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Exercises

Warm up for a marathon: a short routine that saves your legs

Published October 24, 2026

Before a marathon, keep the warm-up short and easy: walk 3 to 5 minutes, jog very easily for about 5 minutes, then do 10 leg swings per leg each way, 10 ankle circles each way, a set of clamshells and a set of calf raises, and 2 skips across 20 meters. Add two relaxed strides only if you plan to start at goal pace. The first few kilometers at a controlled pace do the rest of the warming up.

  1. Brisk Walk Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves
  2. Running Quads, Hamstrings, Calves
  3. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  4. Ankle Circles Calves
  5. Clamshell Abductors
  6. Dead Bug Abs
  7. Single-Leg Calf Raise Calves
  8. Skipping in Place Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Step 1: walk, then a very easy jog (5-10 minutes)

A marathon is long enough that the opening kilometers warm you up, so the goal here is only to arrive at the start moving freely. Walk to the start area and jog just a few minutes.

Raise, saves energy

Brisk Walk

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves

A brisk walk to the corral gets you moving without spending glycogen you will need in the last 10 kilometers.

How to do it

  1. Stroll easily for the first minute.
  2. Lengthen your stride a little and let the arms swing from the shoulder.
  3. Pick up the pace until you breathe more deeply but can still chat.
  4. Roll from heel to toe on each step.

Cues

  • Tall, eyes forward
  • Bent elbows, steady swing

Common mistakes

  • Shuffling with short flat steps
  • Walking with your head down at a phone

Swap for: Treadmill Walk, Running

Build a session with Brisk Walk

Very easy jog and optional strides

Running

Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

A short jog at a pace slower than your marathon pace loosens your stride. Two relaxed strides help only if you plan to start at goal pace.

How to do it

  1. Start at a pace where you could speak in full sentences.
  2. Keep your stride short so each foot lands close to under your hips.
  3. Swing your arms front to back from the shoulder with the elbows bent.
  4. Lift the pace only once the first minutes feel smooth.

Cues

  • Tall and relaxed
  • Quick, quiet feet

Common mistakes

  • Starting at goal pace from the first step
  • Reaching the foot far out in front

Swap for: Treadmill Run, Brisk Walk

Build a session with Running

Step 2: loosen hips, ankles and shoulders (3 minutes)

You will repeat the same stride for hours. Move each joint through its comfortable range a few times, nothing more.

Hip mobility

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Leg swings loosen the hips through a stride-length arc, and you can do them holding a fence in the start area.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall or rail and hold it with one hand.
  2. Swing the outside leg forward and back like a pendulum, small at first.
  3. Let each swing travel a bit farther while your torso stays upright.
  4. Finish the count, turn around, and swing the other leg.

Cues

  • Loose leg, still torso
  • A little bigger each swing

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back on the backswing
  • Forcing full range on the first rep

Swap for: Standing Cable Hip Flexion, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Leg Swings

Ankle mobility

Ankle Circles

Calves

Circles keep the ankles loose while you wait, and they cost nothing.

How to do it

  1. Hold a support and stand on one foot, or sit, with the other foot off the floor.
  2. Trace slow, full circles with your toes, moving only at the ankle.
  3. Do the count one way, then reverse.
  4. Change feet.

Cues

  • As big a circle as you can draw
  • Slow and even

Common mistakes

  • Turning the whole leg instead of the ankle
  • Rushing the circles

Swap for: Single-Leg Calf Raise, Standing Calf Raise

Build a session with Ankle Circles

Shoulder mobility

Arm Circles

Shoulders

After hours of arm swing, stiff shoulders add up; a few circles at the start keep them loose.

How to do it

  1. Stand with both arms straight out to the sides at shoulder height.
  2. Draw small forward circles and widen them little by little.
  3. Reverse direction for the same count.
  4. Keep your shoulders low, away from your ears.

Cues

  • Long arms
  • Small to big

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging up
  • Letting the elbows bend

Swap for: Band Pull-Apart

Build a session with Arm Circles

Step 3: hips, trunk and calves (2 minutes)

Glutes and the muscles around your trunk hold your posture as you tire, and calves take a beating over the distance. One easy set of each is enough.

Glute activation

Clamshell

Abductors

A short set for the side of the hip, done on a mat before you leave home, helps keep your pelvis level once fatigue builds.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one side, knees bent and heels stacked.
  2. Keep the heels touching and open the top knee like a shell.
  3. Stop before your pelvis rolls back, then lower slowly.
  4. Finish the count and turn over.

