Dynamic Upper Body Warm Up Exercises

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A recent systematic review of the effects of upper body warm-up on performance and injury sheds some light on how to best prepare for sport.

high-load dynamic warm up exercises improve strength, flexibility and delays soreness (videos below)
short duration static stretches hold less than 60 seconds for flexibility
why it works? postactivation potentiation theory
low-load dynamic upper body warm-ups had largely no effect on performance
static stretching was found to be a largely ineffective method for performance enhancement

Clinical applications by study author Matt McCrary

Based on the evidence of this review, an optimum upper body warm-up regimen should contain a combination of high-load dynamic warm-ups to enhance performance and short-duration (<60 s) static stretching for flexibility gains. Assuming at least a general application of previously noted correlations between flexibility and injury risk to the upper body, these flexibility gains may have some preventative effects. A simple and effective general shoulder warm-up, for example, could involve a combination of high-intensity activities to induce postactivation potentiation in all three planes of movement, along with static stretching of the pectorals, trapezius, latissimus dorsi and deltoids to maintain flexibility.

Dynamic high load warm up: