive done in the past is to rest your heels on a box while pulling so that your legs are horizontal at the top of the movement. It isolates the latissimus dorsi(lats) to add stamina. The trick is to keep your legs straight and not to engage any of your leg muscles to help, but only to slightly reduce the weight you pull. This is also a good post-pullup exercise to further fatigue your muscles

theTC

38. 09-29-2007 06:56

also, in helping increase your pullup count, a good exercise to do alongside pullups is basically halfway between a chin up and a pullup. Simply do a pullup with one palm facing toward you and the other facing away.
Good luck!

theTC

39. 11-08-2007 10:44

I am not sure how to do the agility poriton of the warm-up. I'm confused about the high knees and side steps. Thanks!

dr194

40. 11-11-2007 14:10

This looks hard, but I'm gonna give it my best shot! I want to be really good at parkour! :grin

thewolf

41. 11-15-2007 16:57

How do u perform High Knees, Butt Kicks & Side Kicks for the Agility Ladder?

Stan91

42. 11-19-2007 04:19

The best way to get better at pull ups is....... pull ups!

With that said, an assisted pull up is probably the next best thing. Most gyms now have assisted pull up machines, but you can also use a friend holding your feet (knees bent and ankles crossed is best), or one foot in front of you on a chair or box so that you can use as much assistance as you need. Try to use the least amount of assistance as possible so that you may improve more quickly.

Enjoy..... :grin

LSUFan1

43. 11-21-2007 07:47

i dont understand the burpee part at the end i know what burpees are but whats the count thing ?

Uriah Heap

44. 11-21-2007 07:49

for that matter can the ladder be replaced with stairs but still maintain the smae level of fitness

Uriah Heap

45. 12-07-2007 11:33

i was wondering that too
i think it would work the same, and probably should be better but i dont really know

rasr18

46. 12-08-2007 20:35

I need a substitute for pullups to but not for strength reasons but because I have nothing to do them on!! Any suggestions

cmatt428

47. 12-18-2007 13:01

I've been taking mixed martial arts for about 4 years so some of this stuff i do when i go to class. And for the agility section, high knees is just tucking your knee as high as it goes in between steps, side steps is doing a high knee but moving left or right, and but kicks is kicking yourself in the but in between each step

Gavwian

48. 12-30-2007 21:31

If any one needs a good cheap ladder all you need is some chalk and some blacktop, though the masking tape Idea is just as good.

Aisu Jakkaru

49. 01-04-2008 01:49

If you have good hand and finger strength you could do pull-ups on the top of a door frame either over or under-handed. I rock climb so it's not a hand strength issue for me, but give it a shot.

suicidemachine

50. 01-10-2008 09:34

So I started today and I got my ass kicked. I thought keyword thought I was in shape. I was good till the burpees. Damn the man who ever thought of that. I added a set of abs to each on top though. First set 50 control crunches. Second 25 4 count flutter kicks an third set 25 oblique blasters and a 1 min session of jump rope. Great way to start the day!!!

Tigre

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