Warm Up
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At D1 Training, every 54-minute class follows our 5-Star Training System. This is the foundation of how we bring Division I-style training to athletes of all ages in communities across the country.
Each workout opens with a dynamic warm-up. Those first few minutes aren't simply there to get athletes moving or fill time before the “real” training begins.
Our dynamic warm-up is engineered to prepare athletes for the work ahead. That intentional approach is one example of how D1 continually builds, evaluates, and refines its training around the principles of athletic performance.
Because when training is the product, you better know what's behind it.
So, what's behind D1's warm-up? Let's get into it.
Depending on the era you grew up in, you may remember standing in a circle before practice or P.E. class, pulling your arm across your chest or reaching toward your toes and holding the stretch for 20 seconds.
That's a static warm-up: holding a stretch in one position for a period of time.
Today, you're more likely to see athletes lunging, skipping, shuffling, rotating, and accelerating before the main workout.
That's a dynamic warm-up: using active, controlled movement to raise core temperature, increase blood flow, improve range of motion, and prepare the body for what's ahead.
And there's a reason you're seeing more of it. Research increasingly supports dynamic movement as an effective way to prepare the body for activity without compromising subsequent performance.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends dynamic drills that raise core temperature, increase blood flow, and rehearse the movement patterns an athlete will use during the workout. A 2016 systematic review by Behm et al. found that dynamic activity had minimal effects on subsequent athletic performance while supporting improvements in range of motion.
That's been part of D1's approach from the beginning. Long before “dynamic warm-up” became common terminology, D1 Founder Will Bartholomew was bringing the training principles he experienced as a Division 1 athlete into D1's training environment.
The thinking is simple: prepare the body for the work it's about to do. If you're about to sprint, jump, change direction, or lift, your warm-up should use movement that reflects those demands.
The warm-up sequence isn’t random. Each movement previews what's ahead, preparing the same muscle groups, joints, and movement patterns athletes will use during the workout. This helps athletes improve mobility and range of motion while getting their bodies ready for the physical demands ahead, so they can perform at their best.
This intentional approach is built into the 5-Star Training System, which D1 formalized in 2012 based on Division I strength and conditioning principles. The framework has remained consistent, while the programming continues to be refined as athletes, training methods, and sports science evolve.
As Founder Will Bartholomew put it in D1’s 2025 year-end statement, the D1 Training system is built on a simple philosophy:
“No fads, no shortcuts.”
It's a training approach designed to evolve with the science—not chase whatever happens to be trending.
That philosophy has held up from D1’s first 2,500-square-foot facility in Nashville to more than 170 locations nationwide in 2026.
That's the advantage of a D1 franchise: you're not starting from scratch to figure out what a great training experience should look like.
You get a structured training methodology built from Division I experience, informed by sports science, and continually refined to help athletes perform at their best.
The dynamic warm-up is just one look inside that product. It shows the thought that goes into every phase of a D1 workout and the kind of training experience you get to deliver to the athletes in your community.
Request more information to learn more about D1 Training, franchise opportunity, and what it takes to bring D1 to your community.