5 Min Whole Body Stretch Routine (PRE-WORKOUT STRETCH)

If you are looking for a pre workout warmup routine, then you are going to want to do these stretches before every workout to feel amazing. In this video, I am going to show you a quick total body stretch routine that you can do prior to your workout or on its own that will help you to feel amazing.

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This routine should only take around 5 minutes or so as you don’t want to be spending too much time on your workout warmup. This means that you should be doing anywhere between 5 and 10 repetitions for each movement (on each side, where applicable), depending on your readiness.

The first pre-workout stretch up is the lunge and reach. This will have you moving dynamically to prime not just your lower body, but your back as well. With this move, you will not only be getting a stretch on the hip flexors, but on the quadratus lumborum as well. Often this muscle gets ignored and when it isn’t addressed properly, can lead to lower back pain. Another benefit of this stretch is getting the knees past the toes, which is part of good squat mechanics when we get under the bar.

Next, we have thread the needles. From the previous lunge position, you can move right into this one. Here you are going to want to press your elbow into your knee and drive it outwards while reaching through with the opposite arm and rotating to get the arm up high. This will again target the hip flexors, but the adductors of the leg and thoracic rotation as well.

One thing that we don’t get often enough is shoulder extension. With the shoulder rocks, you will be able to get into shoulder extension by having your arms posted behind you, like you see me doing in the video. Simply rock back and forth while keeping your chest up and out. If you want to get more out of this stretch, simply lift your butt up higher, getting good glute activation, and rock back and forth from this position.

Then, we have something I call the NSFW stretch. Keep your heels as close together as possible, then drive yourself back aiming to get your butt onto your heels. This dynamic stretch will promote hip external rotation as you sink back and down onto your heels while also getting a good stretch on the groin and adductors. Not only that, but you will be putting your shoulders into flexion with your arms overhead on the ground.

We don’t often stretch our abs, but that’s what we will be doing with the next preworkout stretch, the cobra pressup. This will be a good ab stretch while also being a good hip flexor stretch. If you can get your arms completely straight due to tightness or mobility limitations, don’t worry, just go as far as you can comfortably and holding for a few seconds before returning your chest to the ground.

From here, lay completely flat on the ground with your arms behind your back. From here, lift your thighs and chest off the ground and then rotate your arms up over your head, pointing your thumbs together. In this same lifted position, rotate the arms back down to their starting position behind your back and then lay flat to give yourself a reprieve. This will work on shoulder mobility while also activating the glutes and lower back, which can often be weak points in our training.

The next pre-workout stretch is called toe taps. From a downward dog position, you simply reach back and touch your toes with one arm at a time. Again, we are getting some should flexion here with the arm that’s posted on the ground. However, we are also getting some hamstring stretch, calf stretch, and low back stretch from this move.

One of the most dynamic leg movements you can do is a simple leg swing. Done in two ways, you will be activating your glutes, external rotators, internal rotators, and hip flexors with each dynamic leg swing. You will be swinging your legs side-to-side, while facing the wall, and front-to-back while bracing against the wall from the side.

The last stretch for this pre-workout stretching routine to feel amazing is the door opener. Standing against the wall, internally rotate your hip and touch your toe to the ground. Then raise your leg with a 90 degree bend in the knee and externally rotate your hip and drive your toe back behind you. This will also activate the glutes, an often dormant muscle.

If you are looking for a complete workout routine and meal plan to compliment your flexibility and mobility routine, be sure to head to athleanx.com and check out the program selector tool. It will take you just minutes to find the exact plan that fits your current goals and will help you to build ripped athletic muscle quickly.

For more home stretching routines and the best stretches for your hips, back and shoulders subscribe to our channel here on youtube via the link above and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.