Vigorous Stretches To Do Before A Run
We've heard it for years: Stretch before you run. Well, it turns out, this is very sound advice. Muscles that have not been stretched or are 'cold' could result in an injury you had not anticipated. You have worked hard to get to the level of fitness you're at and having an unexpected injury could sidetrack your fitness goals for a lot longer than you are prepared for. Simply starting with a warm-up jog gets those muscles in the mood to run. Doing dynamic stretching (stretching that uses the joints full rotation) helps prime your muscles and keeps you warmed up longer into your run. Many doctors recommend this warm-up process before running as well. Recent studies have shown runners achieving nearly two and a half minutes more running time before fatiguing.
Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks provide a great dynamic warm-up before running. Did you know they have lots of other health benefits too? Besides being a super heart-healthy workout, jumping jacks are a stress reliever, coordination aid, muscle shaper, help boost stamina, beef up your balance, and help with overall strength training. Jumping jacks work on hip and shoulder adductors abductors (inner and outer thigh, upper back, tricep, and bicep) calves, and core. So, there's more than just running benefits with this stretch. You can work out your entire body for overall fitness, strength, and health. They'll leave you jumping for joy!
Butt Kicks
Butt kicks are the tried-and-true runner's warm-up for powering up hamstrings. These exercises activate your 'fast-muscle twitch response' (muscle reaction required for sprinting), which improves running caliber. Butt kicks are also great pre-run prep for cardio, glutes, and quads. Because you don't need specialized equipment, you can do these body-weight exercises anywhere. However, if you don't do them correctly, they won't help you, and you could risk injury. So, keep these three things in mind: only lift your heels, not thighs; it's okay if your heel doesn't actually make it to your butt, keep working on your form; and build up speed as you go. Not only will these moves help you run faster, but they can also even be added to your workout routine.
Bodyweight Squats
Bodyweight squats work all the major muscle groups of the legs. There is no equipment required for this stretch, so you can do this anywhere. The benefits of this type of stretch include building leg muscle for increased endurance, aiding in leg strengthening, and increasing hip flexion. While this is a great pre-run warm up, it can also be added to your daily fitness or cross training regimen. Add weights or strength bands to increase resistance in small increments for safe, steady progress.
Lateral Lunges
Before your next run, try warming up with lateral lunges. This warm-up targets almost every single muscle in the lower body. By using the spinal muscle in the back for stability, hamstrings, quadriceps, and muscles in the buttocks are worked. You can vary this move by adding hand weights for increased resistance. As with all the stretches presented here, this warm-up requires the correct technique. Keeping your back straight and positioning yourself on your heels while doing this move ensures the best results. Large lateral steps will help work glutes more and shorter lateral steps will help more with quads.
A-Skips
The last warm-up or stretch routine is A-Skips. These have become the runner’s best friend when it comes to warming up. Elite athletes all over the world have added this move to their training regimen. This stretch works the glutes and the hamstrings, which are the primary players in running. Muscle memory is the key component in proper running technique, and this move helps develop this skill by working on proper foot strike and knee lift. Repetition of this maneuver ensures automatic muscle firing response during a race or a quickness workout.