The warm up is the workout -Dan John-

The weight you can lift or press on a barbell doesn’t really matter, if you aren’t able to move your own bodyweight under control. I have witnessed guys who can bench 200kg, not capable of doing 10 strict push ups or men who can pull a full stack and then some for multiple reps on a lat pull down, who are unable to do a single strict pull-up.

Don’t get me wrong watching someone deadlift 300kg impresses the hell out of me but I am always more impressed when I see a woman half my weight throw herself around the high bars with grace and control. In my opinion, from what I have witnessed and experienced, athletic performance isn’t usually dominated by the one who can lift the most but rather by who can move and control their body the best.

Anyone who trains with me is always introduced to warm ups that involve crawling, rolling and basic gymnastic movements like tumbling and ring work, along with some light kettlebell exercises like the swing and goblet squat.

For a lot of people, those whose movement is dysfunctional, this warm up can leave them smoked. I am not judging them, there is nothing wrong with this, it just means we now know what is required for them to improve but for these people the warm up has now become the workout.

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