Stephanie Lee

Can they be less of a routine and more of a spontaneous test of readiness and mental stimulation?  Can we simply ‘go’ and use what we find there to adjust our training?

 

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Warmup dances for the soul. This is my first ‘movement practice’ of the day. I just came from lunch. I am wearing outdoor clothes. And I am not caffeinated. . . A small rant on warming up in the next post. . . . . . . . #mondaymotivation #mondaymood

A post shared by Steph Lee (@stephxtrybe) on May 5, 2019 at 10:37pm PDT

 

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I go through almost all my previous warmup formulas in this small ‘improvised’ ditty. . Did the last 2 videos put you to sleep? Me too. In the first video, my body just looks so much juicier and ready for the crazy day ahead. . Largely, there are two schools of thought on warmup, from what I’ve seen: ?️ Warmup is specific for the activity that follows it. Eg; if I’m about to do gymnastics, I should do some bridges and jumps. If I’m about to go into ballet, I might need to spend time on some end-range split work. ?️ Spending some time upon waking up/starting your day on general joint mobility. . I don’t disagree. I myself have followed this formula for a long time. But there is a third kind of warmup: A warmup for your soul. . Before doing this, I was asking myself “How is my warmup really preparing ME for the day?” I find myself following prescribed, formulaic warmups and hating it quite honestly..most of time, I just want to get to the end as quickly as possible and get into the meat/skill/sets and reps/fun part. Here’s a thought: Ease yourself into the unpredictability of the day through your warmup, not after it. How are you constantly exposing yourself to new movement, to new patterns? We can start doing it bit by bit through our warmup rituals and our practice will be richer for it. . Most importantly: How are you waking up your imagination at the start of the day? Your imagination is a muscle too! . What is up with all of the restricted, overly effortful routines we use to start our day? Let’s make warmup and joint mobility playful again, folks. Whatever it means for you. . . Credit to ✅ Martin Kilvady’s 3 hour class on warming up all those years ago at @deltebredansa. ✅ @eliamrak who helped me bring fun back into my dancing ✅ @dancepostcard ‘s juicy ass dancing for inspiring some of this grooving ✅ @mejorstrength ‘s YT videos that give me so much to think about! That is hard work right there ✅ @stufffromsam’s podcasts. Listening to your podcasts and trying to practice my undulating coordinations was a true brainteaser (i still suck at absorbing info and moving at the same time).

A post shared by Steph Lee (@stephxtrybe) on May 6, 2019 at 11:53pm PDT

 

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Warming Up with Friends . Continuous movement stimulates our body to “wake up”. It’s not easy to do so for a prolonged period of time (try 5-7minutes of moving without stopping at all). Here, adding in the social element of moving with a partner increases the challenge of my warmup. I have to talk and be social and at the same time, maintain the task of warming up myself for the day. I’m used to certain patterns and certain ways to challenge myself when I am moving alone..but with another person? . In these short bursts of unpredictable interaction, my body has to adapt to different movement pathways, different directions (eg; i can’t talk to him and not look at him). I had to plan around him, and I really enjoyed this nice, low key, movement challenge! My partner, unconsciously here, is helping me unlock new ways of doing old things. . @wongkarwired picked an amazing song and I just had to join in. Again, same conditions – no coffee, no food, first movement practice of the day, ‘regular’ wear, and messy hair. . It’s time to rethink your warmup — how is it truly challenging you? . . PS: @wongkarwired is performing THIS Saturday at @openstagehk !!! . . #warmups #warmupexercise #warmupgames #playfulmovement

A post shared by Steph Lee (@stephxtrybe) on May 6, 2019 at 8:15pm PDT

 

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The games we play. Sound on to hear what we are doing! . Some of my favorite training partners are the kids I teach. They spark new ideas, modify mine (the student on the left had a great one!!), and most importantly, keep me interested in trying new ways to access old skills. Takeaway? ✅ Playmates come in all shapes and sizes. ✅ Warmups are best done with a (heavy) doze of fun. . . . . . #warmupgames #kidsparkour #kidsgymnastics

A post shared by Steph Lee (@stephxtrybe) on May 9, 2019 at 4:00am PDT