Beautiful weather and fresh fall air have arrived, so there’s no time to waste with a warm up… right?! Although not very exciting, a proper warmup is essential to prepare your body for each run and decrease risk of musculoskeletal injury.
Imagine that your body is like your car in the winter. When you start your car in the winter, you let it warmup for a little time before accelerating too much to protect its engine and moving parts. Similar to your car, you should not go from 0 to 100 without allowing your body to warm up. A proper warm up will prime your muscles, increase body temperature and blood flow, and activate your nervous system to allow your body to perform optimally during the run.
Research has shown that runners who performed a dynamic warmup prior to a treadmill workout sustained hard efforts for longer times than those who did not warm up. A good dynamic warm up includes muscle activation exercises, dynamic stretching, and a cardiovascular component. Try this dynamic warm up before heading out to your next training run!
PXM DYNAMIC WARMUP FOR RUNNERS (2 ROUNDS)
- Knee Drive to Wall for Ankle Mobility – 2×8 reps each a. Keep your toes pointed forward and heel down as you drive your knee forward towards the wall
- Heel Raises – 2×15 reps a. Push through the balls of your feet and move through full range of motion
- Walking Lunges – 2×20 total
a. Lean slightly forward to activate glutes, keep knee in line with toes
- Triple Flexion Drill – 2×20-30 seconds a. This quick drill simulates your running form
b. Think about driving your knee and foot up on the swing leg as you drive into the ground on your stance leg
- High Knees – 2×20-30 seconds a. Increase your blood flow and get your feet moving
