limber up
Prepare muscles beforehand
To limber up is to stretch and loosen the muscles before physical activity: The runners limbered up before the race.
The phrase extends to any preparatory loosening—warming up vocally before singing, or mentally before a challenging task.
Let me limber up with a few easy questions first.
Pre-activity preparation routine
- stretchingExtending muscles or material
- looseningReducing tightness or tension
- flexibilityAbility to adapt easily
- mobilityCapacity for movement
dynamic stretches · range of motion · joints · muscles · tendons · ligaments · circulation · readiness
Before the main event
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- trainingDeveloping abilities through practice
- drillsRepetitive training routines
- sportsCompetitive physical activities
competition · performance · athletes · runners · gymnasts · dancers · swimmers · martial artists
warm-up
Pre-activity preparation routine
- stretchingExtending muscles or material
- looseningReducing tightness or tension
- flexibilityAbility to adapt easily
mobility · dynamic stretches · range of motion · joints · muscles · tendons · ligaments · circulation · readiness · activation
pregame
Before the main event
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- trainingDeveloping abilities through practice
- drillsRepetitive training routines
sports · competition · performance · athletes · runners · gymnasts · dancers · swimmers · martial artists · yoga
- getting readyget ready, readying, be prepared, equipping, gear up
limber upcool down
Reduce temperature or intensity
wind down · warm down · stretch out · recover · rest
limber upstiffen up
Become rigid or tense
tense up · seize up · tighten up · freeze up · lock up