Don’t you just love slipping on your shoes and running out the door?

It pretty freeing that all you need for a jog, is yourself and a pair of shoes.

… Not so fast!

There is one thing you should definitely do before you head out for that run, especially in this chilly winter weather.

What’s that you ask?

A dynamic warm-up!

Everything runs better when its warm: cars, planes, animals! People aren’t any different.

A warm-up is important for increasing body temperature and improving muscular pliability. It helps to coordinate our neuromuscular system to prepare us to run. This actually translates to improved running form.

It also helps to reduce injury because of increased activation of targeted muscle groups.

There are probably a number of injuries out there that could have been prevented if a proper warm up occurred.

So here are some easy warm-up exercises you can do before your jog.

  1. Walking lunges: step forwards into a lunge position, then bring the back leg forwards to meet the front leg in standing. Do one pass (15 steps) this way, then do the next pass with trunk rotation. Step forwards on the right leg and while in a lunge position, rotate your trunk to the right. Then step forwards with the left and rotate do the left. Do one pass (15 steps) this way.

  2. High knees: walk forwards and lift each leg up into a march position as you go forwards. Do one pass (15 steps) this way, then on the second pass add a small skip while your knee is raised.

  3. Butt-kickers: walk forwards and with each step, lift your heel towards your bottom. Do one pass (15 steps) this way, then on the next pass do a faster-pace kick with a small jog.

  4. Toe taps: Walk forwards and lift each leg straight in front of you as if you are kicking forwards. Reach the opposite arm as if you are trying to touch your toes. Do two passes (15 steps each) this way.

There you have it! It’s a pretty simple warm-up that isn’t time consuming and is effective in helping reduce risk of injury, improve muscle firing, and improve joint range of motion during a run.

If you aren’t in the habit of a dynamic warm-up before a run, do yourself a favor and get into that habit. Your body will thank you, as will your mileage time.

Do you already do a dynamic warm-up? Did you test this one out? Send us an e-mail here to let us know!