If you want to train and perform at your best, warming up isn’t just something you do once-in-a-while or just a couple of random exercises you throw together at the last minute – you have to make it a priority.

Performing a good warm-up is critical to getting the right muscles working at the right intensity for any movement you do.  The warm-up should not only target the primary muscle groups you will be using for the workout or sporting event, but also the supportive musculature that will allow you to move with more control and stability.

Here is a great sequence I typically incorporate into a more comprehensive warm-up.  Please note, this isn’t the whole warm-up, just a quick sequence for the upper back.  If you’re training an upper body workout you’ll definitely want to perform some soft-tissue work on the pecs, lats, and back, as well as, some low-level core stability work and various other upper body activation drills.

“Y” Raise

Try to raise the dumbbells up to a point where they’re in line with the angle of your torso.  Also, don’t throw the weights, ‘pull’ them.  Many lifters or athletes are too weak in the mid-to-upper back to use any weights, so they can just perform the movement with no weight and perform a strong isometric contraction at the top of the movement.

Posterior Flyes (Thumbs Facing)

Try not to shrug the traps up during this movement.  Point the thumbs toward each other and ‘pull’ the dumbbells apart trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together.

“Y” Extension

The “Y” extension is a great way to fire up the lats and work the scapular retractors.  Couple this movement with some soft-tissue massage on the pecs and lats with a foam roller, med ball or lacrosse ball to further improve posture of the upper body.

I typically run through this sequence 5-8 times without stopping.  Make this quick sequence a regular part of your warm-up and you’ll immediately feel the results when you begin the first sets of the workout.