Is the warm up important?

I’ve spoken to a lot of runners who don’t warm up. They cite lack of time or not seeing the benefit as the main reasons. Doing a warm up before every run, however is a good habit to get into. It’ll help you prepare for that run by:

1. increasing your heart rate

2. increasing blood flow to necessary muscle groups you use for running

3. ensuring adequate range of motion necessary for activity, and

4. may also help to prevent injury

How long do I need to warm up for?

5-10 minutes is all you need (or longer if you are doing a hill or sprint session).

Should I be stretching as part of my warm-up?

Yes!

However, static stretching (long hold, touching your toes for 30 seconds etc) as the sole method of stretching is no longer advocated. Dynamic stretching is more useful.

Dynamic stretching involves controlled, repetitive sports-specific movements that mimic the way your muscles and connective tissues will need to stretch during your run, e.g. swinging your leg forwards 15 times.

Sample warm up routine for running

Here is a sample warm up that you can try out:

As you leave the house start with walking . Swimming arms. Rotating torso. After 2 minutes increase your pace.

Then do the following drills at 10-15 reps each:

• Hip swings forward

• Hip swings lateral

• Close the gate

• Open the gate

• Butt kicks

• Calf walks

• Dead leg walks

• Sideways running

• Backwards running

You should be starting to feel warm now…

• Now do 10 walking lunges on each side.

That’s your warmup. Simple!

Don't have time to warm up and stretch?

While not the best method of warm up, using the first kilometre as a slow, 'warm up' kilometre can be useful.