Warming up your muscles doesn’t take long, but physical activity requires you to warm up properly. Warm-up is a short activity that combines light cardio and stretching before an intense workout. A warm-up increases the body’s core and muscle temperatures to prevent injury by an increase in blood flow to working muscles and heart. As part of your warm-up, you should work through required range of motion of the joints for the activity and mentally prepare yourself for physical activity. It is best to warm up according to the activity you will be doing. Here is a short warm-up that can prime your body best for running!

Here are Some Warm-Up Exercises For Running

ABC Running Drills

The ABC’s running is a drill designed for sprinters, but it is equally helpful for runners of all distances. In addition to strengthening essential muscles, running warm-up drills can help develop proper running form. Increasing your running performance by incorporating this into your training regimen is possible.

“A” Driving Stage

This action depends on the quadriceps and hip flexors. A 90-degree angle is formed between the hips and knees when the knee is brought up to waist level (high knees).

Align your belly button with your spine by drawing your pelvic floor up. The arms counteract the movement of the legs so that one arm is pushed forward with a bent elbow while the other elbow is placed behind the body. As a result, the arms swing side to side like pendulums. As the arms move, the legs move in unison, switching to the knee- up position on the contralateral leg.

Pay attention to:

• • Engaging core

• • Move forward!

• • Draw the leg up 90 degrees at the hips and knees

• • The arms swing in opposite directions

“B” Foot Impact Stage

When performing the drill, you should maintain a neutral foot position, ankle at 90 degrees. It would be best to land your foot in a neutral position below your body.

This element is crucial to distributing impact forces over the foot and controlling the foot’s movement, and it can reduce solely heel-based impact.

Pay attention to:

• • Capturing the forces

• • A neutral landing position for the feet

• • Impact of the foot during landing

“C” Hamstring Phase

The hamstrings are heavily involved with this one. When there is an impact, your glutes pull the foot up. This stage is increased by performing this exercise faster and with more power. The arms swing quicker and higher, replicating the leg movements.

Pay attention to:

• • Focus on core engagement

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• • Your hamstrings contract as you lift your foot

• • Putting your torso forward

Legacy Running Inc does a great job in providing a visual – you can find ,here

Running Warm Up Stretches

Now that you have engaged in active movement, you should feel warmed up for your run! In addition, you can add some static stretches to further limber up.

Quadricep Stretch

• • Hold your foot up behind you for about 15 seconds, towards your buttock

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• • Alternate legs and repeat

Hamstring Stretch

• • Hands-on hips, upright

• • Point your left foot upwards while bending your right leg

• • Stretch for 15 seconds while leaning forward with your torso

• • Repeat with new legs

Hip Stretch

• • Step your left leg forward, facing forward

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• • Feel a stretch across your right hip as you bring your hip forward

• • Changing legs and repeating

Conclusion

Get in the habit of practicing these drills and stretches a few times a week. You can train at home or in the gym or incorporate it into your running warm-up. I would recommend practicing the ABCs for 5-10 minutes, bringing awareness to technique as well. Consider performing every stage of the drill independently, then combining them into one. Remember to pay attention to how your body feels and how your muscles are being used. If you would like any further clarification on any of these drills, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our experienced therapists, and we can walk you through them!