The High Performance Journal​ - February 7th 2023 ​

In today’s issue, I want to show you a fast & simple way to boost performance while bulletproofing your body from injuries.

I cannot understate how much the first few minutes of your workout will determine your ability to perform in the gym.

Unfortunately, most people treat their warm-up as an afterthought. They jump on the treadmill or do some halfhearted reps before their workouts and expect to be fine.

This is probably the worst way to start any workout.

Let’s put a stop to that.

There are 3 critical exercises to add in before doing any intense workout.

When you do them you’ll start feeling better in your body while primed for the workout ahead.

Here’s what I call the 6-Minute Superhuman Sequence

The 6 minute superhuman sequence is the method I use to increase mobility & flexibility. The great thing about it is it only takes 6 minutes to complete.

Step 1: Start with dynamic stretches

The first thing you need to do is increase your range of motion and lubricate your joints for motion.

This is a necessity because our jobs have us sitting for long periods of time.

Dynamic stretches improve speed, strength, agility, and acceleration.

They are not static stretches. They are dynamic because you’ll be moving in and out of the stretch each time going a bit deeper to increase flexibility.

The goal is to move your muscles and joints through a full range of motion. This allows you to bring that range of motion to your workouts.

An example of a dynamic stretch would be the Worlds Greatest Stretch:

I do this exercise before every workout.

It's called the World's Greatest Stretch because it does a lot in a little amount time.

In 60 seconds it'll mobilize your hips, hamstrings, calves & upper back.

Watch the vid, do this before a workout & your body will thank you. pic.twitter.com/5P0Crattnm

— Dan Go (@FitFounder) July 28, 2020

Depending on what muscles you’re working these stretches will vary.

When we get clients to do this they see increases in their performance because they’ve increased range of motion.

Step 2: Neuro-activation

When you sit for long periods you tend to forget how to use certain muscles.

Underuse of your muscles can “turn it off”. This is especially true in the glutes, core, and chest.

So before a workout, we want to “wake up” our muscles by doing exercises to turn them on.

An example of this would be this sequence I do to activate my core & glutes called the McGill Big 3:

I do these 3 exercises religiously for my lower back.

They’re called the McGill Big 3 & they consist of:

1. The McGill Crunch
2. Side plank holds
3. Focused & Activated Bird Dogs

They build endurance in the low back & core while increasing core stability.

Instructions 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/gs9NeahnzG

— Dan Go (@FitFounder) July 6, 2021

I activate my core using the McGill Crunches and Side Plank holds and my glutes & core using the Bird Dogs.

This reminds my body to use them when I’m doing a workout.

Step 3: Full-body cardio

The final step is optional but if you don’t feel warmed up enough do 60 seconds of jump rope, jumping jacks, or any type of bodyweight cardio.

This increases core temperature and gets your heart rate prepped for any workout ahead.

When you increase core temperature you also release synovial fluid that acts as a grease for your joints.

Better performance in 6 minutes or less

You would do this type of sequence as a circuit going from one exercise to another without stopping.

This contributes to the increase in heart rate and body temperature.

You would do this before any type of physical activity. I get clients to do this before workouts, runs, golf, basketball, surfing…you name it.

You can also do this to get your blood pumping after a long session of sitting at your desk.

I’ve even created flows to help clients who have low back problems, knee issues & shoulder issues. There are a million ways these can benefit you.

While you won’t be jumping tall buildings like Superman you will be leveling up your performance while protecting your body from injury.

The sky is the limit.

That’s it for today.

- Dan

PLUS whenever you’re ready, here is 1 way I can help you:

Want to increase your mobility and live a long quality life? Sign up for the 6 minute superhuman program where I teach you how to do just that.