Tip The Leg Day Warm Up You Need Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip The Leg Day Warm Up You Need Squat more and get injured less with this simple warm up by Linden Ellefson April 12, 2018August 18, 2019 Tags Mobility, Squat, Tips, Training One of the main things holding people back from a big front squat is their hips. Not because they're weak, but because they're tight, and it's hard to be strong in the bottom position. So what do most trainers tell you to do? Foam roll, stretch, and mash every part of your hips. That might be a great way to recover at the end of your workout, but it's a pretty crappy way to get ready for it. Instead, you need to get yourself ready by doing the activity you're wanting to improve. Practicing the movement you want to get stronger in will help you get warmed up. Enter the Paused Front Squat Most lifters think of pause squats as a way to build muscle and strength because of the high tension and lack of momentum they're able to use. But by using pause squats at the beginning of your workout, you'll warm up your hips better than all the mashing in the world can do. To make this happen, grab a bar and open up your T-spine first with this drill: Once you have your T-spine mobile, add 30-50% of your max front squat to the bar. Squat slowly down. Hold the lowest position you can while keeping your chest open and hips and legs active. Don't relax your legs. By keeping your legs and core tight and strong, you're telling your body to place the tension on your legs and core instead of your lower back or hip flexors. Hold this position for a count of 5, breathing at the bottom. Stand back up. Do 2 more reps. Do 2-3 sets, increasing the weight to 50% of your max for the final set. By the end of your 50% pause squats, you should feel warm, mobile, strong, and ready to lift some heavy iron. You're in the gym to get stronger, not just roll around on an oversized dog toy. Overhaul your warm-up for fewer injuries, better performance, and more strength. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Four Seconds to More Productive Workouts I think it's a safe bet that at least 50% of bodybuilders are making one little mistake that, in effect, is making most or all of their workouts a waste of time. Training TC Luoma & Ian King May 21 Training Strong and Healthy Shoulders If you want to correct a few muscle imbalances you may have created before you knew better, or if you want to fortify the integrity of your shoulder joints and maybe even improve your posture, then this might be just the article you need. Training John Paul Catanzaro February 23 Training Simple Strength - Phase 1 Mike Robertson offers an easy-to-follow, completely laid out plan to increase your strength over the period of a few short months. Training Mike Robertson June 2 Training Tip Big ROM Bigger Gains Here's why range of motion is so important for gaining muscle mass. Do your favorite exercises pass the test? Bodybuilding, Tips, Training Charles Staley December 5