Why Fitness Pros Recommend Doing Prehab Exercises Before Every Workout

Jones is a fan of adding this pilates movement to prehabilitation routines. “The bird dog is a great way to improve balance and coordination,” she says. “It also strengthens your core muscles, including your abs, back, and hips, and helps stretch your spinal erectorrectus abdominis and buttocks.

– Rest on hands and knees in quadruped position.

– Make sure your hands and knees are hip-width apart.

– Inhale and engage your abs.

– Exhale and push one arm forward and the opposite leg back.

– Balance yourself while stretching your limbs to move them away from each other.

– Inhale and lower both to the ground.

– Repeat with the other arm and leg.

– Do 3 sets of 12.

According to Jones, adding this squat variation to your pre-workout routine can help improve your hip and knee mobility. “The Cossack squat builds lower-body strength and improves mobility,” he says. “It targets the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves, while also engaging the core and back. It also gives a stretch to the hips, knees, ankles, and adductors.”

– Stand with your feet wide apart.

– Transfer your weight onto one foot.

– Lower your hips back and bend over to that side.

– Move your hips forward to get back up.

– Repeat on the other side.

– Do 2 sets of 10.

“Hip openers, like prone leg raises, are a great way to release hip tension and improve flexibility,” says Jones. “The benefits of doing them can be felt in the lower back, hamstrings, glutes, and even shoulders.”

– Lie face down on a mat.

– Stretch your legs directly behind you.

– Lift one foot off the ground.

– Hold for 5 seconds.

– Lower your leg.

– Repeat with the other leg.

– Lift and hold for 5 seconds.

– Do 2 sets of 6 lifts on each side.

the cat-cow yoga pose it’s an ideal prehab move for a tight back. “Learning to move the thoracic spine through extension and flexion not only helps reduce stiffness, but also teaches your spine to move more freely and efficientlyDeutschman says.

– Come on all fours.

– Place your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hips.

– On an inhalation, drop your core toward the floor.

– Arch the spine, lifting the chin from the chest to make the posture of the cow.

– On an exhalation, push through your hands to round your back, opening your shoulder blades.

– Tuck your chin into your chest to do the cat pose.

– Repeat this movement for 5 to 10 breaths.

“shells are another excellent prehab exercise because they help activate the piriformis and encourage external rotation of the hips to prevent knee painDeutschman says.

– Lie on your left side with your knees stacked, right leg on top of left leg.

– Bend both legs 90 degrees.

– Raise your top knee slowly and with control until it is parallel to your hip.

– Lower to return your right knee to the stacked position.

– Repeat 3 sets of 10 on each side.

Deutchman also recommends doing sumo squats before a workout. They’re another type of squat that helps increase your range of motion and avoid the risk of knee injury, she says.

– Start by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width.

– Turn your toes slightly outward.

– Crouch down slowly.

– Push your hips back.

– Keep your chest up and your knees straight.

– Go back to return to the starting position.

– Repeat 4 sets of 10 repetitions, resting 1 minute between each set.

the dead insect is an exercise that helps stabilize your core by encouraging a back tilt. “With a posterior tilt, you are more likely to have a better posture and reduce the chance of lower back painDeutschman says.

– Lie on your back.

– Extend both arms and legs towards the sky.

– Lower your right leg to the ground while simultaneously extending your left arm behind your head

– Return to the original starting position.

– Repeat with opposite arm and leg.

– Keep alternating sides until you do 20 repetitions.

“Short for Controlled Joint Rotations, Shoulder CARs help you express your full range of motion and increase joint stability,Deutschman says.

– Start standing or sitting.

– Raise your right arm in front of you at shoulder height with your thumb up.

– Grab or squeeze the right hand to maintain tension in the arm.

– While keeping your arm straight and maintaining tension, begin to slowly raise your arm above your head.

– Once your arm is overhead, externally rotate your shoulder by turning your thumb down.

– Make sure you keep that grip on your right hand.

– With your palm facing out, slowly lower your arm behind you into extension.

– Once you reach the full range, return to the starting position.

– Repeat 5 reps on each arm.

Exercises performed on one leg, such as the single-leg clock reach, can help improve your balanceproprioception (or the body’s ability to feel movement) and foot stability, says Deutchman, all skills that are useful in sports, exercise and life in general.

– Start by standing on your right leg.

– Once you find your balance, begin to reach your left foot in front of you as if you were striking 12 o’clock on a clock.

– Go back to the starting position.

– Reach around 1:00 p.m., then around 2:00 p.m., and so on.

– Make sure you are not using momentum, but controlling each position as you play the “clock”.

– Repeat on the other leg.