Dynamic Warm Up For Runners {with Zappos and HOKA ONE ONE}
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Dynamic Warmup For Runners with Zappos and HOKA ONE ONE
I have been running for over 5 years now with no major injuries. I attribute this to a few things but two of which I am going to share about here. One is proper footwear. 6 years ago, shortly after my first marathon I struggled with Plantar Fasciitis (PF). It was so painful some days that stepping out of bed in the morning felt like I was walking on needles. I was determined to heal my feet and keep my PF from ever flaring up again.
One of the most important things that I did to help heal my PF was find a running shoe that worked for me. Part of being a smart athlete is doing the research to figure out what works for you individually, rather than just wearing the latest trend or what looks cool. After researching different running shoes I found Hoka One One Clifton shoes. They are lightweight with a solid amount of cushion that made my feet so happy! Since switching to Hoka One One running shoes I have not had a problem with Plantar Fasciitis.
This spring I got the new Hoka One One Clifton Edge from Zappos. This shoe is lightweight, moderate cushion and has an extended heel to help soften your heel strike and prevent injury. Just when I thought that Hoka couldn’t do any better, they did! This is by far my favorite distance running shoe. Be sure to become a Zappos rewards member to get 24/7 customer service, free expedited shipping and a 354-day return policy!
So now that we have talked about how important proper footwear is, let’s talk about warm-ups. Sometimes I struggle with this. I just start my run or workout and forget to properly prepare my body for exercise.
Stretching, along with a pre-run warm up is often neglected or overlooked in the running community. Often runners disregard this important practice with the thought of “I’ll warm up during the first few miles”. However, a proper warm up is important for several reasons, such as increasing blood flow to active muscles, increasing core temperature, improving joint range of motion, and reducing the risk of overall injury. A proper pre-run or athletic performance warm up should include dynamic movements that simulate athletic performance.
A study that was conducted and published in September 2010 in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that when static stretches are performed before a run, particularly a long run, it could possibly decrease endurance performance and increase the energy cost of running. When static stretching is performed before a run or athletic performance it can reduce muscle strength and muscle-tendon stiffness, which in turn inhibits the run. That being said, it is important to keep pre-run/workout warm-ups to include dynamic movement stretches and save static stretching for post athletic performance.
Dynamic movements or stretches are meant to take joints and muscles through a motion to reduce stiffness and prepare the joints for athletic performance. Static stretches are meant to hold position for 10-60 seconds, allowing the muscles to relax into the movement, and therefore increase flexibility; inversely, when static stretching is done prior to physical activity, it may restrain the muscles capacity to fire properly.
repeat each exercise for 30 seconds (each side) before moving on to the next. complete a total of 2 rounds.
Lateral leg swings
Isometric squat with knee dips
Frankenstein kicks
Runner’s lunge stretch
