Does Warming Up Before a Run Actually Prevent Injuries?
Does warming up before a run actually prevent injuries? Or is it a waste of 15 minutes you could spend running? What's even the purpose of a warm up?
This post covers the what, the how, and the why of warming up before a run and whether it actually matters for injury prevention.
What Is a Warm Up?
A warm up is a general term for any preparation you do before exercise to prime your body for movement. Warming up can include passive stretching, dynamic movements, plyometrics, and any sport specific tasks.
What's Actually Happening in Your Body
When you start moving, your body releases stored energy molecules in the form of heat. That chemical reaction raises the temperature of your core and tissues. At the same time, your blood vessels dilate and speed up the delivery of oxygen and fuel throughout your body.
The result is a cascade effect. Your muscles can produce more energy, and your muscle fibers can contract and relax more quickly. In short, warming up gives your muscles more fuel available faster, lets you generate force more efficiently, and has a positive effect on your running performance.
How Should You Warm Up?
Traditionally, running warm ups focused more on passive stretching, and you will still see plenty of people stretching their calves, quads, hamstrings, and arms before a run. This is part of how we warmed up when I did cross country. However, times have changed. Current evidence suggests this may not be the best idea as it may decrease performance, so it’s better to save it for after your run.
There is no singular best way to warm up, however there are certain components that make one more effective. The foundation of a solid warm up routine should reflect the demands of the activity. For runners, that means focusing more on dynamic movements of the ankle, knee, hip, and trunk as well as, well, some running itself.
Here's an example of a solid dynamic warm up before a run:
3-5 min easy jog
Start with a low intensity easy jog for three to five minutes. This starts raising your body temperature and begins the mental shift into running mode.
Then move into the dynamic sequence. I work from larger muscle groups down to smaller: hips first, then knees, then ankles.
10 side leg swings each
Fire up those hip abductors and get those hip joints loosened up.
10 kickbacks each
Get a little ground contact to emphasize hip extension, but don’t scuff your shoe tread too much.
Over about 15 ft (4-5 m)
Lunges with trunk rotation
Rotate your trunk at the bottom part of a lunge each direction. Stay as strong and stable as you can as you turn.
Butt kicks
Just don’t kick yourself in the butt too hard…
High knees
Drive those knees up!
Frankensteins
(or rather Frankensteins Monster)
Toe walks
Load up those calf muscles!
Heel walks
Don’t forget about your ankle dorsiflexors.
Simple enough! The whole thing takes less than ten to fifteen minutes. With each movement, start with a smaller range and slower speed and gradually increase both as you go.
The Mental Side
Something that doesn't get talked about enough is the mental benefits of a pre-run warm up.
Before a run you might be coming straight from your desk or rolling out of bed. A warm up serves as the transition from your daily life into a running mindset. It eases that gear change rather than forcing it.
The importance of this mental shift is greater for race days and higher intensity sessions than it is for an easy three mile run. For tempo runs, intervals, hill repeats, or a race, the psychological preparation that comes with a warm up routine can genuinely affect how it goes.
Does Warming Up Actually Prevent Injury?
There is some evidence out there that a dynamic warm up may reduce the incidence or rate of injuries, but the relationship between dynamic warm ups and injury reduction is a hard thing to study. However, there's no evidence that it causes any harm. So there's no reason not to incorporate warm ups into your routine.
Remember that injuries can be complex in nature and are often the result of many things rather than just one. So incorporating a dynamic warm up is one good habit among many that may help you reduce your risk of injury.
There's also solid evidence to support a relationship between a dynamic warm up and performance benefits for athletes.
Warm ups can yield a lot of value for injury management during rehab and return to running. If you're coming back from a knee issue, hamstring strain, or Achilles tendinopathy, a warm up gives you a low stakes window to check in with your body before you commit to the full session.
Is something a bit cranky today? That's useful information. Maybe you dial back the intensity or duration. Is it actually starting to feel better as you move through the movements? That's physically meaningful and psychologically reassuring- it builds confidence in the process.
The value of a warm up is genuinely hard to quantify in a study. Personally, I feel best when I complete a solid warm up before a run instead of going in cold.
The Bottom Line
Warming up before a run isn't magic and it's not a guaranteed shield against injury. But it does raise your tissue temperature, improve how your muscles perform, prepare your body for the demands of running, and give you a real-time check in on how you're feeling that day.
The biggest change that recreational runners can make right now is to ditch the static stretching before a run and focus more on a short, dynamic warm up routine.
Looking for a warm up built around a specific injury? I've put together free dynamic warm up guides for the hip, knee, and ankle. Grab whichever fits your situation in the sign up below.
References:
Afonso, J., Brito, J., Abade, E., Rendeiro-Pinho, G., Baptista, I., Figueiredo, P., & Nakamura, F. Y. (2023). Revisiting the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of the warm-up: Are we asking the right questions? Sports Medicine, 54(1), 23–30. doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01908-y
Alves, M. D., Knechtle, B., Silva, D. D., Fernandes, M. S., Gomes, J. H., Thuany, M., … De Souza, R. F. (2023). Effects of high-intensity warm-up on 5000-meter performance time in trained long-distance runners. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 254–262. doi:10.52082/jssm.2023.254
Behm, D. G., Alizadeh, S., Daneshjoo, A., & Konrad, A. (2023). Potential effects of dynamic stretching on injury incidence of athletes: A narrative review of risk factors. Sports Medicine, 53(7), 1359–1373. doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01847-8
Konrad, A., Močnik, R., Nakamura, M., Sudi, K., & Tilp, M. (2021). The impact of a single stretching session on running performance and Running economy: A scoping review. Frontiers in Physiology, 11. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.630282
McGowan, C. J., Pyne, D. B., Thompson, K. G., & Rattray, B. (2015). Warm-up strategies for Sport and exercise: Mechanisms and applications. Sports Medicine, 45(11), 1523–1546. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0376-x
Ullman, Z. J., Klein, M., & Fernandez, M. B. (2021). Effects of isometric exercises versus static stretching in warm-up regimens for running Sport Athletes: A systematic review. International Journal of Exercise Science, 14(6). doi:10.70252/fdtw6296