Ready for your running workout? Before that, you should definitely take time for a warm up. We show you the best warm-up exercises for running.
A simple warm-up makes you fit for running training. After many hours in bed or just as many in front of the computer, the body is in a state of rest. Now it's time to prepare your body and mind for the effort.
It's worth investing a few minutes in warm-up exercises and ensuring supple muscles and ligaments.
If you go all out in training right away, you will overtax your body and risk injury.
Anyone who has ever had a sports injury knows how long it can take to get fit again. So never forgo the warm up. It's better to plan a few extra minutes for training than to spend days and weeks getting fit again.
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Why are warm-up exercises for running so important?
Our body needs time to get up to operating temperature. You can see that especially in the morning right after getting up. No one jumps into their clothes immediately after opening their eyes, runs to the car and accelerates to 130 km/h afterwards.
We have to take it step by step and take our time to get going. We have the same principle with running.
If you don't give your body this time, you risk overload and injury. That's why it's extremely important to warm up.
With various exercises, you prepare your body and mind for the upcoming stress before a training session or a competition. The body temperature increases by up to 1 degree during the warm up.
You get up to operating temperature, raise your pulse, increase blood flow and stimulate the circulation and metabolism. But also the tension and mobility of the muscles can be increased. The joints are better supplied with synovial fluid.
Warm up exercises improve the elasticity of ligaments and vision and can counteract muscle cramps and injuries. Warm up exercises are like an attunement ritual for the brain.
If you prepare yourself with warm-up exercises, the motivation comes by itself and you are much more focused for the training. In addition to your concentration, your perception is also improved. You can suddenly react much better to obstacles and situations.
How do you warm up for jogging?
A simple variation for short runs is to walk a bit and then very slowly get into trotting. From trotting you then move on to running. If you have been physically active before (e.g. by going for a walk, playing with children, doing housework, gardening, etc.) and are only planning a casual, easy run around the block, then this is often sufficient as a warm up.
The catch with this method is that you lack mobility.
Therefore, comprehensive warm-up exercises before running make more sense. There are special exercises that provide mobility, blood circulation and pulse increase. You get the circulation going and warm up the muscles that you will need later when running.
Especially ankles, knees and hips need to be awakened from their resting position.
Warm up for intense runs
Interval training, tempo endurance running or a driving game are on your training schedule? Then in addition to the warm-up exercises presented for home, you should also name some during the run-in. One calls these exercises "Run ABC so you not only warm up, but also improve your technique.
Warm-up exercises running: how to prepare properly
Warming up is an absolute must! A good warm-up improves your running performance and prevents injuries. If warm-up exercises are not yet a fixed part of your training routine, now is the time to incorporate them into your training.
You don't have to do all the exercises. Listen to your body and see what works for you. In total, you should get 5 to 10 minutes of warm up.
1. arms circling as a warm up exercise
- Stand up straight.
- Circle both arms backwards at the same time.
- Repeat the exercise 10 times.
- Now circle your arms forward.
2. hip circles
- Stand upright and in a hip-width stance.
- The knees are slightly bent.
- You hold your hands at the sides of your hips.
- Begin to circle your hips.
- Smaller circles at first and with each repetition they get a little bigger.
- Make about 10 circles and then change direction.
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3. warm-up exercises running: Deep squat
- Stand upright with a slightly wider stance.
- Squat as low as possible.
- The buttocks are pushed far back.
- The knees remain behind the tops of the feet and the elbows push the knees outward.
- Now turn up with to one side and stretch the arm towards the ceiling.
- The view is directed to the hand.
- Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other arm.
- Do 10 repetitions per side.
4. get warm with the Hip Stretch
- Starting position is a lunge.
- The front leg is bent, the back leg is stretched.
- Drop into the stretch.
- The hip sinks down.
- Bounce slightly and then change the leg.
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5. side stretch
- Spread your legs.
- The toes point forward and the knees are extended.
- Bend your upper body forward and reach your left hand to your right foot.
- Switch to the other side.
- Repeat the exercise 10 times per side.
6. stretch thighs to warm up
- Stand up straight.
- Cross your legs and let your upper body fall forward.
- Rocker gently downwards.
- Slowly straighten back up and cross over so that the other leg is in front.
