The Dog Days Are Over* warmup

by Engy Mohsen

 

This exercise is best used as a warm-up during long working sessions, especially with a group, to renew your energy levels.

One person has to guide and set the rhythm for the group

Everyone stands in a circle, not too close and not too far from each other

The guide asks everyone to bend their knees and lower their bodies a bit

Place each hand in front of you on the top of each thigh

The guide then sets a rhythm to mimic the sound of the stomping feet of a horse

Gently, slap your thighs with your hands to create that sound together

Everyone else tries to follow the rhythm while keeping a bent knee

The warm-up continues for about three minutes, or when someone’s thighs start to hurt

You slowly go back to a standing posture, and back to work

 

*The name is derived from a Florence + The Machine song, that we used to frequently listen to during that period, and it has a line that says:

The dog days are done

Can you hear the horses?

‘Cause here they come