Get the heart working

PT Tess Gynne-Jones tells Strong Women that she tends to warm-up with a “five minute heart opener”. “ It’s not essential, but if you’re doing heavy lifting or finishing your session with some kind of conditioning, it’s a good thing to do because it preps your body for high heart rate.” That might mean spending five minutes on a rowing machine or treadmill.

Choose lower-intensity versions of the exercises you’ll be doing in the workout

“If I have a lower body session planned, I will always have a lunge in my warm up. It’s just a great way for mobilising and stabilising the ankle and hip and getting those targeted muscles to wake up,” she explains.

“For upper body stuff, I do a couple of reps of shoulder taps and different press up variations to get my joints ready for the movement.”

Concentrate on your breathing and mobility

“Start with breathing to switch your mind set and your body to what we’re about to do,” recommends trainer Caroline Bragg.

“Then move onto mobility work including cat cow, downward dog flows, lunges and glute bridges.”

How do you warm up before weight training? PTs answer your most googled questions