Prehab for crossfit: why everyone needs to do a individualised warm-up
Individual prehab is a must before your crossfit wOD:
In CrossFit, longevity is the key to progression and performance.
While most WODs kick off with a general warm-up led by the coach, the truth is it is not adequate to prevent injury and properly prepare your body. Generic warm-ups are great for getting the blood flowing, but they often miss the mobility restrictions, weaknesses, and movement compensations that are individual to each athlete and can lead to injury over time.
What Is Prehab (and Why You Should Care)?
Prehab = preventative rehabilitation.
It’s a proactive approach to training that focuses on mobility, stability, and movement control to help you avoid injuries before they happen.
In the fast-paced sport of CrossFit, where you're jumping from deadlifts to double-unders and overhead squats to burpees, your joints and tissues take a beating. Prehab makes sure your body is prepared, so the intensity and complexity of the workouts don’t pose as high a risk for injury.
Why the Group Warm-Up Isn’t Enough:
Your coach’s warm-up is designed for the group — not for your stiff left hip, dodgy shoulder, or old ankle sprain. If you’re carrying previous injuries, muscle imbalances, or mobility restrictions (which I know you are), you’re at greater risk of breaking down when the load increases or intensity ramps up.
Doing a personalised prehab routine before or after class can:
Improve your joint mobility for better positioning
Prime underused stabiliser muscles (e.g. rotator cuff, deep core, deep glutes)
Reduce compensation patterns which create wear/tear
Keep you training longer and harder with fewer setbacks
Your Weekly Prehab & Maintenance Routine
Here’s a sample routine you can adapt to your needs. Aim for 10–20 minutes, 3–4x/week, ideally before or after class or on active recovery days.
🧠 1. Movement Screening (once a week)
Check your shoulder flexion with back to the wall, hip flexion and rotation range of motion, ankle dorsiflexion, thoracic rotation.
Note the degrees of movement and any pinching or stiffness. Compare left to right.
🔍 Not sure what to look for? A physio can assess and give you a personalised screen.
🔄 2. Mobility Work (daily or pre-WOD)
Thoracic spine: Foam roller extensions + thread the needle (1–2 mins each)
Hips: Couch stretch, pigeon pose, 90/90s (1–2 mins per side)
Ankles: Knee-to-wall drills + banded ankle mobilisations
Shoulders: sleeper stretch, banded lat stretch
💪 3. Stability & Control (3-4x/week)
Rotator cuff & scapular control: Prone dumbbell WITYs, foam roller wall slides
Core engagement: Dead bugs, bird-dogs, Pallof press
Hip stability: Clamshells, reverse clam shells, captain morgans
Ankle stability: Bent and straight leg calf raise, y-balance test.
📈 4. Integrate Into Warm-Ups
Before high-skill or high-load movements:
Do specific activations — e.g. scap pull-ups before handstands or shoulder-to-overhead
Practice movement prep — e.g. Kip swings and chest to bar pull-ups before muscle ups
Don’t Wait Until You're Injured
Too often, athletes only see a physio once pain is stopping them from training. At that point, you're playing catch-up.
The smarter approach? Get assessed before there’s an issue.
At Game Changer Physiotherapy, we offer movement screenings and prehab plans specifically designed for CrossFit athletes. We identify your red flags and give you a simple, tailored routine that fits seamlessly into your training.
Final Thought
CrossFit challenges every part of your body — and that’s why it’s effective. But if you want to keep training hard for years to come, prehab isn’t optional — it’s essential.
👉 Book a movement screen at Game Changer Physiotherapy and get ahead of injuries — not left behind by them.
