Yeofit

01/09/2026

30/08/2026

29/08/2026

Join us for the second Yeo Valley Organic Garden Festival on 17th to 19th September, where we'll be Sowing the Seeds of ideas for greener gardening!

08/07/2026

07/07/2026

29/06/2026

Do it consistently. Do it progressively. Do it with intention.

03/06/2026

I love this approach to falls prevention …future proofing

24/05/2026

The foot! Who knew!

21/05/2026

You’ve felt this before… Think about a single-leg RDL or a balance drill. Your first set is a mess. You wobble, or you don’t feel as strong as you should. But the second set is better. By the third set, things feel smooth and controlled. That change didn’t happen because your muscles got stronger in five minutes… It happened because your nervous system woke up.

A proper warm-up is a neuromuscular system warm-up. You’re reminding your brain where your joints are in space. You’re increasing the speed and accuracy of motor unit recruitment. That’s where nerves attach to your muscles.

This matters even more for endurance athletes. Before a run or ride, your muscles don’t instantly shift into efficient energy production. Mitochondria ramp up. Enzymes involved in fat oxidation and aerobic metabolism increase their activity. Blood flow redistributes. Oxygen delivery improves. Some proteins involved in energy transport and contraction are upregulated on demand. That process takes time. A warm-up primes that machinery, so you don’t feel flat, heavy, or awkward in the first miles.

Skipping this step doesn’t just make things feel harder, it increases injury risk. Cold systems react slowly. Poor timing and delayed force absorption are how small stumbles turn into strains, tendon pain, or falls. Warming up is how you buy yourself margin.

They prepare the systems that coordinate balance, coordination, and power. They prepare our connective tissues for impact… tendons enjoy the warm-up. These drills basically tell your brain, “We’re about to move pay attention.” Whether you’re running, lifting, or cycling, the principle is the same: don’t go from zero to demand.

I do these in the same order that I present them. This only takes a few minutes. I usually walk for 5 minutes first, then do these hopping drills and take off on my run, a ride, or a tough day in the gym.

Full article here: https://howardluksmd.substack.com/p/my-favorite-warmup-drills-why-they