As a Comprehensive Fitness coach, one thing I often remind clients is that there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all warm-up—or a one-size-fits-all day. Each day, your body brings a slightly different set of circumstances to the table, influenced by how you slept, what you ate, your stress level, your movement from the day before, and what lies ahead. That’s why I teach a simple but powerful daily practice: There’s an APP for That—Assess, Prep, Prime.
This three-part mobility and movement readiness framework is designed to help you show up fit for function and ready for life, no matter what your day throws at you. Whether you’re gearing up for a high-intensity workout, preparing for a demanding shift, or just trying to feel better in your own skin, the APP framework keeps you moving with intention.
Let’s break it down.
Assess: What Are You Working With Today?
Before jumping into movement, it’s important to check in. The Assess step is your daily diagnostic. It only takes a few minutes but helps prevent injury, identify red or yellow flags, and guide your training decisions. Here’s what you’re looking for:
- Mobility Limitations: Do your joints feel stiff or restricted in any range of motion?
- Muscle Soreness or Fatigue: Is there residual soreness from a previous workout? Tension from sitting too long?
- Balance & Coordination: Are your movements coordinated and controlled, or do you feel off-balance?
- Performance Triad: How did you Sleep last night? What has your Activity level been like over the past 24 hours? And how’s your Nutrition and hydration? These three factors (originally from the Army’s Performance Triad) impact not only how well you move, but how well you recover, focus, and perform.
This isn’t about perfection—it’s about awareness. You’re collecting data to make smart choices, not judging yourself for how you feel.
Prep: Mobilize, Activate, and Address What You Found
Once you’ve assessed, you can Prep your body accordingly. This is where targeted work happens—mobilizing tight areas, activating underused muscles, and addressing imbalances. Your prep should reflect what you discovered in your assessment.
Examples might include:
- Foam rolling or soft tissue work to ease tight quads, calves, or upper traps
- Banded shoulder mobility if your overhead range is limited
- Glute bridges or lateral band walks to wake up sleepy glutes
- Breathwork or trunk activation if your core felt disconnected
This phase is critical, especially for those training with intention. It sets the stage for clean movement, better stability, and reduced injury risk.
Prime: Get Ready to Perform
The final step is Prime—a brief, dynamic warm-up to elevate your heart rate, reinforce key movement patterns, and fire up your nervous system. Think of it as lighting the ignition before you hit the gas.
A good prime sequence includes:
- Multi-planar movements: Lunges with rotation, lateral squats, crawls
- Core engagement drills: Bird dogs, dead bugs, or plank variations
- Plyometric prep (if appropriate): Jumping jacks, pogo hops, skips
- Basic patterns: Bodyweight squats, hinge prep, pushups, pull-aparts
This is also where you can mentally rehearse the movements you’ll use in your workout—or your workday. If your day includes lifting, crawling, pushing, or carrying, your prime sequence should reflect those demands.
Why It Works: Training the Way We’re Built to Move
When practiced consistently, the APP framework becomes a cornerstone of an effective movement training plan—one that teaches you to:
- move Well
- Move In Multiple Planes
- Move Explosively
- Move Heavy Things
- Move Continuously
You’ll notice that those elements closely align with how human beings are designed to move. Whether you’re an athlete, a tradesperson, a parent, or a weekend warrior, the ability to move well and adapt across different tasks and environments matters.
But moving effectively isn’t just about variety—it’s about consistency in covering the core components every workout requires:
- Squatting
- Hinging
- Pushing
- Pulling
- Core Stability
- Cardio Fitness
By incorporating the APP approach before each workout—or each physically demanding day—you’re ensuring your body is prepared for these essential movement patterns. You’re not just going through the motions; you’re actively conditioning yourself to show up with purpose and control.
And when it comes to pulling and core stability, don’t overlook the importance of grip strength. Grip isn’t just a hand issue—it’s a total body indicator. It reflects nervous system readiness, upper body strength, and even correlates with longevity. Whether you’re carrying groceries, swinging kettlebells, or hanging from a bar, your grip is part of your foundation.
Built for Real Life
One of the best things about “There’s an APP for That” is how flexible and scalable it is. You can go through the full 15-20 minute routine before your workout, or just spend 5 minutes assessing, prepping, and priming before a long day on your feet. The point isn’t the length—it’s the intention.
This practice brings together principles from athletic performance, physical therapy, and real-world readiness. It’s practical, adaptable, and rooted in the belief that fitness isn’t just about reps and sets. It’s about being fit for function—whatever your function looks like today.
Final Thought
Movement is more than exercise. It’s your body’s language, your connection to your environment, and your lifelong tool for health and performance. Start each day with a commitment to Assess, Prep, and Prime, and you’ll begin to move through life with more confidence, control, and capacity.
Because no matter what your day demands—there’s an APP for that.
