Training Tips

WARMING UP

How to warm up effectively by Sam Murphy & Sarah Connors, authors of "running well"...

The warm-up: stage 1 – mobilisation

Start with some gentle all-body movements, such as circling and bending and extending the joints, to prepare the body for movement.

Although running is a lower-body activity, it's important to warm up and mobilise all your body's major joints to prevent carrying tension and tightness with you. And remember, the aim of mobilising is to take joints through their full range, not to attempt to extend their range. Perform the following sequence gently and rhythmically.

1. Take your ear towards your shoulder, keeping the opposite shoulder relaxed, and then move the head from side to side eight times.

2. Now bring your shoulders up towards your ears and roll them backwards and down again. Repeat eight times.

3. Keeping your hips square, gently twist the upper body from one side to the other, looking over your shoulder as you do so. Repeat eight times.

4. Slide your hand down the outside of your thigh as you take the body to the side. Keep your hips in the centre. Alternate from side to side, eight times.

5. Draw a large imaginary circle with the hips: rest your hands on your hips and take the pelvis as far to the side, back, other side and front as you can, keeping legs straight but not locked. Do four circles in one direction and then four in the other.

6. Pull one knee gently up to the chest, release, and lift the other knee (see top picture). Do eight alternate lifts and, on the final lift on each side, circle the ankle four times in each direction.

7. Finish by dropping your head to your chest and rolling down through your spine, with knees slightly bent and tummy tight, until you reach the ground. Pause, then roll back up, rebuilding' the spinal column, vertebra and vertebra.

The warm-up: stage 2 – raising heart rate

Now begin to raise your heart rate by walking, either on the spot or forwards, stepping up and down a stair, cycling or using a cross-trainer or stair-climber. Gradually increase your speed and range of movement, breaking into a slow jog if you are walking, over a period of 5-8 minutes. This gives your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems a chance to change gear and prepare for the activity to come.

The warm-up: stage 3 – running-specific activity

If you want to stretch as part of your warm-up, this is the time to do it, after a few minutes of general movement. If not, it's time to add some running-specific stuff to wake up those neuromuscular pathways. This is a great time to incorporate prone kicks and hamstring swings. You can even make this final stage of the warm-up session-specific – for example, by jogging some slow hills if you are doing a hill session, or adding some strides if you are doing a track session. Strides are a slightly slower version of a sprint: from a standing start, begin to run and gradually accelerate to a pace just below your sprint speed. Go for 5 x 20m.

Prone kicks
Prone (face-down) kicks are a great runner's warm-up. The knee joint isn't put through its full range of motion during running, which means that parts of the joint capsule don't get fed with synovial fluid. This exercise feeds and lubricates the entire joint surface of the knee without impact. Lie on your front with your forehead resting on your hands, your tummy gently pulled in and your pelvis level. Start slowly kicking alternate heels up to your bum, making sure the foot travels all the way back to the floor between kicks and that your pelvis stays still. As you continue, speed the movement up, and add some repetitions in which you lower the leg slowly but bring it up quickly. Aim for 1 to 2 minutes, or count 120 kicks.

Hamstring swings:
Prone to hamstring pulls or tears? According to Running Research News, this exercise puts the hip through a full range of movement with no impact, and warms up the hamstrings. Stand side-on to a support and, with your knee bent, lift the leg up to hip height and swing it up, down and back in a circular motion, the leg almost fully extended at the end of the backswing (see bottom two pictures). Do 20 on each leg, increasing the range and speed with each one but always maintaining control.