🧘‍♂️ Why Your Warm-Up Might Be Holding You Back

PLUS: Prep Your Joints, Not Just Your Heart Rate

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Ryan Engel & Michael Pender
July 10, 2025

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TODAY’S LEVEL UP:

  • Coach’s Corner: Why Your Warm-Up Might Be Holding You Back

  • Pro Tip: Prep your joints, not just your heart rate

  • Question from Our Readers: How long should a warm-up really take?

  • Fit Trivia: Which 90s martial arts movie featured a scene where the hero punches through blocks of ice as part of his strength training?

Why Your Warm-Up Might Be Holding You Back

If your warm-up is 2 minutes on the treadmill and a couple of arm swings…

It’s time for an upgrade.

A good warm-up does three things:

  1. Preps your joints and soft tissue for heavy lifts

  2. Activates key muscles (glutes, core, shoulders)

  3. Ramps up your nervous system for strength and power

Better warm-ups =

Fewer injuries

Better lifts

Stronger reps from set #1

FROM RYAN’S DESK

Want to change your physique? Stop justifying. Stop explaining. Excuses only weigh you down. Accountability moves you forward. Take responsibility—own your choices and watch your life transform.

Pro Tip:

Prep Your Joints, Not Just Your Heart Rate

Before your next workout:

  • Do band pull-aparts or face pulls for shoulders

  • Glute bridges or monster walks for hips

  • Dynamic stretches for tight areas (hips, ankles, shoulders)

  • Then, 2–3 light warm-up sets of your first lift

You’ll move better, feel stronger, and reduce the chance of tweaking something mid-set.

Question from Our Readers:

“How long should a warm-up really take?”

– Paul, 50, from Kansas City

Quick and focused is the key.

  • 5–10 minutes tops for most gym days

  • Just enough to break a light sweat and activate key muscles

  • Longer (10–15 mins) only if you’re lifting heavy or coming back from injury

Think purposeful, not endless.

Fit Trivia: Which 90s martial arts movie featured a scene where the hero punches through blocks of ice as part of his strength training?

Answer: Street Fighter (1994)! In true action-movie fashion, Jean-Claude Van Damme (as Colonel Guile) puts on a strength show by smashing through solid ice—reminding every 90s kid that sometimes, brute force and martial arts movie logic make for great gym inspiration.

Ryan Engel, Intl. Fat Loss Coach

Ryan is a leading fitness coach and one of the most known professionals in the space.

He specializes in Body Recomposition and visual body aesthetics and has reached millions worldwide with his powerful messaging. He brings a unique, non-nonsense, yet sophisticated approach to body change.

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Publisher: Ryan Engel

Editor: Michael Pender

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