Personal Trainer Jason Morrissey’s Advice on Warming Up and Cooling Down
Many runners fall into one of two camps: they either skip the warm-up completely and head straight out the door, or they treat it like they’re preparing for an Olympic final. In reality, the best approach lies somewhere in between. You need to prepare the body beforehand and help it to recover afterwards. This does not need to take up 20-30 minutes of your time. A good warm up makes running feel easier, reduces the risk of injury and stops that initial stage of the run where everything feels stiff and heavy. On the other hand a proper cool down helps the body transition back to rest, keeps soreness under control and allows the body to recover optimally.
The Warm Up
When you go from the couch to a run, your muscles are tight, your joints are less mobile and your heart rate rises suddenly. Often this leads to the beginning of the run feeling uncomfortable and unusually hard. When you warm up you gradually increase the heart rate and breathing, improve the blood flow to muscles and tendons, prepare joints for impact and reduce early strain on calves, knees and hips. Ease your body in, rather than shocking it.
Start off with a brisk walk for 2-3 minutes, especially beginners, this will make the transition into the run much easier. Follow that with some dynamic movements such as leg swings forward/backward, side to side, ankle circles, hip circles and then some activation exercises such as glute bridge/single leg RDL, walking lunges and calf raises. Be mindful to not turn the activation exercises into a workout. 1 set of each with 10-15 reps will be plenty to ready the
muscles for a run. Begin the run slightly slower than the target pace and build into it from there. You’ll know you are warmed up when your breathing feels controlled, movement feels smoother, initial stiffness fades and the run begins to feel a little easier after a few minutes.
The Cool Down
At the end of the run your heart rate is still elevated. Stopping abruptly can leave your legs feeling heavy and stiff later in the day. Cooling down allows your body to return to a resting state gradually and naturally, reducing the chance of stiffness and potential injury. Walking for 3-5 minutes after a run helps to lower your heart rate, normalize breathing and prevent sudden tightness in the legs. Light stretching focusing on the major running muscles such as calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes and hip flexors. Hold stretches for 20-30 seconds. These should feel relieving and not painful. Aim for a 3-4 out of 10 sensation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid skipping warm ups to save time. A good warm up can and should take 6-10 minutes depending on your needs at the time. Just have a clear idea of the warm up you want to do. Avoid doing long static stretches before running as this can reduce muscle readiness at that time. Focus instead on dynamic movements and activation exercises. Avoid starting runs like a freight train and allow your body to adapt to the stimulus. You can pick up the pace as the body comes alive. Avoid stopping immediately after a run, instead slow down into a walk and allow the body to transition back to a resting state. Avoid turning warm ups into tiring or exhausting workouts. As mentioned above, 6-10 minutes is plenty.
