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Monday, November 11, 2019

Let's Warm Up!


I runfess...I was a late arrival to the Warm-Up Party.

Sure, I would do a few (static) stretches before a race, and maybe an occasional march-in-place. But an actual warm-up? Even before a training run?  Not likely.

It's not that I thought I was above going through a warm-up ritual, I just never really thought it was especially necessary for just an average runner like myself. After all, I was never in contention to win any races (spoiler, I'm still not LOL). Did I really need to "warm up" if I wasn't seriously "racing?"

The short answer...yes.

I'm coming off what was probably one of my more successful seasons in running. Heck, this entire year has actually treated me pretty nicely. Looking back, one of the main contributing factors was my commitment to doing things the "right" way, and not just "my" way this time.

One such "right" thing I did, this year, was to respect the warm-up. I not only did this prior to my races, but also for most of my training runs.

There are many benefits to doing a proper warm-up prior to running (or any workout, for that matter). A good warm-up routine will loosen up your muscles and joints, which is a great thing if you work out early in the morning. There's less chance of pulling a muscle or injuring yourself if your body has had a chance to "work out the kinks" prior to actually working out. Also, especially in cooler weather, doing a brief warm-up before you head outside will give you a head start on battling the not-so-warm temperatures.

Here's a quick look at what's been working for me...

Since a lot of my runs happen first thing in the morning, some of my warm-up starts before I even climb out of bed. This usually includes foot massage (especially the arches to prevent plantar fasciitis from staging a comeback), ankle rotations and a few pointing-the-toes (to stretch the calf muscles) and flexing-the-feet (working the shins). This initial stuff takes only a couple of minutes.

There's also a quick once-over with either the foam roller or the beaded rolling stick (3-5 minutes). The main objective with this is to loosen up the muscles (plus, it just feels good).

Once dressed, there are several moves that work specific sets of muscles to get them ready before hitting the street:

Squats - lower body; I usually do a few slowly, then several more at a faster speed

Butt kicks  - these loosen up the quads and work the glutes and hamstrings.

High knees - dynamic stretching of the glutes and hamstrings

Toy soldier walk - more glute stretching, as well as hip flexors and core

Leg swings - front/back 

Leg swings - side to side

As a bonus, most of these warm-up moves are great for strengthening your balance. Remember, the act of running is actually a series of alternating balance moves on each foot. These moves only take maybe 30-45 seconds for each exercise.

Other dynamic warm-up moves (not pictured) are simply marching in place (great for those last few minutes right before the starter's gun goes off), torso rotations (like you're maneuvering a hula hoop) and (if there's room) you can do some grapevines (stepping sideways while alternating stepping in front and back), and/or good old-fashioned jumping jacks.

I also do most of these as a cool-down after I'm done running, but in a much more slow and controlled manner.

It's a little disheartening to think how many miles I've kind of wasted over the years by not warming up prior to running. There have been numerous miles that served as my warm-up when I could have already had the warming-up done before hand. Granted, all miles run do count as miles run...but the runs themselves (or races) may have served me better had I warmed up my legs and body prior to hitting the street. Oh well....

What are your thoughts on warming up? Do you warm up every time you lace up? Or do you save it for racing? Got any favorite warm-up moves that I haven't mentioned? 

 I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up

**I'm also linking this with Debbie and Marc  for the Running Coaches' Corner

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31 comments:

  1. Ooh I was worrying about that icy surface you were on all the way through - even though obviously you've finished all that, come in, edited and posted the photos, etc!! A great set of exercises to warm up. I have now got to a stage where I stretch my calves indoors while putting my shoes on and do leg swings and ankle rotations before I set off. I do have one of those sticks so might try that as I could store it in the vestibule of the house.

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    1. I love that beaded stick! It's much more transportable than my foam roller, so it goes almost everywhere with me!

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  2. For years I foam rolled post run, but switching to pre run was a really good move, I think (ideal is pre and post run!).

    I do most of these. I used to do squats, but mostly now I do lunges -- front, back, and side. In the winter, if I'm running from home, I warm up inside. Otherwise it probably won't get done -- that was a real game changer for me, too, when I started to do it.

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    1. I try to foam roll (or stick roll) both before and after as well. It really makes those first miles go so much smoother.

