How to Warm Up Your Lower Body Before Sport

TL;DR

Warm up your lower body with five exercises in order: calf raises, bodyweight squats, walking lunges, side leg lifts, and standing hamstring curls. Two sets of 10 to 15 reps each takes about 8 to 10 minutes. This activates the calves, quads, glutes and hamstrings before they take load. No equipment is needed.

The Detail
Lower body warm up exercises prepare your calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes for the load they are about to take, whether that is running, jumping or changing direction. Most lower body sport injuries happen when these muscles are asked to work hard before they are ready.
Getting this right takes only a few extra minutes. In this post, you will learn five lower body warm up exercises to add to your routine, in order, before your next game or session.
What you'll need

• No equipment required for any of these exercises
• About 8 to 10 minutes
• A little space to move, such as a hallway or the sideline

Step 1: Calf raises
Stand with your feet hip width apart and rise onto your toes, then lower back down under control. Do 2 sets of 15, focusing on a full range of movement rather than speed.
This wakes up your calves, which absorb a lot of impact during running and jumping.

Step 2: Bodyweight squats
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and lower your hips back and down, keeping your chest up, then stand back up. Do 2 sets of 12, going only as low as feels comfortable and controlled.
Squats activate your quads and glutes together, which is useful preparation for almost any running or jumping sport.

Step 3: Walking lunges
Step forward into a lunge, lowering your back knee towards the ground, then bring your feet together and repeat on the other side as you move forward. Aim for 10 lunges on each leg. This exercise adds a single-leg element that static squats do not cover, which matters because most sport movement happens on one leg at a time.

Common mistake:
Letting your front knee travel too far past your toes. Keep your weight through the middle of your foot instead.

Step 4: Side leg lifts:
Lying on your side or standing while holding onto something stable, lift your top leg out to the side and lower it under control. Do 2 sets of 12 per side. This targets the muscles around your hip that help with balance and control when changing direction.

Step 5: Standing hamstring curls
Standing on one leg, bend your other knee to bring your heel up towards your glutes, then lower it under control. Do 2 sets of 10 per side.
This is sometimes called a kick your butt movement, and it activates your hamstrings, which are one of the most commonly strained muscles in sport.

Common mistakes

• Rushing through the reps instead of moving under control
• Skipping the single leg exercises and only training both legs together
• Stopping as soon as you feel loose, rather than completing the full set

What to do next

• Do these five exercises in order before your next training session or game.
• Increase to 2 sets of 15 to 20 as they start to feel easy.
• Pair this with a shoulder warm up if your sport also involves throwing or contact.

Further reading:
See our guide to why warming up properly prevents injuries for the reasoning behind this routine. https://www.betterbodiesphysio.com/blog/why-warming-up-properly-prevents-sport-injuries​

Common Questions About Lower Body Warm-Ups
How long should a lower body warm up take?
​Around 8 to 10 minutes is enough for most people, though cold weather may need a couple of minutes longer. 

​Do I need weights for these exercises?
No. All five exercises use just your bodyweight, which is enough to activate the muscles you need before sport.

What if I already have a niggle in my leg?
If an exercise causes sharp pain, stop and get it assessed rather than pushing through. A niggle that keeps coming back during warm ups is worth getting checked properly. If your leg or hip pain keeps interrupting training, our sport physio therapy team can help you build a plan to manage it and get back to full training.