Proper warm-up routines and stretching exercises are key to staying healthy when preparing for a run. In five to ten minutes, you can prepare your body for miles of running. Follow this simple routine every time your foot hits the pavement. Complete each exercise, in 15-yard intervals, twice.
Download our printable handout to follow along and view the exercises with images.
Jogging
Slow jog
- Hip, knee and ankle should be in alignment when hitting the ground
- Try not to cave at the knee
- Focus on soft landings
High Knees
Bring knees up toward chest while moving in a forward direction.
- Drive one knee up at a time, alternating with each step
- Step, high knee right, step, high knee left, alternating arm swing with each step
- Pump arms
- Keep a quick tempo
- Focus on soft landings
Butt Kicks
Snap heels up toward buttocks while moving in a forward direction.
- Drive one heel up to butt at a time, alternating with each step
- Pump arms
- Keep a quick tempo
- Focus on soft landings
Skipping
An easy skip with a relaxed upper body.
- Step, hop right, step, hop left, alternating arm swing with each step
- Concentrate on rhythm
- Focus on soft landings
Cherry Pickers
Drive knee high with the opposite arm swinging high.
- Focus on soft landings and body balance
- Relax shoulders but use arm to generate height
- Avoid knee caving in upon landing
Carioca
Utilizing hip muscles, alternate stepping forward and backward moving in a lateral direction.
- Keep quick feet and knee slightly bent
- Open hips to rotate feet around
- Focus on soft landings
- Relax shoulders and swing opposite the hip rotation
Twist
Focus: core muscles
- Rotate upper body to the left as you slightly lift your right heel
- Rotate to your right while slightly lifting your left heel
Knee Hugs
Focus: hamstrings and glutes
- Standing upright, lift left knee to chest
- Grab below your left knee with both hands and pull toward chest
- Keep your chest up and perform a calf raise on opposite side
- Hold for 3 seconds, release left knee and step forward and repeat with opposite leg
- Repeat sequence with right knee
Hip Rotator
Focus: glutes and abductors
- Standing upright, lift left knee to chest
- Place both hands under your left shin
- Pull left leg as close as you can to your chest
- Keep chest up and perform a calf raise on opposite side
Lateral Lunge
Focus: groin and adductors
- From a standing position with legs shoulder width apart, step out laterally to the right
- Keep your toes pointed straight and feet flat
- Squat by sitting back and down toward your right leg
- Keep left leg straight and your weight on your right heel
- Do not let right knee extend over toes
- Return to standing position and repeat on opposite side
Inch Worm
Focus: hamstring
- Stand with legs straight and hands on the floor
- Keep the legs straight and walk hands out in front of you into a push up position
- Keep back flat
- Keeping your legs straight, walk feet toward your hands taking baby steps until feet reach your hands or you knees start to bend