Best Warm Up Exercises For Walking & Running

Best Warm Up Exercises For Walking & Running

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Whether you’re going for a challenging run, a brisk walk or something in between, jumping right into your workout might be tempting, especially when time is tight. But skipping your warm-up can be more harmful than you think. You already know this, so say it with me now… a good warm up does these things:

  • Prepares your muscles for the activity
  • Boosts capability and performance 
  • Prevents injuries
  • Improves range of motion and flexibility

Those of you in your 20s and 30s may be even more likely to dismiss the need for a warm-up, but I find that as my clients and I get older, we really come to know the value of warming up. We feel stiff and achy more often, and the danger is that we’ll take that as a sign that we shouldn’t be moving or are more limited than we actually are. All the dang time clients tell me that they are surprised how much better they feel after 10 minutes of focused warm up. They move more smoothly and with a better range of motion than they thought they would have, they can lift more and go faster. Things hurt less and they also feel psychologically more capable of moving into their workout.

Here Are The Best Warm Ups Before a Walk or Run Workout

The drills below are the sequence we perform before our Unstill Life Half-Fast Walk and Run group sessions. I also do them before training runs and every race I do. They make for a great warm-up ritual and can also settle the nerves before an event. 

This is a dynamic warm up, meaning you’ll be moving your muscles in a controlled way through movements that your workout will ultimately use. The other benefit of a dynamic or moving warm up over static stretching is that it eases your heart rate into gradually higher levels. Static stretches where you hold the muscle in the stretch for 30 seconds or so, are better done at cool down to reset muscle length. Static stretches before a workout can diminish performance in some cases.

Side Shuffle

The side shuffle is a warm-up exercise that improves agility, activates your leg muscles–especially the inner and outer leg and hip muscles–and increases your heart rate.

How to do a side shuffle:

  1. Start in an athletic stance with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core engaged.
  2. Take quick lateral steps to the right for about 10-15 feet keeping your toes pointed forward (not angling them toward the side in the direction you’re moving)
  3. Stay low and keep your knees slightly bent to avoid crossing your feet.
  4. Reverse direction, shuffling back to the left for the same distance.
  5. Repeat for 15-30 seconds, increasing speed gradually.

Grapevine 

The grapevine is a warm-up exercise that improves coordination, activates lower body muscles, and enhances lateral movement.

How to do the grapevine:

  1. Start in a standing position with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core engaged.
  2. Step to the side, starting with your right foot.
  3. Cross your left foot behind your right foot.
  4. Step to the side again with your right foot.
  5. Step your left foot in front of your right foot.
  6. Repeat for 10-15 feet, then switch directions and go to the left.
  7. Continue for 15-30 seconds, gradually increasing speed.

High Knee Skips

High knee skips is a great dynamic warm-up exercise that activates hip flexors. If you don’t want the impact of a full skip, you can do this same action in a high knee march.

How to do high knee skips:

  1. Start in an athletic stance with feet hip-width apart.
  2. Push off the ground and drive your right knee up toward your chest while pushing off the ground with your left foot.
  3. Swing opposite arm to opposite knee and drive the elbows back as you would when running hard.
  4. Land softly on the ball of your foot and repeat with the other leg.
  5. Continue alternating legs for 15-30 seconds.
  6. Increase intensity by skipping higher and faster.

Butt Kicks

Butt kicks activate your hamstrings, glutes, and calves, as well as increase your heart rate, and prepare your legs for walking or running. You can do a higher impact version, or walking.

How to do butt kicks:

  1. Start in an athletic stance with feet hip-width apart.
  2. Quickly bring your right heel up toward your glutes.
  3. Alternate legs; as your right foot returns to the ground, lift your left heel.
  4. Engage your arms, swinging opposite arm to opposite leg.
  5. Maintain a steady rhythm for 30-60 seconds.
  6. Start slow and then gradually pick up the pace.

Walking Lunges (glute and quad activation)

Walking lunges activate glutes and quads, and improves hip and ankle flexibility.

How to do walking lunges:

  1. Start by standing tall with feet hip-width apart, core engaged, and shoulders back.
  2. Take a big step forward with your right foot.
  3. Bend both knees to 90 degrees, dropping the back knee toward the ground, keeping your front knee aligned over your ankle.
  4. Push off and come back up as you bring your left leg forward to step into the next lunge.
  5. Continue lunging forward alternating legs for 10-15 steps per leg.
  6. Maintain good posture by keeping your chest up and avoid leaning forward.

Straight Leg Pulse To The Foot

Straight leg pulses to the foot are a great dynamic hamstring stretch that helps with your overall mobility.

How to do straight leg pulses to the foot:

  1. Start by standing tall with feet hip-width apart, core engaged, and posture upright.
  2. Step one leg forward and, keeping it straight and your back flat, reach for your toes. 
  3. Step the other leg through and repeat on the other side.
  4. Repeat for 10-15 reps per leg.

Moving Hip Circles & Side Stepping Squat (Over the Hurdle, Under the Hurdle)

Both moving hip circles and side-stepping squats improve hip mobility and activate key muscles.

How to do moving hip circling and side stepping squats. It helps to think about the action of side stepping over a hurdle with both legs, then ducking under a hurdle.

  1. Start in an athletic stance with feet hip-width apart.
  2. Raise your right knee toward your chest.
  3. Open your knee and circle it toward the right and set your foot down.
  4. Bring the left knee toward your chest circling it inwardly as you step toward the right and set your left foot down.
  5. Alternate the hip circles above with a side stepping low squat ducking your body forward.
  6. Continue moving sideways while alternating legs and circling/squatting.
  7. Repeat for 8-10 steps per leg then turn to face the other direction and lead with the other leg for 8-10 steps.

One last exercise to add to your warm up is a quick check in on your balance. Just standing on one leg for 10 seconds or so and then shifting to the other leg in a slow march of controlled balance helps you make sure your hip, leg and core muscles are participating in keeping you stable.

That’s it! The Unstill Life Half-Fast Warm up Sequence and some of the best warm up exercises you can do before walking and running. Don’t short change yourself, okay? Even if you’re time crunched, pick a few of these to do before you start. You’ll improve your experience, your performance and the chances that you won’t get hurt. 

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