How to Warm up Before Running Overview
Because my warm up routine is unusual, I start my article on how to warm up before running with a disclaimer and overview of the progression from easy to harder. After explaining the actual warm up, I include an in-depth explanation of the concepts and how they came about. This article admittedly needs pictures and video. I will have them both soon. In the meantime, please leave questions below and I’ll answer them as quickly as possible.
Disclaimer
I am fully aware that most people who see this warm up will think it’s weird and nothing like they’ve ever seen before. Because of this, I feel compelled to give you a highlight of my credentials just so you don’t think I’m a quack; I have coached runners for over 30 years. I’m a master’s degreed sports performance specialist and a level 2 coach with USA track and field. I have coached over a thousand runners and to date have coached 20 state champions. This is the warm up I use with them. Since implementing it, I have seen injuries decrease dramatically and performance increase as well. The same can happen to you if you give it a try.
The Warm Up Progression Overview
The warm up should start easy and get progressively harder. By the end of the warm up you likely will be sweating. Here is an outline of the sections:
- Pre-Movement
- Muscle Activation
- Joint mobility circles
- Marching drills-Easy Dynamic movements
- Jumping-Running in place
- Jogging
- Optional (For sprinters or interval training workouts)
- Skipping Drills
- Sprints of increasing speed
How to Warm up Before Running: Step by Step
Pre-Movement
The first section is devoted to preparing your body to move by activating muscles and having your nervous system and muscles ready to work at optimal capacity.
Muscle Activation
Here are the muscles activation contractions that I have my athletes perform. We do each contraction for 10seconds at a 25% of maximum contraction:
While standing,
- With one straight leg, lift the toes of that leg toward the shin. Repeat on the opposite leg.
- With one straight leg, point the toes of that leg away from the shin. Repeat on the opposite leg.
- With one knee lifted to hip height, lift the toes of that leg toward the shin. Repeat on the opposite leg.
- With one knee lifted to hip height, point the toes of that leg away from the shin. Repeat on the opposite leg.
- Put all your weight on one leg, place your other leg behind you and flex that glute (butt) muscle. Repeat on the opposite side.
- With one knee lifted to hip height, apply force down against it with your hand against your knee. Have your leg fight against your hand so it doesn’t move down. Repeat on the opposite leg.
- Perform 5 slow body weight squats while your hands are pressing on the outside of your knees pushing in. Use your hip muscles to work against the force so your knees stay in line with your feet.
- Repeat the same squat motion but with your elbows inside your knees pushing out. Fight against the force so that your knees stay in line with your feet.
Joint Mobility Circles
We then take these joints through 5 circles.
- Ankle circles
- Knee circles
- Hip circles
- Pelvic circles
- Low back circles
- Spine circles
- Shoulder circles
- Neck circles
Marching Drills
This section is about gradually increasing intensity and blood flow while also increasing range of motion of the joints in a proper way that use reciprocal inhibition to cause muscles to relax and start to move through without causing the muscle shutdown discussed earlier.
- A walk with spine rotation
- B walk
- Ice skaters
- Lunges
Jumping and Running Place
This is where we do the same techniques described in the article How to Run in 3 Easy Steps. This section of the warm up is to again, gradually increase the intensity and to also reinforce proper running technique.
- 10 jumps in place
- 20 running in place steps (10 on each leg)
- Fall forward to jog
Jog
Go directly from jogging in place to falling forward into an actual jog. If you’re simply doing an easy run for your workout, this is the start of your run. If you are doing more intense workout, jog ¼ to ½ mile for this section of your warm up and them proceed to the optional section.
Optional Section
This section is for sprinters and distance runners who are warming up for an interval workout.
Drills
We generally do 2-3 of any drill from my running drills article or videos.
Sprints
If the workout is going to be fast, I suggest 2-3 sprints of about 50 meters. The sprints should be of progressive speed starting with 60% to full speed intensity and increasing to 90%.
My History with How to Warm Up Before Running
My warm up routine is one of years in the making and a constant work in progress. It has been modified over all these years as I learn more about the human body and how it responds to training. This particular warm up routine is the one that has stuck for the past several years because I haven’t found anything that is better since. I think you’ll like it if you give it a chance. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions below.
How to Warm Up Before Running Concepts
These concepts are backed up by science and since implementing these techniques, my athletes injuries have cut back dramatically.
Stretching Before Running is Bad
Stretching a muscle when the opposing muscle is slack leads to that both muscles having a loss of strength for hours after. What does that mean? For example, if you pull your foot behind you to stretch your thigh (quads), your hamstring is relaxed because your hand is holding your foot rather than your hamstrings doing the work of flexing your knee as would be done in natural movement. Because of this, the quad and hamstring will likely become de-active (sedated) for hours. This applies to most stretches that people do often:
- Stretching your calves by leaning forward
- Putting your foot on a railing to stretch your hamstring
- Stretching your shoulder by having your opposite hand hold it up
Think about this: Why would you want to go do any physical activity when you have just sedated your prime movers? In my routine, I only do movements where the joints move on their own using the opposing muscles to contract causing the other muscle to relax. I know it’s confusing, so keep reading.
Why Do You Need to Stretch Before Running Anyway?
Why do you need to have a muscle stretched before running? The range of motion that people take their joints and muscles when they stretch is excessive and beyond what is needed for the running anyway. All you need to have is functional range of motion.
Muscle Activation Techniques
I’m a big fan of Muscle Activation Techniques. One of its main concepts is that muscles can lose their activation through lack of use, being stretched, injury, stress, lack of hydration, etc. When this happens, other muscles are forced to do more work than they are designed for and can lead to injuries and lower performance. Because of this, muscles may need to be reactivated in order to do their jobs and maintain proper functionality. Instead of stretching and sedating your muscles, what you need to be doing is tightening your muscles to wake them up and have them ready for action. This can be done with some isometric contractions.
I recommend holding the contractions for about 10 seconds and with about 10% to 20% of maximal intensity, just enough to wake them up without fatiguing them or injuring them. A real MAT specialist would cringe at the idea of recommending only 1 set of 10 seconds, but my warm up is already long by most standards and I feel like something is better than nothing.
Joint Mobility Circles
This concept I learned from Z Health. The basic concept is that for various reasons i.e. previous injuries, etc., our brain can shut down some of our motor functions in order to protect ourselves. This can manifest itself as tightness. It’s helpful to go through a checklist of our joints to communicate with our brains that everything is OK. The results are amazing in terms of flexibility and performance!
Conclusion
Give this warm up a try. It’s different, but I think you’ll like it. I imagine that without photos or videos, some of these steps will be pretty confusing. I will make a video and take some photos soon. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions below and I will answer it ASAP.