Warm up for strength

Why we need to warm up for strength?

As runners, we’re generally working our bodies in one, repetitive motion which can lead to a disengagement of supportive muscles and a decreased range of motion. In turn, this can cause reduced economy and muscular imbalances, which affect your performance. One example of this is the notoriously disengaged, weak glute medius muscles in distance runners due to running in mostly one direction (straight). Also sitting all day.

Strength training requires you to move your body in different planes of motion, making it a valuable tool for active flexibility, range of motion, and functional strength, all of which make us stronger and more resilient athletes. A correct warm up helps activate the more dormant muscles otherwise the stronger ones will take over and lead to further dominance. Here are some protocols to try:

5-10 minutes - general warm up to get the blood flowing. Brisk treadmill walking, inclined treadmill walking, backwards walking, cycling.

5 minutes - dynamic movements to increase range of motion: hip openers, torso twists, jumping jacks, hip rotation, body weight squats, bodyweight forward or side lunges, calf raises, stepbacks with torso twist, compass points.

5 minutes - specific exercises to target specific muscle groups for key exercises: single leg squats, musketeer, banded clams, banded bridges, superman extensions.