5 Simple Exercises to Warm Up Before Gardening

Gardening may not feel like a workout, but it asks a great deal from the body.

Digging, lifting bags of soil, carrying watering cans, kneeling, reaching, pulling weeds, and moving pots all require strength, balance, mobility, and stamina. Starting those activities when your body is cold or stiff can make the work feel harder than it needs to.

A short warm-up can help prepare your joints and muscles for the movements you are about to perform. You do not need special equipment, and the entire routine can be completed in about five to ten minutes.

Move slowly and stay within a comfortable range. The goal is not to stretch as far as possible or turn the warm-up into a difficult workout. The goal is simply to help your body feel ready to move.

1. Supported Sit-to-Stands

1. Sit in a chair with your feet approximately hip width apart while holding your hands together in front of your chest. (Make sure it’s a stable chair that is not on wheels.) 
2. Without using your hands, push through your feet to stand and hold this position. 
3. Bend your knees to sit into the chair with control. 

To make sit to stand exercise easier: 

• Add a cushion to your chair to raise the height. 
• Use a taller chair to raise the height. 

To make sit to stand exercise harder: 

• Use a chair with a lower seat height. 
• Sit down more slowly (which requires more muscular control). 

Complete 5 to 10 repetitions.

This exercise prepares your legs and hips for squatting, kneeling, standing back up, and working close to the ground.

2. Hip-Hinge Practice

1. Set your stance: Stand with your feet roughly hip-width apart and keep your core braced.
2. Unlock the knees: Allow a slight, soft bend in your knees, but don’t actively squat down.
3. Push hips back: Imagine tapping a wall behind you with your glutes. Hinge forward at the hips while maintaining a neutral, flat spine.
4. Feel the stretch: Lower your torso until it is midway between vertical and parallel to the floor, or until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings.
5. Stand tall: Reverse the movement by pushing your hips forward and forcefully squeezing your glutes until you are standing completely upright.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Rounding your lower back: Never let your spine curve forward to reach further down, as this puts immense strain on your lumbar discs.
• Turning it into a squat: Bending your knees excessively defeats the purpose of the hinge. The movement should be driven by your hips traveling backward, not bending up and down.
• Overextending your neck/back: Keep your chin tucked slightly and look forward or down to ensure your spine stays perfectly straight from your head to your hips.

Complete 8 to 10 repetitions.

The hip hinge is an important movement for picking up tools, lifting bags, moving pots, and reaching toward the ground.

3. Standing Side Reaches

1. Starting Position: Stand upright with your feet hip-to-shoulder-width apart and your core engaged to stabilize your posture.
2. The Reach: Raise one arm straight up toward the ceiling, keeping it close to your ear. Rest your other hand on your waist or let it hang relaxed at your side.
3. The Bend: Inhale to lengthen your spine, then exhale as you slowly lean your torso to the opposite side of your raised arm.
4. Hold: Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds, breathing deeply into the stretched ribcage.
5. Switch: Return to the center and repeat on the other side.

Helpful Tips

• Keep your torso aligned forward; avoid twisting or leaning too far forward or backward.
• To increase the intensity, cross the leg (on the side you are stretching away from) in front of the other to create a deeper “C-curve” in your spine.

Complete 5 reaches on each side.

This movement helps prepare your shoulders, upper back, and sides for reaching across garden beds, trimming plants, and working overhead.

4. Supported Marching

1. Setup: Stand upright behind a sturdy, stationary chair. Place your hands on the back of the chair for support.
2. The March: Lift your right knee up as high as is comfortable, then slowly lower it. Repeat the movement with your left leg.
3. Pacing: Continue this alternating marching motion for 30 seconds.
4. Repetitions: Rest, then repeat for 2 to 3 sets.

Wall-Supported Marching

1. Setup: Stand facing a wall, about a foot away, and place both hands on the wall at shoulder height.
2. The March: Slightly lean into the wall and march in place by alternately bringing your knees toward your chest. Focus on driving your feet into the ground and maintaining a strong core.
3. Variations: As your balance improves, you can increase your speed or attempt the march with one hand only.

Continue for 20 to 30 seconds.

Supported marching helps warm up the hips and legs while also practicing balance and shifting weight from one foot to the other.

Benefits and Tips

• Safety First: If you begin to lose your balance, rely fully on the wall or chair for support.
• Muscle Activation: This exercise targets your hip flexors, quadriceps, and abdominal core muscles.

5. Heel Raises

1. Starting Position: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Rest your fingertips on a wall, countertop, or the back of a sturdy chair for balance.
2. The Movement: Slowly rise up onto the balls of your feet, lifting your heels as high as comfortably possible.
3. The Hold & Lower: Hold the position for 2 to 3 seconds, then slowly lower your heels back to the floor.
4. Volume: Aim for 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.

Progressions to Try

Once basic, two-legged standing heel raises on flat ground become easy, you can increase the difficulty using these variations:

• Off the edge of a step: Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step, letting your heels drop down below the step before lifting them.
• Single-leg: Perform the exercise on one leg at a time to increase the resistance on your calf muscle.
• Seated: Perform the raise while seated in a chair, which targets the deeper soleus muscle.

Complete 8 to 12 repetitions.

Heel raises help prepare your lower legs and ankles for walking on uneven ground, pushing a wheelbarrow, climbing steps, and staying steady while working outdoors.

A Few Additional Gardening Tips

A warm-up is helpful, but how you work also matters.

Change positions regularly instead of remaining bent or kneeling for long periods. Divide heavy loads into smaller amounts when possible. Keep objects close to your body when lifting or carrying, and use a cart or wheelbarrow for heavier items.

Take short breaks before you become exhausted, especially in hot weather. Keep water nearby and avoid trying to complete every task at once.

Most importantly, pay attention to how your body feels. Mild effort is expected, but sharp pain, dizziness, or unusual shortness of breath are signs to stop.

Progress Matters More Than Perfection

You do not need exceptional strength or flexibility to enjoy gardening. Small improvements in balance, mobility, and strength can make everyday activities feel more manageable.

That is the idea behind The Progress Project at CrossFit Aiken.

The Progress Project is a small-group strength, mobility, and fitness program for adults who want to move better, feel stronger, and remain capable in everyday life.

It is not a CrossFit class. There is no competition, no pressure to keep up, and no expectation of perfection.

Classes meet twice per week and are limited to four participants so each person receives individual attention and exercises suited to their current ability.

You do not have to be athletic to make progress.

Start where you are. Move forward from there.

To learn more about The Progress Project or the Fit for Gardening Seminar on August 10 at 9:30am, contact CrossFit Aiken at 803.200.2004 or info@crossfitaiken.com. Register for Fit for gardening and sign up for a free intro appointment for the Progress Project by scanning the links below