Warm-up is the lighter strokes that prepare tissue before depth; skipping it is what makes deep work painful.
In 📝Deep Tissue Massage effleurage, kneading, and easy compression are the gate, not optional extras. A cold layer that is met with an elbow will guard. Warm-up is a dose sequence, not a diagnosis of how "cold" someone is, and not a claim about circulation as a medical event.
Clients feel the region come online. If even the warm-up hurts, the area is not ready for depth that day. Sharp pain is a stop.