Dynamic Warm-Up for Runners

I’m not going to lie, I know it’s important to warm-up. With that said, it’s not something I really do for running. With CrossFit the trainers lead us through an extensive warm-up that focuses on the key muscles we will be using that day – it’s fantastic. But when left to my own devices, I’m lackluster and lazy in my attempts.

When I was first injured my doctor gave me a convincing (and slightly shame inducing) lecture about how important it is to prepare your legs to run, especially since I midfoot strike and put a lot of tension on my lower legs. He also went on to crush my spirits by telling me that if I had been properly warming up my calves before running I may have avoided being in his office altogether.

I would love to say that since I’ve returned to running I’ve been diligent about this, but despite the lecture (and my months of PT), no one ever told me exactly how to do it. Then last week I was asked to try out a lesson (Dynamic Warm-up For Runners) for work and blog about it, and I jumped at the opportunity. (Check out the exercises and my original post here.)

While I felt like a complete goober doing these exercises (and I will probably do them indoors in the future), it made me feel a bit better about my pre-run routine. It also inspired me to dig into some more warm-up exercises that target some of my most abused (and prone to tendonitis) muscle groups.