Recommended Warm-Up Exercises

Before you start class it is very important that you do something to warm-up and stretch your muscles. If your muscles are warmed up and loose you will perform better in class and you will be less likely to injure yourself by pulling a muscle during class. You should create a warm-up routine for yourself and go through it before every class.
Stretching:

When stretching it is better to stretch slowly to maximum extension on a count of 10 and then relax. Think of your muscles as being like a rubber band. If you stretch a rubber band quickly and repeatedly it is more likely to break or tear. Your muscles react the same way as the rubber band. Some simple stretches (Try to do 4 repetitions of each, holding each rep for a count of 10):
  • Stand about 1-2 feet away from a wall. Put hands on wall and lean in (like doing a vertical pushup) while keeping your feet flat on the floor until you feel your back lower leg muscles stretch.
  • Sit on the ground, stretch one leg out straight, fold the other one in and reach for your toes with the hand while trying to touch your head to your knee on that side. This will stretch your back upper leg muscles. Do both sides.
  • Sit on the ground with the soles of your feet together and your knees pointed out. Grasp the top of each foot and bend it off to the side as you try to touch your head to your feet. This stretches both leg muscles and helps loosen up your feet to make ball foot kicks easier.
  • Standing with your feet wide apart, put your hands together and try to touch the ground with your palms.
  • Standing with your feet wide apart, slide one hand down the back of your leg to your heel. Do both sides.
  • Standing, bring one leg up and reach behind you to grab your ankle. Pull so that your knee is pointed backward like doing a roundhouse kick. Stretches the front upper leg muscles. Do both sides.
  • Standing slowly rotate the neck clockwise, then counterclockwise.
  • Standing, hold one arm straight across your body, bring the other arm up, hand facing out to just behind the first arms elbow and pull it towards your torso.
  • Standing, hold both arms out straight, palms out and reach behind you for a count of 10, then rotate the hands inward and reach further behind you.

Warm-ups:
Warm-up activities could include:

  • Jumping rope
  • Running laps