A quick 3-minute warm-up you can do anywhere (and when you need longer)

A quick warm-up you can do anywhere is three one-minute blocks with no equipment: one minute of marching or light jogging on the spot to raise your heart rate, one minute of large joint movements such as arm circles, shoulder rolls and hip circles, and one minute of easy versions of the movements you are about to do, such as squats or leg swings. Three minutes works as a movement break or as the start of a warm-up. Before harder exercise, the NHS suggests a warm-up of at least 6 minutes (NHS), so treat three minutes as the minimum, not the whole thing.

This is general fitness information, not medical advice. If you have an injury, a health condition or pain during exercise, stop and talk to a doctor or physiotherapist.

Minute 1: Get warm

March on the spot, swinging your arms in time, or jog lightly. Start easy and build up over the minute. You should breathe a little faster but still be able to talk. The NHS routine starts the same way, with marching on the spot (NHS).

Minute 2: Move the big joints

Keep your feet moving and work through:

1. Shoulder rolls, forwards then backwards (about 20 seconds).
2. Arm circles, small to large (about 20 seconds).
3. Hip circles or gentle torso twists (about 20 seconds).

Move smoothly. You are loosening up, not stretching hard.

Minute 3: Rehearse what comes next

Do easy versions of the movements your activity needs:

• Before a run: knee lifts, heel flicks, a few gentle leg swings.
• Before football or rugby: side steps, knee lifts, a few shallow squats and quick feet.
• Before cycling or after a long ride: shallow squats, hip circles and slow leg swings.
• At a desk: seated knee lifts, shoulder rolls and seated torso twists if standing is not possible.

Keep the range comfortable. Speed and depth come later.

When 3 minutes is enough, and when it is not

• Enough: as a movement break during long sitting, or before light activity such as a walk.
• Not enough on its own: before a match, a hard run or a strength session. Use the three minutes to start, then continue with your coach's or club's routine. In football, the FIFA 11+ programme is a widely referenced warm-up published as a free manual and videos (idasports).

Make it a habit

The best warm-up is the one you actually do. A few ways to make it stick:

1. Tie it to something you already do: lacing your shoes, arriving at training, the top of each hour at work.
2. Use a timer so you don't cut it short.
3. Do it with someone: a teammate, a running partner, a colleague.
4. Track it. A streak on a calendar or in an app is surprisingly motivating.

Doing it without an app

Everything above works with a phone timer or a watch. Set three one-minute intervals and follow the list. If you prefer a guided video, the NHS page includes a basic aerobic warm-up video.

Where Warmify fits

Warmify, which we make, turns this kind of short session into a game. It starts as a 3-minute warm-up, with 8 sport modes plus Seated Mode, including Football (soccer), Rugby, Runner's Prep, Cyclist's Release and Desk Detox. The phone camera tracks your body on the device, counts each rep and checks your form 30 times a second, and you earn XP and rank for every rep. Camera frames are never uploaded or stored. You can play Duo on the TV with a friend or Versus online.

Warmify does not replace your coach's program and makes no injury-prevention claims. It gives free daily workouts; after those you can watch an optional ad for one extra workout, or upgrade to PRO. It runs on iPhone and Android.

More options: the best warm-up and camera fitness game apps.