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Physical Education

Design a Warm-Up

Overview

Students plan and deliver a warm-up routine for their peers, applying knowledge of exercise preparation.

Learning Objective
Students understand the principles of an effective warm-up and lead one for their class.

Resources needed

  • Open space

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Discuss: why do we warm up? (raise heart rate, loosen joints, prevent injury).
  2. 2 Explain the structure: pulse raiser, mobility, stretch.
  3. 3 Groups of 3–4 plan a 5-minute warm-up using these three phases.
  4. 4 Each exercise must have a name and a duration.
  5. 5 Groups practise leading their warm-up with each other.
  6. 6 Each group leads the class through their warm-up.
  7. 7 Class gives feedback: what worked well? What would they change?

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Warm-up must be sport-specific (e.g. for football or athletics).
  • Warm-up must include no running at all.
  • Add a cool-down design task.
More information

Teach: warm-up, pulse, mobility, joint, injury, phase. Provide a simple template with three boxes: pulse raiser / mobility / stretching.

Provide a list of possible exercises to choose from rather than creating from scratch.

Does the warm-up follow a logical order — gradual intensity increase? Can students explain why they chose each exercise?

No equipment needed. All exercises use body weight and space only. Planning can be done verbally without writing.

Students often start with static stretches. Teach that static stretching belongs at the end of exercise, not the beginning — cold muscles should not be stretched.

Understanding warm-up principles is a key component of GCSE and secondary PE curricula worldwide.

Activity details
Secondary Medium 25–30 minutes no prep Small Group, Whole Class Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Warm-up Leadership Fitness Knowledge