How to Warm Up Before Running

You don’t need to spend a lot of time warming up, but a light warm-up can prevent injury and help get the most out of your run. Before a running session, you should do a light warm-up to increase blood circulation, such as jogging or jumping. After that, muscles and joints will be ready to work at full capacity. Increases heart rate and blood flow to muscles and connective tissues in preparation for a run. If you have shin pain, there are ways to treat and prevent it!

Table of Contents

Start with light cardio

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Relaxing jogging. A 10-minute light jog will help activate the muscles, increase the resting heart rate, and prepare the body to be at its best before running. Even a brisk walk before a run is an effective way to warm up. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You won’t be able to run without increasing blood circulation and warming up your muscles with the light cardio exercises discussed in this section.
If you’re going to warm up by walking, maintain a faster pace than usual and swing your arms like you’re jogging. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Go for a light jog or walk until it feels natural. Avoid jogging too far just to warm up; Many people feel exhausted after about 25 minutes of light jogging.

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Increase the range of motion in your legs with hip kicks and knee elevations. When you’re running at a moderate pace, to increase your leg’s range of motion, you’ll raise your knee high but still at a comfortable level. Butt kicks are the opposite: stretch your legs back as far back as you feel comfortable so that your feet are almost hitting your butt. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Butt kicks and knee elevations are great ways to help move the hip joint and increase blood circulation around the cartilage, which lubricates the connective tissues.

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Jump rope instead of jogging. You can also jump rope after a light jog to boost your heart health. More than just a warm-up cardio exercise, jumping rope will work your upper body and arms, getting your body ready for a run. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

When jumping rope, use the tips of your feet to support your body and use your wrists to rotate the rope (not your shoulders/arms). ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Stretch before jogging

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Avoid static stretching before jogging. Static stretching before jogging poses a risk of muscle strain. Because the muscles are not warmed up, the lack of oxygen and blood in the body can cause pain and adversely affect the training session. Mobility stretches, which use flexible movements (such as lunges) to help move the body part throughout the range, should therefore be used to warm up before jogging. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Although there is evidence that static stretching can have an adverse effect on performance, dynamic stretching has no proven negative effects. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Do a few squats without weights. Squats will help exercise the quadriceps and glutes. You should carefully observe the exercise posture; Poor squat posture, especially when working with weights, can be harmful. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Squats without weights or squats with body weight means you don’t carry extra weight, all you need is your body weight (like a standard push-up).
In general, feet should be shoulder-width apart and face forward. Focus on looking straight ahead, lean your shoulders back and keep your back straight.
It may take some time for some people to get used to this pose, but it should be activated by flexing the hips as if in a squat. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Do the squat without weights. The squat movement will help warm up the lower body in the best way. Do 10-20 reps of forward lunges with short strides, from the 20th you will increase the step length to the full range of motion. Then do 10-20 more reps, but now you will rotate your upper body to the left while stepping on the left foot, and to the right during the step with the right foot.

Once you’ve gotten used to the forward lunge and twisting lunge, you’ll do 10-20 reps of the backward lunge and sideways step. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Warm up with climbing moves. Climbing moves will help move the legs and upper body. Use caution when doing rock climbing to warm up as it can expend more energy than jogging. You should do it slowly at first, and only practice for a minute or two and then rest.

Do another variation of this exercise by kicking both legs out at the same time instead of just kicking one leg at a time. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Kick your legs in a crawling position. Thorough hip stretching is important if you want your best running session. One of the best hip stretches can be done in crawling position. Keep your back straight, shoulders straight on your hands, and face down on the ground. Fully straighten each leg back.

When you are stretching your legs to the fullest, remember to squeeze your glutes and hold this stretch for a few seconds before returning to your normal position. ^{[12] X Research Source}

A-skip and B-skip movements. To do an A-skip, lift 1 knee high over your hips and quickly lower as you move forward. Repeat for both legs. After mastering the A-skip, you will move on to the B-skip. Lift one knee high over your hip but straighten your leg forward before lowering it to the ground. This will form a circular motion. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Do A-skip and B-skip in the room, gym, or on the field.
As you move forward, move your arms as if you were jogging.

Prevention and treatment of shin pain

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Gradually increase the intensity of running. Trying too hard, especially when you’re just starting out, can contribute to shin pain. Maybe you should start with half an hour of walking-jogging, and increase it little by little until you reach your goal. ^{[14] X Trusted Source MedlinePlus Go to Source}

To maintain the effort, you should increase your distance and speed by 10% per week. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Maintain a short stride. Increasing stride length will give the impression of a high-intensity exercise, but this puts extra pressure on the legs. When you are new to running, you should be cautious by reducing your stride length to reduce the risk of shin pain.

It is very common to extend the stride at the end of a race or practice session to get to the finish line quickly. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Walk on your heels before and after your workout. When you run, your thigh muscles have to work. However, the muscle in front of the shin will not participate in movement. To ensure balance between these muscle groups and reduce the risk of shin pain, you should walk back and forth on your heels before and after your workout.

At first, this activity will not be easy. You should walk back and forth for 15-30 seconds each set and do about 3 sets. ^{[17] X Research Source}

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Stretch your thighs after jogging. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Grab the elastic band or towel and wrap it around the top of your feet. Gently pull the rope back until you feel a pull in your calves.

If you don’t have an elastic band or towel, stand in front of a wall with your feet 1 to 2½ feet apart. Lean against the wall until you feel a pull in your thighs.
In general, you should only hold this stretch for 20-30 seconds and repeat 2 to 3 times for each leg. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Apply ice to the painful area if shin pain occurs. Even if you take precautions, you can still experience shinbone pain. This is inconvenient, but some ice can help relieve the pain. Apply cold compresses to the shins for 10-15 minutes each time, 4-8 times a day. ^{[19] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or aspirin can also help. Consult a doctor if pain persists for more than 2 weeks. ^{[20] X Research Source}

Advice

Remember to buy the right running shoes before you start!
Replace worn running shoes to avoid injury.
Cool down at the end of each workout by slowing down and switching to walking. Finish with dynamic stretches, and slowly transition to static stretches.

Warning

Poor posture or technique can leave you vulnerable to injury. Have a fitness professional or trainer check you out and give you postural advice.

Steps

Start with light cardio

Stretch before jogging

Prevention and treatment of shin pain

Advice

Warning

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