How to warm up gymnasts: 6 warm-up routines for any session
Warm up gymnasts by raising the heart rate first, then mobilizing the joints, then switching on body tension before any skill work. This short series gives you ready-made warm-ups for any apparatus. It suits club coaches who want a structured start to training without planning a new routine every week.
6 video steps · all
Step 1 of 6, free: Warm Up Drill 1
The phases
- Pulse raiser: get the gymnast warm and breathing harder with running, skipping and light jumps.
- Joint mobility: move wrists, shoulders, hips and ankles through their full range before they take load.
- Activation: switch on core and shoulder tension so the body is ready to hold shapes.
- Skill-specific prep: finish with simple movements that match the main part of the session.
Before you start
No specific skills needed; the warm-ups suit recreational and competitive gymnasts of most ages, scaled by the coach.
Common mistakes
- Skipping wrists and ankles: these joints take high loads in support and landings and stay stiff.
- Static stretching straight away: muscles are stretched cold instead of warmed up first.
- Same warm-up for every session: gymnasts switch off and the warm-up stops preparing for the main skill.
- Too long or too hard: gymnasts start the main part of training already tired.
Coaching cues
- Warm first, then stretch
- Big movements, full range
- Wake up your tummy and shoulders
All 6 steps
Frequently asked questions
How long should a gymnastics warm-up be?
Long enough that gymnasts are warm, mobile and switched on, which for most club sessions is roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Shorter sessions need a more compact warm-up; harder skill sessions usually deserve a bit more time.
Should gymnasts stretch before or after training?
Use dynamic movement and mobility in the warm-up, once the body is warm. Longer static stretching for flexibility gains usually fits better later in the session or at the end, when muscles are fully warm.