Veteran Trainer Shares a Simple Winter Warmup Routine That Dramatically Cuts Injury Risk
Daylight savings time is about a month away, but winter isn’t done with us quite yet. If you’re itching to escape the stuffy, claustrophobic gyms and take your training outside, we totally understand. But be warned that cold-weather workouts come with some added risk if you jump into them unprepared.
"Skipping a proper warmup, along with the environment creating unstable footing, serve as the biggest injury risks," says Chris Travis, M.S., owner of Seattle Strength & Performance. "Cold temperatures tend to make muscles and connective tissues feel stiffer and less elastic. That means your body isn’t as ready to sprint, jump, cut, or lift aggressively right away—increasing the risk of muscle strains, tendon flare-ups, and joint irritation."
And that doesn't even factor in the environmental variables. Ice, snow, wet grass, and slick pavement increase the chance of slips, falls, ankle rolls, knee tweaks, and general joint irritation. You may only have to brave winter a bit longer, but there's no reason to enter spring nursing an injury that could've been prevented.
Here’s how to warm up properly in cold weather conditions to reduce your risk of injury.
How to Properly Warmup in Cold Weather
"In cold temperatures, warmups should be a prerequisite," Travis says. "The goal is to raise body temperature, prep tissues and joints, and ramp up the nervous system gradually before harder work. A good cold-weather warmup should probably take 10 to 15 minutes."
Your warmup should include three key phases:
Joint Mobility
Joint mobility refers to your ability to move a joint actively and with control through its full range of motion. In cold weather, joints tend to feel stiff and underprepared at the start of a workout, which is why this phase matters.
Focus on the joints that take on a lot of stress during outdoor workouts: the ankles, hips, thoracic spine, and shoulders.
Exercises:
- Ankle Rocks
- Hip Open/Close the Gate
- Arm Circles
- World’s Greatest Stretch
Dynamic Movement
Choosing dynamic exercises over static stretching before a workout increases blood flow, raises heart rate, and helps transition your body from still and cold to warm and ready for higher-intensity movement.
Exercises:
- Light Jog
- March
- Skip
- Butt Kicks
- High Knees
- Lateral Shuffles
Muscle Priming
The final phase focuses on activating the muscles you’ll rely on during your workout. The exact exercises will depend on what you’re training that day, whether it’s a quad-dominant leg workout or a push-focused upper-body workout.
By the end of this phase, your heart rate should be slightly elevated, your body should feel warm, and your joints should feel well-oiled.
Exercises:
- Lateral Band Walks
- Bodyweight Lunges (Forward/Lateral/Reverse)
- Scapular Pushups
- Single-Leg RDL Reaches