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  3. I didn't start warming up until I had to. A few years ago I got a hip injury from running and as soon as I got better I vowed to find a quick warm up and never skip it again. It's pretty simple and it does the trick, 10x leg swings forward and back, then side to side, walking lunges, high knees, and butt kicks, and then 30 seconds ea leg calf stretch. I only recently figured out that I need to do some kind of cool down routine besides a quick foam roll and I'm still working on that

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    1. I really blew off the warming-up thing for many years, until I started to really understand (and experience) the benefits of it. Duh! I'm glad I finally came around LOL

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  4. Ah, you were late to the Warm-Up Party too! Haha!
    I really like the idea of massaging the foot and loosening the ankles before even getting out of bed. I will add that to my routine, for sure.
    Love your winter pictures in the snow!

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    1. I try to massage my feet almost every morning, even on non-running days. I've had PF twice, but it has stayed away for three years now, and I think the self care has been the key.

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  5. Better to be a late bloomer and late to the party than never arriving at all, right? You hit on a very important point when you said BALANCE. SO many of my clients and friends are falling. Balance is definitely a "use it or lose it" item.

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    1. I'm a total klutz, so I really try to work on my balance. I also do daily leg lifts, and those help as well.

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  6. smart to warm up! I was just blogging about that a week or so ago, suggesting when it's cold outside to start the warm up indoors. Your warm up looks a lot like mine!

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    1. I shake my head at those who don't see the value in it or take the time...because I was once one of them. It just makes sense to utilize any tricks we can to help our bodies perform well, right?

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  7. That's a good idea to do the feet/ankle/calf stretches before a run! I've just been doing them in the evening as part of my PT exercises but that makes sense to loosen things up before a run too.

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    1. I think the daily foot massage is what has kept the PF from returning...it's been almost 3.5 years now ;-)

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  8. This is such a good topic! I didn't do ANY sort of warm up until I started doing the running classes on the Peloton running platform because they have specific 5 minute routines they recommend. Once I started doing these with my longer runs, I felt much stronger earlier in my runs! They really do make a difference!

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    1. Right? That's the key...feeling stronger in the early miles instead of stiff and uneasy. That's a recipe for potential injury LOL

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  9. As you already know, I was also late to the warm up party too, LOL.
    I like doing leg swings before a run as well - really helps to open up my notoriously tight hips

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    1. My hips are always more tight than loose LOL (Hmmm...and there's another #Kimthing we have in common).

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  10. We used to laugh about "who needs to warm up or stretch?", but yeah, as I get older, it's so much more important! I'm limited on the stretches I can do because a lot of them anger my hamstrings, but getting the muscles loosened up before running is very helpful. And, I love those pink shoes :)

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    1. These poor pink shoes have seen a lot of miles...I got them before my marathon last fall. I don't wear them for anything longer than 3-5 miles these days, but they still feel comfy, and they're too pretty to get rid off just yet LOL I agree with the warming up now that I'm a more "seasoned" runner...I definitely think it's been a game changer for me this past year.

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  11. Those are some great warm-up moves! I rarely do any warm up but I have done legs swings and bouncing in place to help get things started before speed training. I think it helped. ??

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    1. It probably did help! Speed training is tough...the muscles should be warmed up before taking on a challenging workout like that ;-) I'd compare it to trying to do a tough math equation right out of bed without completely waking up the brain LOL

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  12. Yes, yes, yes. Warm up is so important (and I use many of the same dynamic moves that you actually had photos for - amazing!! Good job!)

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    1. YOu also had a few of great moves that I'd forgotten to mention (and, ahem, actually do myself). This has been a fun topic to read about from other runners' perspectives!

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  13. I usually use my first mile as a 'warmup', unless I'm feeling really stiff. Then I'll foam roll. Otherwise, I'm not a big fan of warming up before I run.

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    1. We all gotta do what works for us. No one else knows our bodies better than we do ourselves ;-)

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  14. You're a smart woman! It really makes such a difference when we warm up and it does just take a few minutes.

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  15. Nice job. I like that you've started to incorporate these into your routine. One thing to add is that they act as muscle memory - so when you're out running, the form you have during drills will become the form you have during your run... So make sure your drill form is on point!

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  16. My hubby is SO good about warming up each and every time he runs, and especially before races. I'm more of a lace up and go kinda person, but am trying to be better about incorporating warm ups these days.

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  17. Wow! It looks like you have a great regimen of dynamic warm-ups. I need to be better about doing them!

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  18. Great tips for warming up. I need to do these now that it is colder in the morning as it will also warm me up too. :-)

    Thank you for linking up with us!

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