CNN reports Dana Santas's four-stage warm-up framework, with practical applications for hiking, racket sports and strength training.
On September 24, 2026, CNN published mobility coach Dana Santas's four-stage warm-up framework for preparing the body before exercise. If your priorities include hiking holidays and staying independent after 40, its appeal is practical: make preparation resemble the activity ahead rather than treating stretching as the entire warm-up.
CNN describes a routine lasting approximately 6 to 16 minutes, with the emphasis adjusted to the activity and the individual's condition that day. The sequence moves from breathing and soft-tissue preparation to warmth and dynamic movement before finishing with activity-specific rehearsal. It offers a useful way to think about organizing movement preparation without making the warm-up a separate workout.
Santas's framework addresses the muscles and joints alongside breathing and the nervous system. The aim is to prepare for the movements and exertion that will follow. In plain language, a warm-up should help the body practice the task rather than simply spend time stretching.
CNN's discussion of static stretching helps explain that distinction. The report cites a 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis that found significant strength deficits after static stretches lasting 60 seconds or longer. For activities requiring movement or force, the article therefore favors dynamic mobility and activation over prolonged holds as the main preparation.
The organizational idea also appears in other coaching guidance. A separate coaching guide describes the RAMP model: Raise, Activate, Mobilize and Potentiate. Its progression similarly moves from increasing temperature toward preparing the relevant muscles and joints before rehearsing the target task.
The useful common thread is specificity. Preparation for lifting need not look identical to preparation for tennis or a steep trail. The warm-up has a job to do, and the planned activity defines that job.
CNN assigns approximate time ranges to each phase. These are flexible allocations within the framework, not four equally sized blocks or a reason to watch the clock more closely than the movement.
The first phase takes approximately 2 to 3 minutes in CNN's outline. It combines controlled breathing with foam rolling or other soft-tissue preparation. Areas that feel tight receive particular attention, including the calves and quadriceps alongside the hamstrings and glutes.
Santas emphasizes lower-rib expansion during inhalation and controlled contraction during exhalation as part of preparing posture and movement. Breathing is therefore included in preparation rather than treated as unrelated to exercise.
CNN also cites a 2020 systematic review of 49 studies reporting that foam rolling could reduce perceived stiffness and improve range of motion without impairing performance. The report recommends combining it with dynamic stretching and active warm-up exercises.
The second phase lasts approximately 1 to 3 minutes in the reported framework. Examples include brisk walking or marching, stationary cycling and low-impact jumping jacks. The intention is gentle rhythmic movement that raises heart rate and warms the muscles without creating fatigue.
CNN cites a 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis linking increased muscle temperature with improved rapid force production and muscle power. Translated into everyday terms, warmer muscles may be better prepared to produce force quickly. This phase is preparation for effort rather than an effort test.
CNN allocates approximately 2 to 6 minutes to dynamic movement. Santas organizes this phase around six fundamental patterns: squatting and hinging, pushing and pulling, plus rotating and stabilizing.
The framework also includes balance and movement in three planes. That means forward-and-backward movement alongside side-to-side and rotational movement. The range stays controlled and comfortable rather than becoming a test of flexibility limits.
The guidance favors compound movements that cover the upcoming activity's demands. It does not require a long collection of separate exercises simply to make the warm-up feel comprehensive. The relevant question is whether the chosen movements prepare what comes next.
The final phase lasts approximately 1 to 5 minutes in CNN's description. Movement progressively resembles the activity ahead, with the relevant speed or direction or load increased gradually.
For running, the examples include jogging in place or over a short distance. For strength training, Santas recommends lighter versions of the first exercises followed by progressive loading. Hiking and racket-sport examples bring different demands into the same final phase.
CNN notes that strength training may require more rehearsal and progressive loading. A lighter functional session may need less time after mobility and activation. The structure stays consistent while the emphasis changes.
The exact four-stage sequence has not been validated as an injury-prevention protocol in a dedicated trial. CNN reports no specific injury-rate reduction or long-term outcome for it. The article also provides no separate protocol or injury data for adults over 40.
The supporting findings have narrower meanings. The foam-rolling evidence concerns short-term stiffness and range of motion rather than demonstrated injury prevention or better performance in every sport. The temperature findings concern rapid force production and power rather than proof that this routine prevents injuries.
The stretching evidence also needs context. CNN's caution concerns prolonged static holds immediately before dynamic activity, not a conclusion that all static stretching is harmful or never useful. Shorter holds may be treated differently.
The practical reading is straightforward: use the sequence to organize preparation, not as insurance against injury or a universal prescription.
Santas gives the framework a clear endpoint. As quoted by CNN, the aim is to finish feeling “warmer, more coordinated, and adequately prepared, not fatigued.”
That is a useful standard for an active life. The warm-up serves the tennis session or the hike or the strength workout. Its success is not measured by how demanding it feels in isolation.
For WealthAtPlay, that distinction fits a capability-first view of exercise: preparation should support the activity you value rather than become another performance target.
The clearest application is to match rehearsal to the outing while preserving energy for the outing itself. CNN's examples make this especially relevant to hiking trips and racket sports, where the movement demands extend beyond simply traveling forward.
For hiking, CNN describes progressively higher step-ups and controlled step-downs as possible rehearsal movements. These bring elevation changes into preparation rather than relying only on general stretching.
The research packet also emphasizes preparing for uneven terrain. The framework's balance work and different movement directions belong to that broader preparation, while the final phase becomes more trail-specific.
For a hiking holiday, the planning implication is modest: reserve attention for the movements the route will demand. The framework's emphasis on avoiding fatigue keeps the preparation directed toward the outing rather than using the warm-up to accumulate extra exercise.
Santas's examples include lateral shuffles and split steps alongside controlled rotational swings. These reflect the court's movement demands more closely than only jogging forward.
This is where the framework becomes particularly useful as an organizing tool. General warmth comes earlier, while the final phase rehearses the directions and movements of the sport. It is a change in emphasis rather than a demand for a completely different routine every time.
The same logic applies when an activity is less familiar: the rehearsal phase should still resemble what follows. CNN's guidance keeps that rehearsal controlled and progressive.
For lifting, CNN recommends lighter versions of the first planned exercises followed by progressive loading. The final preparation phase therefore connects directly to the session rather than ending with unrelated mobility work.
This also explains why the phases need unequal time. A strength session may place more emphasis on rehearsal than a lighter functional session. The report allows that variation instead of insisting on identical timing for every activity.
Choosing the session's movements remains a separate planning question. WealthAtPlay's resource on matching exercises to your capability goals addresses that decision without turning the warm-up into another training program.
Across these examples, CNN's guidance favors controlled ranges and preparation without fatigue. Foam rolling is an optional tool within the sequence rather than its defining feature. The activity determines what deserves attention.
The safety boundary is equally clear. CNN's guidance does not support pushing through pain or instability, dizziness or unusual symptoms. People starting exercise or returning after injury should seek individualized advice from a doctor or physical therapist, as should those managing a medical condition.
A warm-up is not a substitute for appropriate training load or sound technique. It also does not compensate for inadequate recovery or unsuitable equipment or an underlying medical problem. Its role is preparation within the wider activity plan.
Adjust your routine by making the warm-up a brief progression toward the activity you actually plan to do, with the emphasis on relevant movement and readiness rather than prolonged stretching or fatigue.
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