I get a lot of questions from the runners that I work with: “Should I warm up before I go for a run?” & “What should I do?” First of all, yes, you want to do something dynamic and you want to warm up before you go out for that run. Warming up gives your body the ability to start to prepare for the demands of running, it allows your body’s temperature to slowly start to elevate, and then also gives you time to mentally prepare for a workout. I’m going to take you through a really quick dynamic warmup that is really running specific and will prepare your body for the demands of running.
Wherever you have space, you can do each of these movements for about 30 seconds to a minute:
The first one is a walking knee-hug, you’re going to walk and you’re going to pull that knee up towards your chest. You do that for 30 to 60 seconds.
You can do a quad hold, and you’re gonna reach overhead. You want to go nice and slow keeping the knee pointed straight down while you reach up.
You can also do some different marching movements. One option is high-knee while reaching overhead. You can do a march with a rotation which will help things start to warm up by getting some rotation through that spine. And then you can also do a march with a figure four: you do a high knee, and then you cross your ankle over that standing leg and you sit down and back. You’re getting a stretch to the outside of your hip, and you’re going into a little single leg stability.
Lastly, you can do a hamstring sweep. This is for the backside of your body. You want to plant your heel out in front of you send your hips back and you can sweep down the length of your leg: heal plants, dip those hips back, sweep down the length of your leg.
Going through that really quick sequence will give your body the chance to start to warm up and to start to prepare for the run that you’re going to do you.
Here at Peak Endurance Performance & Physical Therapy we help active adults in the Madison Area get back to the activities they love without pain or limitations. We see people of all ages, ability levels, and individuals trying to get back to a multitude of movements including: getting back into running, women postpartum, CrossFit athletes, climbers, gymnasts, wrestlers, overhead athletes, and your recreational weekend warrior. If you’re looking to get back to the activities that give you meaning, relieve stress, and make you feel like you again, feel free to reach out below and we’ll see if we’re the right fit for you.
