Suggest

Pre-Run Dynamic Warm-up

Running / Popular

Activate muscles with dynamic mobility before a run.

What coaches agree on

  • Start with a short, easy jog of about 5 to 10 minutes to get the blood flowing and muscles warm before moving into anything more dynamic.
  • Open the hips with leg swings — forward-and-back and side-to-side, holding onto something for balance if needed — it is the single most common move across these routines.
Show more
  • Add in lunges — forward, walking, or with a twist — to open the hips further and switch on the glutes.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a plain jog, or the first part of the run itself, as your whole warm-up skips the mobility work your muscles need and leaves you running sluggish for the first kilometer or more.
  • Holding static stretches on cold muscles right before running can reduce your power output — save deep static holds for after the run and use movement-based drills beforehand instead.
  • Worrying that a thorough warm-up drains energy you will need for the run is a common but mistaken fear — done properly, it leaves you fresher once the run starts, not more fatigued.
5k Warm Up Routine
Beginner

5k Warm Up Routine

Coach's take: Genuinely useful, well-sequenced warm-up plan you could use before any race.

3.5