The ULTIMATE Dynamic, Full Body Beach Volleyball Warm Up!

We are going to share with you the ULTIMATE dynamic, full-body warm up for beach volleyball. It includes every move that you need to get mobile, loose and ready for your practice or match!

Want to SEE each of the exercises as well as just read about them? Check out the ULTIMATE beach volleyball warm up in action from one of our 7-day camps in St. Pete, FL:

 

*Note: ALL exercises should be done for either 20 reps or 20 seconds unless otherwise stated.

1) Cat/Cow Stretch 

Start on your hands and knees with your knees directly under hips and your hands directly under shoulders. You are going to alternate between "Cat" and "Cow." Cat stretch: push your spine up towards the sky (Cat), rounding out your back. Cow stretch: drop your belly button down to the ground, so your spine curves the opposite way that it did in Cat, and lift your shoulders and head up towards the sky. You should feel your pelvis moving forwards and backwards, and feel your shoulder blades dropping in and out. 

 

2) Front Lying Chest Raises

Lying on your stomach, put your hands by your pecs, above the ground, and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Leave your feet in the ground and raise your chest up off the ground nice and slow, then come back down to touch your chest to the sand, and repeat. They need to be controlled movements, so you are not just letting your chest fall to the ground - you are slowly raising and lowering your chest under control. Make sure that your shoulders stay down away from your ears so your traps are relaxed. 

 

3) Front Lying Leg Raises

Stay lying on your stomach and move your hands out in front of your head with your arms completely outstretched. Keep your hands in the ground, squeeze your glutes and raise your legs up off the ground. Hold your legs up for about half a second, then lower them back to the ground and repeat. Try to get your thighs off the ground, but only raise your legs as high as you can without experiencing any lower back pain. 

 

4) Front Lying Opposite Raises

Make a fist with your left hand and put it in the sand right underneath your face, so you can rest your forehead on your fist. Leave your right arm outstretched in front of you, and raise your right arm and left leg at the same time. Hold for a half a second, then lower them and repeat. Again, try to get your thigh off the ground, but only raise your legs as high as you can without experiencing any lower back pain. After 20 reps, switch to your right arm and left leg, and repeat.

 

5) Superman (Skydive)

Stay laying on your stomach and raise both arms and legs off the ground. Again, try to get your thighs off the ground, but only lift your legs as far as you can without any pain. Let your limbs go a little crazy - wiggle them around, move them side to side and up and down. You can make some arm circles; you can rock your body back and forth. End by raising all four limbs up as high as you can, hold for 5 seconds and release. 

 

6) Plank Alternating Leg Raises

Get into a forearm plank: your forearms and the balls of your feet/toes should be in the sand holding the rest of your body up. Put your elbows directly under your shoulders and keep your back nice and flat (from the top of your head down to your tailbone makes a straight line). Raise one leg at a time as high as you can while keeping your back flat, and squeeze your core to keep your hips from falling to one side. Hold the leg raise for about half a second, then switch legs. Keep alternating for 20 reps. 

 

7) Plank Alternating Leg Side Reaches

Stay in your forearm plank, you should not release yourself from the plank in between exercises. Raise one leg just slightly off the ground and reach your leg out to the side of your body, as far as you can go while keeping your plank stable. Once you get your leg as far out to the side as you can, bring it back in and switch legs. Keep alternating for 20 reps.

 

8) Side Plank With Leg Raises

Without letting your knees or hips touch the sand, flip to a forearm side plank. The elbow that is in the sand should be directly underneath your shoulder, and your other arm should be outstretched and raised in the air, so that your middle finger down to the elbow that is in the sand makes a straight vertical line. You are going to raise the leg that is on top as high as you can while keeping your plank stable, hold for half a second and lower it. Repeat for 20 reps, then switch sides without letting your knees or hips touch the sand.

 

9) Alternating Elbow to Knee Drives

Without letting your knees or hips touch the sand, flip to a straight arm plank: same as the forearm plank, but your hands are in the sand instead of your elbows just behind your shoulders (your hands are slightly closer to your feet, not directly under your shoulders) and arms are completely straight. Slightly lift your right foot off the sand, drive your right knee to tap your right elbow, then straighten your leg back out and switch legs. Drive your left knee to tap your left elbow, and keep alternating for 20 reps. Make sure your back stays flat and your hips are not falling side to side throughout the entire exercise. 

