Five Best Ways For Runners To Warm Up

by | In Depth Articles

Ever wondered why so many magazine articles and internet blogs written for runners start with “Five Best Ways To…”?

Two words… Click Bait.

As runners, many of us suffer from serious FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), an innate fear that somewhere in a magazine, website or dvd there is the perfect shoe, running technique or exercise that will cure us of all niggles and guarantee our next parkrun or marathon PB. And the warm up is no exception…

So yes, we have used click bait to get you here (why should only the dodgy websites get away with it!?) but we have done so with your best interest at heart! As regular visitors to Runchatlive will know, there is rarely any one perfect shoe, running technique or warm up exercise that will suit all runners. In reality, many factors will affect which individuals benefit from which tweak or modification at which period of time, making it extremely difficult for anyone to come up with any one strategy that will suit all runners all of the time.

The result? A whole heap of stuff out there that will work (or seems to work) for some runners but will either work (or make things worse) for other runners!

However, knowing this can help us in or running related goals. Armed with this understandinmg that what works for one runner in our club will not necessarily work for all runners, you can now try out warm up routines and exercises strategies that work for others and see which of them works best for us you. This is especially true if you are returning from injury, which we will see in this article is where a warm up can often be highly beneficial.

For many runners, the warm up before a running session allows time to do some stretches. By this, I am referring to things like pulling your heel up to your backside and holding the stretch sensation you feel in the front of your your thigh (quadriceps muscles) for 10 seconds or so. Another example would be bending over and trying to touch your toes and holding the stretch you feel in the back of your upper leg (hamstring muscles).

This type of stretching where you hold onto a stretch  for 10 seconds or more is referred to as a static stretch, because whilst you perform them the rest of your body remains still (static).

What does the evidence say about static stretching?
This is important, and may surprise quite a few runners: numerous studies show that static stretching before a run does not reduce risk of injury. In fact, a couple of studies suggest that static stretching before a run can actually decrease performance, i.e. make you run slower.

Now I appreciate this goes against the advice given in most running clubs, dvd’s, websites and books across the country, but the truth is a lot of that advice is typically the product of word of mouth, meaning what worked once for a few top club runners was then passed down and became the accepted way of doing things.

warm up for runners

Stretching Before A Run

If we stop for a moment and think about what we are trying to achieve by static stretching, its use within a warm up for running suddenly becomes rather strange. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Do you ever need to touch your toes whilst running?
  2. Does your heel ever touch your backside whilst running?
  3. Is holding a stretch for 10 seconds or more a good way to get your body warm?

Hopefully, you will now see that despite its popularity, static stretching as part of a warm up doesn’t really make sense. It’s hardly suprising that it doesn’t lead to a reduction of injury in studies.

Dynamic Mobility Before A Run

Dynamic Mobility (sometimes referred to as Dynamic Stretching) is basically what most of us naturally do when warming up our upper body – we swing our arms round in circles, we open and close them across our chest. It’s curious isn’t it that for some reason, when it comes to warming up the lower body, we suddenly decide to ignore what comes naturally and instead copy the static stretch that everyone else seems to be doing.

Swinging our limbs around makes much more sense as part of a warm up, especially if we mimic the positions and range of movement that our body will be requiring once we start running. As well as getting our joints ready for movement, it gets our heart rate up, respiratory rate, and psychologically it gets us ready for activity.

Although research does not show that dynamic mobility withing a warm up can reduce risk of injury, at least there is no evidence that it inhibits performance!

Dynamic Mobility Exercises
Any movement that mimics the demands of running could be regarded as a useful dynamic mobility exercise. Lets take the example of hip extension, i.e. when your planted leg moves behind you before the toe eventually comes off the ground. Now, as far as range of movement goes, running only requires slightly more extension range in the hip than walking (15 degrees compared to 12), so trying to ‘stretch’ your hip flexors makes little sense.

More important is your control during the range, and that’s exactly the definition of mobility that we here at Runchatlive like to use: ‘the ability to control movement within a range.’

lunge matrix

Lunges (as seen in the image) are similar in many ways to the coordinated demands of running, especially if you use your arms, which is why we often get runners who see us for online consultations to incorporate some form of the Lunge Matrix into their dynamic warm up. This is especially true if they are coming back from injury, where coordination typically become inhibited.

The Lunge Matrix

The original Lunge Matrix was created by physical therapist Gary Gray, and later popularized by elite running coach Jay Johnson, who describes it as “quintessential, elemental and fundamental to staying healthy as a runner.” The thing I most lik eabout it is that it’s easily adaptable to suit the needs of the runner infront of me. For example, if you are coming back from a calf injury and know that youir body is likely to be a little hesitant before going into a full run, the reverse lunge can be a wonderful way to prepare the calf and anke complex for taking some load as you step backwards and springing forwards to return you to the start position.

The video below shows me demonstrating a version of The Lunge Matrix that I give to many runners, like I say tweaking it as and when necessary to suit the needs of that individual runner. It’s from 2014 so a little bit old, but with over 2k hits it’s stilla  popular routine.

 

Is Slow Running Enough To Warm Up?

For many runners, running a little slower on flat terrain will provide enough of a warm up. That said, the more intense your planned session, the larger the range of movement your body will require (knees go higher, heels get closer to backside).

As a general rule, the more intense the planned running session the more the need for sports specific dynamic mobility exercises. Sprinters for example, whose running gait differs dramatically to that of distance runners, will often perform sprint specific drills before an intense track session.

However, as we mentioned at the beginning of this article, it will always depend on the individual, and the circumstances for that individual, e.g. if returning from injury, training for a specific event, tired from a late night, etc. If you are concerned what best suits your needs, consider booking in for an online consultation.

There are many more examples of dynamic mobility exercises in our Runchatlive YouTube Channel, including a whole Dynamic Warm Up Section  and some of my favourite leg swings and toe pumps. See what works for you and let us know in the comments below!

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