Warm-Up activities for runners
Introduction
So in my last two posts I’ve talked about the benefits of a warm up, and using the RAMP based protocol to warm up properly. But what exercises should you actually incorporate?! Well, read below!
1. Raise: Elevating Body Temperature and Heart Rate
As you now know, the first phase of the RAMP protocol involves raising your body temperature and increasing your heart rate. This helps to prepare your cardiovascular system and muscles for the more intense activities that follow. Effective warm-up activities for this stage include:
a. Light Jogging: Start with a gentle jog for 5-10 minutes to gradually elevate your heart rate and promote blood flow to your muscles. I always jog for 2 km before I begin any strenuous interval or tempo session.
b. Jumping Jacks: Incorporate jumping jacks to engage your entire body, including your arms, legs, and core. These are also a great bit of light ‘plyometric’ work, so long as you ensure to keep your legs stiff and land on the balls of your feet.
c. High Knees: Lift your knees towards your chest while jogging in place or in a straight line, which helps activate your hip flexors and improves running form. Here, your thighs should break parallel to the ground, with your toes pointed towards the sky, and your hip, knee, and ankle in alignment.
2. Activate and Mobilize: Engaging Key Muscles and Joints
In the previous post I covered ‘activate’ and ‘mobilise’ as two separate parts to the warm up. In reality, they can be merged together, as long as you are selecting appropriate exercises for the type of session you’re about to embark on.
During this phase, the focus is on activating specific muscles and mobilizing your joints to enhance your range of motion. This helps to improve running efficiency and reduces the likelihood of muscle imbalances. Recommended activities for this stage include:
a. Leg Swings: Swing each leg forward and backward and then sideways to activate the hip flexors, hamstrings, and hip abductors. This is best done in pairs, or next to a wall so you have something to hold onto for stability. If done right, you should be able to swing your leg a little higher on each rep.
b. Butt Kicks: Jog in place or in a line while bringing your knees up and pulling your heels to your glutes. When done correctly, a ‘runners butt kick’ should involve the heel travelling in a straight line up the leg planted on the ground, as opposed to behind you.
Imagine you’ve got chalk attached to your ankle, and your other leg is a blackboard. The goal is to raise your heel so that it draws a straight line up the planted leg.
c. Opening and closing the gates: Either walking forwards or stationary holding a wall for support, bring your knee out in front of you as though you are doing the high knee drill, and then ‘open’ your leg to bring it to your side, before planting the foot on the ground. To ‘close’ the gate, start with your foot on the ground and bring your leg to your side, before ending in the high-knee position.
d. Arm Circles: Move your arms in circular motions to activate the shoulder muscles and improve upper body coordination.
e. the Activate and Mobilise sections of the warm up are also a brilliant place to include some light Strength and Conditioning exercises as ‘pre-hab’!. Whether this be a bit of plyometric work, or light band work, this can help engage the muscles and recruit fast twitch muscle fibres required for the workout ahead.
I’ll go more into plyometric training in a few weeks!
3. Potentiate: Dynamic and Sports-Specific Movements
The fourth phase of the RAMP protocol aims to potentiate your muscles for the specific demands of running. This involves incorporating dynamic movements that mimic running motions and engage fast-twitch muscle fibers. Effective warm-up activities in this stage include:
a. High-Intensity Sprints: Perform short bursts of sprinting at about 70-80% effort to prepare your muscles for faster running.
b. Strides (Like sprints, but you start off at a jog before progressively increasing your pace)
c. Skipping: Engage in skipping drills to activate your calf muscles and improve ankle stability. A skips and B skips are great to include here!
d. Carioca / grapevines: Sidestep while crossing one foot in front of the other, which helps to engage the hip abductors and adductors. Keep the arms stretched out to either side of you to encourage the torso to remain facing forwards.
Conclusion
Incorporating the RAMP protocol into your pre-run routine can significantly improve your performance and reduce the risk of injuries. Remember that the warm-up activities should be tailored to your individual needs and the specific type of running you'll be doing. By following the RAMP protocol, you'll effectively raise your body temperature, activate key muscles, mobilize your joints, and potentiate your body for optimal running performance.
A well-structured warm-up not only enhances your physical capabilities but also prepares your mind for the upcoming challenge. So, next time you hit the track or the trails, dedicate time to the RAMP protocol, and experience the difference it can make in your running journey. Happy running!