Shriner's Warm-Up
Shriner's Warm-Up is an energetic full-body warm-up in which players perform a series of exaggerated physical and vocal exercises in unison, building group energy and breaking down self-consciousness through shared silliness.
Structure
Setup
Players stand in a circle or face a leader. The leader demonstrates each movement before the group performs it together. The warm-up consists of a sequence of progressively sillier physical actions performed with maximum energy and vocal commitment.
The Sequence
The leader guides the group through a series of movements, each repeated several times with increasing intensity. Typical elements include shaking out individual body parts (shake your right hand, shake your left hand, shake your right foot, shake your left foot), counting down from eight to one with each body part, adding vocal sounds to each movement, and culminating in a full-body shake accompanied by a group shout.
The counting structure provides a clear framework: eight shakes of the right hand, eight of the left, eight of the right foot, eight of the left. Then seven of each, then six, accelerating until the final round of one shake each is a rapid full-body explosion of movement.
Escalation
As the counts decrease, the speed and energy increase. What begins as a controlled warm-up becomes an increasingly frenetic physical release. The group feeds on collective energy, each person's commitment raising the intensity for everyone else.
Finale
The warm-up typically ends with a collective shout, jump, or sustained sound that channels all the accumulated energy into a single moment. This punctuation marks the transition from warm-up into the workshop or rehearsal.
Variations
Some versions add animal sounds to each body part. Others include facial warm-ups, tongue exercises, or vocal scales between the shaking sequences. A partner version has players face each other and mirror the movements.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Shriner's Warm-Up activates the body, raises group energy, and establishes a collective willingness to look foolish together. It breaks down self-consciousness early in a session and creates physical readiness for more demanding work.
How to Explain It
"Follow me. We are going to shake out each body part, counting down from eight to one. Get louder and bigger as the numbers get smaller. By the end, you should be giving everything you have."
Scaffolding
The leader sets the energy ceiling. If the leader holds back, the group holds back. Demonstrating full commitment in the first round gives the group permission to match that energy. Start at a moderate pace so the acceleration feels dramatic by the final counts.
Common Pitfalls
Players sometimes treat the warm-up as a gentle stretching exercise rather than an energy-building tool. The facilitator should model and encourage volume and physical commitment from the very first count. Another issue is the warm-up losing structure as it accelerates. Maintaining the counting framework even at maximum speed keeps the group synchronized.
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Related Exercises
Aerobics
Aerobics is a physical warm-up exercise in which one player leads the group through exaggerated, often absurd exercise movements. The leader adopts the persona of a fitness instructor and guides the ensemble through increasingly ridiculous physical routines, all performed with full commitment. Participants mirror the leader's movements and match their energy regardless of how outlandish the routine becomes. The exercise serves multiple functions in improv training: it raises the group's physical energy at the start of a rehearsal or class, breaks down self-consciousness by requiring participants to look foolish together, and establishes a shared physical vocabulary before scene work begins. Aerobics belongs to a family of physical warm-ups that draw from fitness disciplines such as yoga, tai chi, and martial arts, adapted for the specific needs of ensemble performance training.
Barney
Barney is an energy and movement warm-up exercise in which players adopt an exaggerated, lumbering physical character and interact with the group through simple, playful commands. The exercise asks participants to embody a large, slow, friendly creature (often described as a dinosaur or monster) and move through the space with maximum physical commitment and minimum self-consciousness. The inherent silliness of the character lowers inhibitions quickly, making Barney effective as an early warm-up for groups that are new to physical work or uncomfortable with large physical choices. The exercise builds comfort with exaggerated movement, vocal projection, and the willingness to look ridiculous in front of others, all foundational skills for improv performance.
Sock 'Em
Sock 'Em is a physical warm-up exercise in which players engage in a playful combat game using soft objects or mimed punches, building physical awareness, trust, and the ability to create the illusion of contact through coordinated stage combat techniques.
Stretching
Stretching is a physical warm-up practice in which performers release tension and increase range of motion through guided or self-directed body movement before a rehearsal or performance. The practice grounds players in their bodies, signals the transition from everyday life into creative readiness, and reduces the risk of physical strain during exercises that involve movement, physicality, or sustained ensemble work.
Heave Ho
Heave Ho is a group energy exercise in which players build shared physical momentum through synchronized movement and vocal sounds, working toward a collective release. The group rocks or sways together, building rhythmic energy through a repeated "heave" motion, until a shared peak is reached and the group releases with "ho." The exercise builds group synchrony, physical awareness of collective rhythm, and the experience of shared energy building to a shared release.
Rubber Chicken/crazy Eights
Rubber Chicken/Crazy Eights is a high-energy warm-up exercise in which players perform a sequence of increasingly intense physical movements while counting down from eight. The exercise combines vocal projection, full-body movement, and group synchronization to energize the ensemble and break through physical inhibitions.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Shriner's Warm-Up. Retrieved March 18, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/shriners-warm-up
The Improv Archive. "Shriner's Warm-Up." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/shriners-warm-up.
The Improv Archive. "Shriner's Warm-Up." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/shriners-warm-up. Accessed March 18, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.