Training Concepts
How to Warm Up
for Running
Most runners either skip the warm up entirely or do static stretches that research shows can actually reduce performance. Here's what actually works — and when to do it.
Why Warm Up at All?
A proper warm up raises your core temperature, increases blood flow to working muscles, lubricates your joints, and primes your neuromuscular system for faster movement. The result: your first kilometre feels better, injury risk drops, and — for quality sessions and races — you hit your pace faster.
For easy runs under 45 minutes, a warm up is optional — starting at an easy pace for the first 5 minutes achieves the same effect. For tempo runs, intervals, and races, a proper warm up is non-negotiable.
Don't do this: Static stretching (holding a stretch for 30+ seconds) before running reduces muscle power output by up to 8% and doesn't reduce injury risk. Save static stretching for after your run.
The 8-Minute Pre-Run Warm Up
2 minutes easy walking or very slow jog — just get blood moving. Don't rush this.
Leg swings — 10 each side: Hold a wall for balance, swing each leg forward and back, then side to side. Mobilises the hip joint through full range of motion.
Hip circles — 10 each direction: Hands on hips, draw large circles with your pelvis. Opens up the hip flexors and glutes.
High knees — 20 metres: Exaggerated knee lift, focus on driving the knee up rather than moving forward fast. Activates hip flexors and primes the running gait pattern.
Butt kicks — 20 metres: Flick your heel toward your glute with each stride. Activates hamstrings and improves knee drive mechanics.
4–6 strides: 80–100m at roughly 85% effort with full recovery between each. These are the most important part of the warm up for quality sessions — they wake up your fast-twitch muscle fibres and let you hit pace from the first interval.
Race Day Warm Up
Race morning warm ups depend heavily on the distance. For a 5K or 10K, a thorough 15-minute warm up including strides is critical — these are short, intense races and you need to be ready to run fast from the gun.
For a half marathon or marathon, the race itself starts slowly enough to serve as a warm up. 5–10 minutes of easy jogging and a few dynamic drills is sufficient. Don't exhaust yourself warming up for a race that takes 2–4 hours.
Cool Down Matters Too
After hard sessions and races, 5–10 minutes of easy walking or very slow jogging helps clear lactate from your muscles and begins the recovery process. This is the right time for static stretching — hold each stretch for 30–60 seconds while your muscles are warm and pliable.
Focus on hip flexors, hamstrings, calves and glutes — the muscles that do the most work in running. Regular post-run stretching improves range of motion over time, which translates to better running economy.
Quality Sessions in Every Plan
Speed Work Structure
PaceLab builds tempo and interval sessions with the right warm up structure — so you know exactly what to do each session.
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