June 12, 2019
Picture it…you get up and are headed out for your run. A mile in, you feel that all to familiar twinge in you low back. Or maybe it’s your hip that doesn’t feel quite right.
So…be honest…what did you do before you hit the road to get ready to run?
Talk to any fitness professional or coach and they will be happy to talk your ear off on the benefits of a dynamic warm up before working out. The days of a couple of quick stretches are gone.
In simple terms, a dynamic warm up elevates your core temperature, wakes up your muscles, and prepares your body to move. Improving your range of motion, it will reinforce muscle patterns making you more resistant to injury and fatigue.
And the best part? While I am not about quick and easy fixes, this will take 10 minutes tops! The trick….you have to do it pretty much every day! But it is so easy you can literally do it while drinking your pre-run cup of coffee! I sneak my dynamic warm up in while getting my husband off to work and feeding the cats…usually still in my pajamas!
Lots of great options, but today we will start with my Lucky 7!
1. CATS AND COWS. Get on all fours and find a straight back. Drop your belly down and arch your back, inhaling. Then as you exhale, pull your belly in and arch your back like a cat. Exaggerate the move…great for warming up the spine!
2. BIRD DOG. From all fours, extend your right leg back and left arm forward, focusing on engaging your core with minimal movement to your torso. Reset and change sides.
3. GLUTE BRIDGE. Seriously…most underutilized muscle in our body and a total powerhouse once you learn how to fire this bad boy up! Lay on your back, with knees bent and feet firmly on the floor. SQUEEZE your BUTT and lift your hips. Lower and repeat.
4. INCHWORM. Our hamstrings are one of the most overused muscles we have…no wonder they are so tight we can’t touch our toes! From standing, forward fold, bending your knees enough to touch the floor. Walk your hands out until you are in a plank, then walk your hand back until you are back in your fold. Work toward keeping your legs straight.
5. REVERSE LUNGES. With feet hip under hips, step one food back, keeping heel lifted. Bend knees, dropping back knee toward the floor. Keep core braced and shoulders over hips. Step back in and switch sides. Watch that your front knee stays over your ankle and front heel stays planted.
6. HURDLES. Stand on left food, with right foot lightly touching floor. Bending right knee, lift foot back, and circle it around to the front, like your are stepping over a gate. Lift knee as high as possible. So good for hip mobility and one of my favorites! Both sides!
7. HOPPING. Yes. Forward and backward. Right to left. Both feet at once. One foot at a time. Awesome for ankle mobility!
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