5 Minute Dynamic Stretching Warm Up to Improve Runs

Do you lean in to your runs or jump in with vigor?

If you jump in ready to rock n roll, you could be sacrificing endurance and based on all the research, risking injury.

Can you spare 5, maybe 10 minutes for a better run? And yes, there’s science behind the need for your warm up…I wouldn’t make you do something for no good reason! Dynamic stretching is going to become your new favorite thing as you find yourself running better and staying injury free.Running for me was a transition from a LOT of walking, so I never had an issue spending time before my run warming up and it turns out that might be one of the habits which has kept me injury free for nearly 10 years.

If you’re more of a let’s get going ASAP runner, here’s why it matters…

Why Your Dynamic Warm Up Matters

During a workout, up to 80 percent of blood volume is shifted to the active muscles. Warming up for 12-15 minutes helps the body transition from rest to action without creating stress on the organs or brain.

Dr. Phil Maffetone provides these more specific reasons why warming up prior to your run will result in better performance:

• Greater efficiency of joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments
• Greater range of motion
• Increased oxygen availability
• Increased lung capacity
• Release of stored fat for energy
• Creates a routine for mental preparation

There are a few different components of a great running warm up, so let’s find out how each one works. I figure the more you know, the more likely you are to follow through!!

Goal: Improve range of motion, increase blood flow to the muscles
Dynamic stretching utilizes momentum to warm up the muscles and increase range of motion. Traditional static stretching is used to elongate muscles, which prior to running can cause injury.

Goal: Improve endurance
Walking for 7-10 minutes prior to starting the run has been shown to result in the ability to run longer! No need to walk for 30 minutes, just do roughly a half mile at a good pace and you’ll have the body completely primed for a great workout.

Ready for a better run? Include these dynamic stretches in your pre-run routine #runing Click To Tweet

5 Minute Dynamic Warm Up Routine

Following is the dynamic stretching warm up routine I’ve pulled together from reading Matt Fitzgerald, Runner’s World and others over the last 14 years.

One of the things I find most effective is to change up the moves each day. Which means you’ll be getting in hip, glute and core work before every single run. In the video at the bottom, I will demonstrate a variety of moves.

Dynamic stretching utilizes momentum to warm up the muscles and increase range of motion. All of this goes in to improving your stride and ensuring that you don’t blast off with cold muscles resulting in a strain or in poor form due to tight muscles.

It hits all my potential areas of issue {IT Band/Hips}, it’s super fast and it also gets your mind ready to run. Having a consistent routine actually primes the body to run, it’s why consistency is so important.

If I had to pick a few key dynamic stretches, I’d start with these.

Leg Swings
Forward and back, side to side, do both for roughly 10 swings on each leg. Hold on to a wall or bar for better balance and don’t try to push the leg, just let it swing and the range will increase.

Knee Circles
Rock out with your bad self and circle those ankles, knees and hips. It lubricates all the joints. You quite literally place your knees together, bend a little and rotate in circles with knees remaining touching.

Lunge Matrix
If there is one thing my athletes have learned it’s how to do a couple moves from the IT Band lunge matrix before every single run! It’s just a great way to hit muscles from different directions and wake up the glutes.

Figure 8’s
Lifting your knee up to 90 degrees, move the knee through a figure 8 motion to open up the range of motion in your hips.

Bent Over Toe Taps
Standing in a star position, bend at the waist reaching your right arm to your left toe. Return to standing and repeat on the opposite side. Great for warming up the trunk and getting you to start engaging your core.

See the moves in action here:

After you finish the dynamic warm up routine, try walking for just a half mile. I use it as a way to get focused and transition from sleep to moving. What I learned along the way is that actually helps me run farther and these dynamic exercises I’ve managed to keep IT Band issues at bay for quite some time.

This dynamic stretching warm up for running is just one of the ways you can get your body primed. If it’s winter time and you’re dreading the outdoors, here’s my favorite indoor winter running warm up. It gives the same benefits of a dynamic warm up, but increases my body temperature enough to make walking out the door more appealing.

Do you take time to warm up?

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