You’re either in the middle of picking your way through The Run Fitness Formula, OR you’re almost done! Pretty amazing the improvements you can make with even just a few workouts, right?

Now IMAGINE what YOU can do with 30 more days of runway! That’s right…30 days of workouts, videos, coaching support each specifically designed to compliment the other and to get YOU running on a whole new level. Sounds interesting? If so, HEAD THIS WAY to The 30 Day Challenge!

Dynamic Warmup

Sorry to break it to you but standing around with arms folded, yawning, and touching your toes doesn’t really prepare you for your workout to come.

Have you noticed, that other than at a race or on the track, we rarely see runners doing anything other than slow running to prepare them for the workout to come?

That’s right. It doesn’t really matter the run, we are all TERRIBLE at dynamically preparing our body to handle the increased speed, range of motion, impact, balance and coordination that running requires.

Working on all of this extra range of motion, balance, and stability work doesn’t have to be time consuming and difficult though provided you approach it the right way, which is exactly what you’re about to do!

By sneaking some dynamic warmup work in every time you workout (run or otherwise) you get MORE from yourself. That is: more mobility, greater balance and stability, and a better sense of your body and how its performing on any given day. Not a bad deal, eh?

After a few weeks of this we guarantee you’ll NEVER want to run again without doing some kind of warmup in the first mile or two, because you’ll finally realize how terrible you’ve been letting yourself move and feel this whole time 🙂

Better yet, you’ll insist on stopping your friends and partners and make them warmup with you. And that’s where the magic happens!

Dynamic Warmup!

Do this warmup before each of your runs and you’ll feel that much more mentally present and physically ready to to have your best run and workout yet!

1 round: arm swings & shoulder touch arm swings 10-20 repetitions

1 round: squats 10-20 repetitions

1 round: pushups 10-20 repetitions

1 round: leg swings & lunges 10-20 repetitions each leg

1 round: burpees 10-20 repetitions

1 round: hip circles 10-20 repetitions each way.

 

Arm Swings:

Stand tall with good posture. Squeeze the belly and butt to stabilize the spine and turn on your midline (core).

Throw your arms straight back behind for a nice shoulder stretch.

Now touch your shoulder first with your fingers before throwing them back behind.

Squats:

Stand tall with good posture. Squeeze the belly and butt to stabilize the spine and turn on your midline (core). Start and finish every squat here.

Push your hips back and your knees out and sit down as far as you can keeping a flat back, toes forward, and weight evenly spread on flat feet. Go as low as you can go maintaining these three things!

Pushups:

Start in a plank with good posture. Squeeze the belly and butt to stabilize the spine and turn on your midline (core).

Place your hands directly underneath your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide on the ground.

Let the shoulders travel forwards to initiate the pushup. Keep the elbows in as well for the whole movement.

Chest and hips should touch the ground at the same time.

MODIFICATION: It’s ok to lower yourself to the ground with legs straight, then press up from your knees! Avoid doing pushups from your knees the whole time.

Leg Swings & Lunges:

Stand tall with good posture. Squeeze the belly and butt to stabilize the spine and turn on your midline (core).

Now shift weight to one foot, balance, and begin a gentle leg swing.

Increase the range of motion of the swing, but make sure the hip and low back are not moving!

Adding the lunge: swing the leg backwards, take a moment to stabilize, then drop straight down so the front shin remains vertical.

Burpees:

Great to get the blood flowing and to further get your shoulders, midline, and hips are moving well together.

Note there are two levels of the burpee:

1. Hands on ground. Step back. Pushup. Step forward. Stand up and jump.

2. Hands on ground. Jump back. Pushups. Jump forward. Stand up and jump.

NOTE: either way we want your feet to be together, and we want you to land with your feet FLAT on the ground. IF you land on your toes or if your toes turn out, chances are your ankles and hips are a little stiff and need some work! Try and slow it down and see if you can meet this standard.

Hip Circles:

Our favorite “go-to” mobilizer for your hips. Simultaneously address hip flexion and external rotation on the forward leg and hip extension and internal rotation on the trailing leg.

There’s really no “wrong” way to do this movement. Try different different circles, different directions, and different depths. You can always add and change the movement slightly as you get more acquainted with the exercise and with what your body needs that day!

Now you’re ready for the rest of your workout!