An effective workout starts with a proper warm-up. Warm-up exercises can help you squeeze more benefits from your routine and may even lower your chance of injury.

So, what qualifies as a warm-up exercise? And how should you approach the warm-up to set yourself up for maximum success in your workout? We’ve got answers.

In general, a warm-up exercise gets your heart rate up and prepares your joints and soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, and tendons) for the workout ahead, says Kathy Doubleday, DPT, a cofounder and the clinical director of Physio Ed, a company that provides expert medical advice and fitness programs for older adults in Ojai, California.

Specific warm-up exercises typically fall into a few different movement categories: aerobic, flexibility, and mobility.

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