- Hold the stretch.
That's why you have knee pain while jogging!
7. warm-up exercises for running: Leg swing
- Stand up straight.
- Your arms are at your sides by your hips or you are holding onto a wall or tree.
- Lift one leg and swing it loosely from right to left.
- Do 10 reps and then switch legs.
8. feet circling
- The starting position is an upright, hip-width stance.
- Lift the foot slightly.
- Now circle clockwise 10 times from the ankle.
- After that, you change direction.
- Now it's the turn of the other leg.
Simple and effective: the best stretches for the thighs!
9. warm-up exercise: lunges
- You start in an upright position.
- Place your hands on your hips.
- Take a big step forward with the right leg, the left leg stays behind.
- Lower the hips until the buttocks are level with the right knee.
- The right leg forms a right angle.
- With your left leg you touch the floor very briefly.
- Now return to the starting position by bringing the left leg forward.
- Repeat the exercise and now step forward with the left leg.
- Take a total of 20 steps.
10. tighten knees as a warm-up exercise for running
- Stand up straight.
- Now lift your left knee.
- Hug it with your hands and pull it towards your chest as far as you can.
- Change the leg.
- Do this exercise 10 times per side.
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11. knee lever up
- With a high cadence and small steps, pull your knees up.
- Upper body and thighs form a right angle.
- Run about 10 meters and repeat the exercise 3 times.
12. warm-up exercises running: Heels
- When angling, you push your legs out from the ankle and calf more.
- You pull the foot up to the buttocks. The bent knee points downward.
- At the same time you lead the arms along at a 90 degree angle.
- The upper body is upright.
- Again, run 10 meters and repeat the exercise 3 times.
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13. hop run
- During the hop run, you pull the knee up with force.
- Swing the opposite arm actively upwards.
- Cover a distance of about 10 meters and start again. A total of 3 repetitions.
14. warm up with incline runs
- You start running slowly and then increase to a sprint.
- To do this, you cover a distance of 80 to 150 meters. If you are advanced, you can also do it uphill.
Very important: powerful arm swing and landing on the balls of the feet. Both at slow and fast speed.
How long do I have to warm up?
The duration of the warm-up training depends on how intense your planned run is. If you do slow, calm, short and easy runs, 5 minutes of the presented exercises are usually enough.
How long you warm up depends on several factors. In general, the duration of the warm-up should increase with the length and intensity as well as the age of the runner. As a general rule, however, a good warm-up program lasts 10 to 30 minutes (for marathons and the like).
If very intense running sessions are planned like interval training, then the rule is: at least 10 minutes, better 15 minutes.
As always, listen to your body. Sometimes it's hard to get going, so it's worth taking a few extra minutes to warm up.
For competitions, the following applies: The exercises should be completed about ten minutes before the actual running. This allows the body to recover a little and the positive warm-up effects linger.
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How often do I need to do warm-up exercises before running?
You start every run with warm-up exercises. No matter if you run 5 or 10 km, slow or fast. A warm up should always challenge you and warm you up intensively, but not cause exhaustion.
What you should pay attention to during execution
Be sure to take it easy! Mistakes in warming up often happen because of misconceptions. A big misconception is that the warm-up is thought to be the actual workout.
Training means using the muscles to exhaustion, while warming up is simply about loosening and preparing the muscles.
Start the warm-up exercises for running loosely and try to make bigger movements as the number of repetitions increases.
This means: Start with movements in a range that feels comfortable and seems easy. Then slowly increase to your maximum range of motion. You should always perform the exercises slowly and in a controlled manner.
Do I need to stretch before running?
Before your running session, the goal is to boost circulation and improve blood flow to the muscles. The coordination and mobility of the joints should be improved.
You can achieve all this through dynamic exercises, i.e. those where you move a lot. Classic stretches are static exercises and are not the right choice before a run. However, you can do light stretching exercises in addition to the warm-up exercises for running. However, do not do them first, but after the dynamic exercises.
The assumption of only doing classic static stretches before a workout is a relic of the past.
Our conclusion
Warm-ups for running are really important. Never skip the warm-up. Better to take a few minutes longer to train than risk a bad injury - that's the motto.
Plan on about 5 to 10 minutes to get the body going.
Have fun with your run! :)
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