 

10) Alternating Elbow to Opposite Knee Drives

In exactly the same setup as the previous exercise, drive your right knee to your left elbow, and your left knee to your right elbow. Alternate for 20 reps. 

 

This warm up is a great FULL BODY mobility workout, but does your shoulder need a little extra TLC? Maybe it's sore and tight from a long tournament day, or maybe you're recovering from an old indoor injury. Whatever the reason is, give your shoulder some extra love with our 11 Shoulder Exercises for Beach Volleyball in 1 Minute

 

11) Downward Dog - Alternating Calf Stretch

Without letting your knees or hips touch the sand, push up from your plank into Downward Dog (arm and legs straight with your hips/butt pushed up toward the sky as high as you can). Pump your knees and ankles by bending your knee forward and keeping the other leg straight, one leg at at time, to feel a stretch in your calf. Continually try to get your chest down towards your toes, pushing it through your biceps. Alternate leg pumps for 20 reps. 

 

12) Upward Dog

From the downward dog position, go back to a plank then keep going, pushing your hips all the way down, just above the sand, and lifting your chest, neck and head up towards the sky. Look upwards for an added neck stretch. Hold for 20 seconds.

 

13) 10 Pushups

Go back to a straight arm plank and do 10 pushups. 

 

14) Agility Steps - Front & Behind (Right Foot First)

Stand up and go to a sideline of the court. You are going to take small quick steps over the line: right foot forward, left foot forward, right foot backwards, left foot backwards. Repeat for 20 seconds, then jog across the court to the other sideline. Make sure your chest faces downward and take big strong steps in your jog.

 

15) Agility Steps - Front & Behind (Left Foot First)

Stand up and go to a sideline of the court. You are going to take small quick steps over the line: left foot forward, right foot forward, left foot backwards, right foot backwards. Repeat for 20 seconds, then jog across the court to the other sideline. 

Want to show your support and help us make more content? Buy a cool beach volleyball...

 
  MOTOMY Volleyball Training Equipment

 

16) Side to Side Skaters

At your original sideline, face sideways (towards or back to the net). You are going to push off your outside leg (farther away from the sideline) and jump sideways over the sideline. Land on your opposite leg, then without letting the leg in the air touch the sand, push off the leg that is down and jump sideways back over the sideline. Repeat for 20 seconds. Make sure your torso stays tall and straight, so you are not twisting or letting your chest drop. Repeat for 20 seconds then side-shuffle to the other sideline. Stay low and keep your head even as you shuffle, not rocking up and down. Repeat Side to Side Skaters on the other sideline for 20 seconds, then side-shuffle back to the original sideline. 

 

17) Agility Hops - Front & Back

You are going to two-legged hop over the line. Your hops should be small, fast and light - keeping your toes on top of the sand. Hope back and forth for 20 seconds then jog across the court to the other sideline.

 

18) 6 Mobility Squats With Overhead & Twisting

With feet about shoulder-width apart, squat as low as you can with your knees pointing outwards, ideally with your butt below your knees. You will squat 6 times with a couple different movements options: 1) Open up by raising 1 arm up towards the sky, and pressing your other arm into you knee on the same side; twist through your thoracic (upper back) and look up towards the hand that's raised. 2) Stand up and interlock your hands over your head, pointing up towards the sky; squat back down keeping your arms fully outstretched above your head and trying to point straight up. 3) For ankle mobility, lean over putting most of your weight on one leg and rock back and forth. 

After 6 squats. Jog back across the court to the other sideline.

 

19) Agility Hops - Side to Side

Face sideways (towards or back to the net) and two-legged hop sideways over the sideline. Your hops should be small, fast and light - keeping your toes on top of the sand. Hope back and forth for 20 seconds then side-shuffle across the court to the other sideline.

 

20) 6 More Mobility Squats With Overhead & Twisting

Repeat 6 more mobility squats, mixing up which movement options you use. After 6 squats, side-shuffle back across the court.

 

21) Knee Hugs Across the Court

Grab one knee and pull it up to your chest.Keep your base leg straight. Hold for a second then take a couple steps forward and repeat with the opposite knee. You can pull your knee both ways (across your body and outside your body). Keep alternating all the way across the court.

