How You Should Warm Up Before You Run

Why it's important to warm up for your runs, plus all the moves you need in your pre run warm up!

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I have been an athlete my entire life. Since I could walk I was put into all kinds of sports, from soccer to swimming and softball. And you know what we always did to start practice and games? We warmed up!

When I started running track in middle school we spent more time warming up for our workout than any other sport I'd ever played. We spent so much time warming up for track because running is hard on the body team. Your warm up for any sport is critical to your performance!

Warming up gets your muscles, joints and central nervous system ready for the pressures you're about to put on them. Your warm up will not only help you be injury and pain free but also perform better.

Okay so get this, we let our cars warm up in the winter time when it's cold right? So why as adults do we think we don't need to warm up?! If anything we need warm ups more as adults than we do as children! It seriously blows my mind. And don't tell me that you don't have time for a warm up or that you run a slow mile for your warm up before running more faster miles. No no no...

I'm talking about warming up your joints, your core, your lungs, the tiny support muscles and doing purposeful movements to get your nervous system ready to react to the stimulus your about to put on it.

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Do you ever get shin splints from running? What about side stitches? Low back pain? Knee pain? These are common running pains that can almost always be taken care of simply by warming up.

It takes the body on average 30 minutes to be completely warm. That's why when you go out for your runs (if you're not warming up beforehand) you don't normally feel fast or ready until about mile 2 or 3. Team, let's change that so you can start performing better and get your workouts started when it's supposed to start and not when you're already halfway done with it.

Not really sure where to start with your warm up? Check out this general running warm up video! It's a great warm up for any running based athlete. If your sport requires more than just running add in some sport specific movements to the end of this video to make sure you're ready for what your sport is demanding of your body.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! And as always team, DON'T hesitate to ask me anything! I'm here to help!

Now get out there and Train Like an Athlete.

-Coach

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Visit my youtube channel or instagram @sofit_sonya for more videos!