Warm-up advice arrives with its own vocabulary: general, specific, dynamic, static. Before a dumbbell or kettlebell session, those words describe different things, and the research behind them is narrower than the advice often suggests. This guide separates the terms, sets out what the NHS routine contains and reports what the studies did and did not find.
Four terms worth separating
General warm-up. A 2011 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (JSCR) describes the general warm-up as intending to raise muscle temperature. In that study it was 20 minutes on a stationary bicycle at 60% of maximum heart rate.
Specific warm-up. The same paper says the specific warm-up aims to increase neuromuscular activation. Its version was one set of 8 repetitions at approximately 50% of the estimated one-repetition maximum (1RM), followed by 3 repetitions at 70%.
Dynamic warm-up. A 2015 systematic review of upper-body warm-ups in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) found strong research-based evidence that high-load dynamic warm-ups enhance power and strength performance.
Static stretching. The same review found that a short-duration static stretching warm-up has no effect on power outcomes.
What the NHS routine contains
The NHS describes a general-purpose warm-up that should take at least 6 minutes, longer if needed. It says to warm up properly before exercising “to prevent injury and make your workouts more effective”, which is the NHS’s own statement of purpose rather than a finding from the studies below. The sequence is:
- March on the spot for 3 minutes, pumping the arms.
- Heel digs: aim for 60 in 60 seconds.
- Knee lifts: aim for 30 in 30 seconds.
- Shoulder rolls: 2 sets of 10 repetitions, forwards and backwards.
- Knee bends: 10 repetitions, lowering no more than 10 cm.
What the reviews found
A 2010 systematic review with meta-analysis in JSCR pooled 32 studies of high quality in which the warm-up included activities other than stretching. Warm-up improved performance in 79% of the criteria examined, and the authors found little evidence that warming up is detrimental. They also noted that few well-conducted randomised controlled trials had been done.
The 2015 BJSM review looked only at the upper body. It identified 31 randomised controlled trials, 21 of them rated as good quality, covering 25 warm-up modes and 43 outcomes. It found no studies of upper-body warm-up effects on injury prevention. Neither review offers evidence on injuries: the 2010 review examined performance, and the 2015 review found no upper-body studies of injury prevention.
A small test of general plus specific
The 2011 study had 13 participants, all trained, who completed a leg-press 1RM test under two conditions: specific warm-up only, or the 20-minute bicycle ride followed by the same specific warm-up. Strength values were on average 8.4% higher with the general warm-up added (p = 0.002). The authors attribute this to temperature-dependent neuromuscular adjustments and say the result supports testing guidelines that recommend a moderate-intensity general warm-up as well as a specific one.
The limits are plain: 13 people, one exercise and a maximal test. The protocol was built for a leg-press 1RM, and none of the sources tests a warm-up designed for dumbbell or kettlebell training sessions.
An illustration of how the parts could fit together
The sequence below is an assembly of the components described above. It is an illustration, not a protocol that any of the studies tested.
- Complete the NHS routine, which provides the general warm-up.
- Take the first lift of the session, such as a goblet squat or a one-arm row, and do a few repetitions with a clearly lighter weight than the planned working weight.
- Move to a heavier weight for a short set before the working sets begin.
- Repeat the lighter set for any new exercise that uses a different movement.
Choosing the working weights themselves is covered in how to choose the right dumbbell weight, and the set-up of a safe training space in free weight safety at home.
When to stop and who to ask
The NHS exercise video guidance says to stop the exercise immediately if you feel any pain or become unwell, and to get advice from a healthcare professional such as a GP before trying exercises if you are unsure they suit your fitness, or if you have a health problem, an injury or any symptoms. Anyone new to lifting can start with how to start strength training with free weights.
The bottom line
The NHS routine takes at least 6 minutes and covers marching, heel digs, knee lifts, shoulder rolls and knee bends. The 2010 review found warm-up improved performance in 79% of the criteria examined, and the 2015 review found strong evidence that high-load dynamic warm-ups enhance power and strength. A single small study found a higher leg-press 1RM when a bicycle warm-up was added. The research says little about injuries and nothing specific about a dumbbell or kettlebell session.
Sources
- How to warm up before exercising, NHS, page last reviewed 24 June 2026 (nhs.uk)
- Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- A systematic review of the effects of upper body warm-up on performance and injury, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Combination of general and specific warm-ups improves leg-press one repetition maximum compared with specific warm-up in trained individuals, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2011 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
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