 

22) Running High Knees Across the Court

Run across the court to the other sideline, but drive your knee up to your chest on every stride. Focus on speed, getting your knee up to your chest quickly. Steps can be small to maximize reps.

 

23) Quad Stretch Across the Court

Grab one foot (palm on the top of your foot) and pull your foot back to your butt. Keep your base leg straight. Keep your chest, neck and head open, or facing up. Once you get your foot to your butt. Pull from the top of your toes for an extra ankle stretch. Hold for a second then take a couple steps forward and repeat with the opposite leg.

 

24) Running Butt Kicks Across the Court

Run across the court to the other sideline, but drive your foot back towards your butt on every stride. Focus on speed, getting your foot back to your butt quickly. Steps can be small to maximize reps.

 

25) Lateral Lunges

With feet wider than shoulder-width, keep your toes forward and side-lunge to one side. If you lunge towards the left, your left leg should be in a low squat position, while your right leg is completely outstretched to your right. Without standing up all the way, stay low and push throw to side-lunge on the other side. Keep alternating for 10 reps on each side (20 total). 

 

26) Sprint with a Crossover Start Across the Court

Facing towards the net with one foot on either side of the sideline, get into a good, low defensive position. You are going to sprint across the court, but start with a crossover step. So if you are on the left side of the court, push off your left foot hard, try to cover distance, and crossover your right leg so you are now facing parallel to the net and finish your sprint across the court. Now on the opposite sideline, repeat and sprint back to the original sideline (pushing off the opposite leg). 

 

27) Elbow to Instep / Lunge Twist

Take a giant step forward with your right leg & make sure you back (left) leg is straight. Take your left hand and put it in the sand, even with your front foot and directly underneath your shoulder. Take your right hand and reach it underneath your torso, through the "hole" you made with your left arm and forward (right) leg. Then open up and bring your right arm back through the hole and raise it up towards the sky. Throw your hand back behind your head for an extra pec stretch. Repeat for 10 reps, then switch to the left leg forward. Repeat for 10 more reps. 

 

28) Sprint with a Crossover Start Across the Court

One in each direction, two total, so you end up back on the original sideline. 

 

29) Hip Flexor (Warrior Stretch) / Hamstring (Triangle Stretch)

Take a giant step forward with your right leg and keep your left leg straight. Warrior Stretch: Hold your hands up over your head and drop your butt as low as you can to stretch your hip flexor. Hold for a couple seconds then straighten out your right leg and reach your hands down to right foot for a hamstring stretch - Triangle Stretch. Go back to Warrior and repeat for 3-4 reps. Switch to the left leg forward and repeat for 3-4 more reps.  

 

30) Alternating Pigeon Stretch

 Get into pushup position. Pick up your left hand, and put your right ankle where your hand used to be, so your knee is over by your right hand. Put your left hand on top of your right ankle to hold it in place. Oscillate your hips around a little to accentuate the hip stretch. Go back to push up position, and repeat with your left leg forward. Repeat for 10 reps (5 each leg). 

 

31) Bunny Hops Across the Court

Continually bunny hop (small, fast, light two-legged hops) across the the court to the other sideline.

 

32) Full Squat Broad Jumps

Squat down as low as you can with your butt under your knees. From here, broad jump out in front of you, land softly and balanced, squat again and repeat all the way across the court. 

 

***

Join our email list and Get your FREE Drill Book > www.betteratbeach.com/freebeachvolleyballdrillbook

Looking for more workouts to improve your beach volleyball game? Look no further - check out our 60 Day Max Vertical Program, a lifting and conditioning program designed specifically for beach volleyball players to increase their vertical jump as well as general strength, speed and mobility. 9 weeks with us and we'll equip you with all of the fitness knowledge and programming you need for everything volleyball.

Check out the program in detail here: 60 Day At-Home Max Vertical Jump Training Program

Facebook Group CTA VolleyChat! Get Better at Beach Volleyball for posts about common questions/ problems > https://www.facebook.com/groups/betteratbeach

SIGN UP NOW AND LEARN HOW TO WIN FROM THE PROS.

Check Out Our Virtual Beach Volleyball Programs