Why the warm up matters

“I’ve just been for a walk.”

“I ran from the car.”

“I’d rather spend my 45 minutes training than warming up.”

Sound familiar?

At Wonder Woman Fitness, warming up is often the least-loved part of the session. We get it. You’re busy. You want to get to the weights. But a proper warm-up isn’t time wasted—it’s what helps you get the most from the work that follows.

Think of it as preparing your body for the task ahead.

A leisurely walk might raise your heart rate, but it doesn’t prepare your shoulders for pressing, your hips for squatting, or your core for carrying heavy loads. Strength training places specific demands on muscles, joints, tendons and your nervous system. Your warm-up should prepare all of them.

Research consistently shows that a targeted warm-up improves muscle performance, increases force production, and enhances movement quality. In simple terms: you lift better, move better, and often feel better.

For women in midlife, this becomes even more important.

As oestrogen declines, connective tissues can become less elastic and recovery may take a little longer. A gradual warm-up increases blood flow to working muscles and improves joint mobility, helping your body transition smoothly from sitting at a desk (or in the car) to lifting weights.

A good warm-up also wakes up your nervous system. Those lighter practice sets before your heavier lifts aren’t just “going through the motions.” They help your brain and muscles communicate more effectively, improving coordination and confidence before the load gets challenging.

And let’s not forget injury prevention. While no warm-up guarantees you’ll never get injured, preparing the body for the movements ahead reduces the likelihood of awkward compensations and poor technique when the weights get heavy.

The best part? It doesn’t need to take long.

Five to ten minutes of mobility work, activation exercises, and lighter sets of the movement you’re about to perform is usually enough.

So next time you’re tempted to skip the warm-up, remember:

The warm-up isn’t separate from your workout.

It is part of your workout.

And those few minutes invested at the start often determine how well the next 35 minutes go.