Paul,
While I would hate to argue with a dictionary writer, I'm not prepared to agree that any and all things that involve physical activity are athletic. I appreciate that you might apply the word to a construction worker, since he is involved in physical exertion, or to a waiter, but to me that is not how the word is used in our language, regardless of the definition given.
At any rate, my somewhat rambling point was that I don't believe Aikido is an activity of similar exertion to competitive sport such that it requires a proper warmup to avoid cramping, strains, inferior performance,etc.. in the same way that "sports" do. Yes, its good to stretch out dynamically before practicing, and yes its good to get your body temperature up, but my point was that the pre-class exercises should be whatever things are fundamental for that school's curriculum...getting "warmed up" is a secondary focus.
Just my opinion, anyway.