Cues

  • Heels stay together
  • Hips stacked

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the hips back to lift higher
  • Speeding through

Swap for: Fire Hydrant, Lateral Band Walk

Build a session with Clamshell

Trunk activation

Dead Bug

Abs

Dead bugs switch on the deep trunk muscles that hold your posture late in the race, without any fatigue.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back with arms toward the ceiling and knees bent over your hips.
  2. Press your lower back into the floor.
  3. Reach one arm overhead and the opposite leg long, just above the floor.
  4. Return and switch sides.

Cues

  • Back pinned to the floor
  • Breathe out as you reach

Common mistakes

  • Lower back peeling up
  • Moving fast

Swap for: Side Plank, Plank

Build a session with Dead Bug

Calf activation

Single-Leg Calf Raise

Calves

Ten slow raises per leg prepare the calves for the long job ahead.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one foot with a dumbbell at your side or none, and the other hand on a support.
  2. Rise onto the front of your foot as high as you can.
  3. Pause, then lower slowly until the heel is down again.
  4. Finish the count and switch feet.

Cues

  • Straight up, not forward
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing through the reps
  • Rolling to the outside of the foot

Swap for: Standing Calf Raise, Ankle Circles

Build a session with Single-Leg Calf Raise

Step 4: a few relaxed skips and butt kicks

Two short drills finish the warm-up without spending energy you need later.

Light drill

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

A minute of rope-free skipping adds some bounce to your feet before the start.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your fists beside your hips as if holding rope handles.
  2. Circle your hands and bounce lightly from one foot to the other, as if skipping over a turning rope.
  3. Keep the bounces low and springy for the whole interval.

Cues

  • Bounce off the balls of your feet
  • Hands circle, elbows close
  • Relaxed shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Stomping on the heels: stay on the front of your feet.
  • Hopping high: a small bounce clears an imaginary rope.

Swap for: High Knees, Butt Kicks

Build a session with Skipping in Place

Light drill

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

A short round of butt kicks loosens the back of the thigh and quickens your turnover.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and jog in place.
  2. Pull each heel up toward your seat as it leaves the ground.
  3. Keep your knees pointing down at the floor.
  4. Speed the turnover up for the last part of the set.

Cues

  • Heel to seat
  • Fast turnover

Common mistakes

  • Folding forward at the hips
  • Letting the knees swing forward

Swap for: High Knees, Running

Build a session with Butt Kicks

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Marathon at goal pace

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets8 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You are racing a marathon with a target time and want to start at goal pace without wasting energy.

At this distance, a long warm-up just costs energy. The plan is a brisk walk, a short jog, mobility, light activation done at home, and two relaxed strides so goal pace feels familiar.

At Home
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
ClamshellPer side. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Dead BugPer side. 1 × 8 4 0 s

Open At Home in the session builder

At the Start
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk WalkSeconds. One-minute blocks back to back, easy pace. 4 × 60 4 0 s
RunningSeconds. Five minutes very easy. 5 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, each direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Single-Leg Calf RaisePer leg, no weight. 1 × 10 4 0 s
RunningSeconds. Relaxed strides to goal pace. 2 × 15 3 1 min

Open At the Start in the session builder

How to run it
Do the floor exercises at home or the hotel, then the walk, jog and strides in the start area, finishing about 10 minutes before the gun.
How to progress
Keep it the same for every marathon; only the stride pace moves with your goal.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Half marathon

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You are racing a half marathon, where the pace is quicker and there is less time to settle in.

A half is faster than a marathon, so it is worth a slightly longer jog and two drills before you start. It is still far short of a 5K warm-up.

Race Morning
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
RunningSeconds. Ten minutes easy jog. 10 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, each direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Ankle CirclesEach way, per foot. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Single-Leg Calf RaisePer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
RunningSeconds. Strides building to race pace. 3 × 20 2 1 min
How to run it
Begin about 25 minutes before the start and finish 5 to 10 minutes before the gun.
How to progress
Add a third stride if you plan to go out hard.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Weekly long run

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets9 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You are heading out for a long training run and want to feel loose from the start.

On a long run, the opening minutes are the warm-up. This plan adds a walk and a few mobility moves so the first kilometer is smooth rather than stiff.

Before the Long Run
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk WalkSeconds. One-minute blocks back to back, easy pace. 5 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, each direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Arm CirclesEach direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Ankle CirclesEach way, per foot. 1 × 10 4 0 s
ClamshellPer side. 1 × 10 4 0 s
How to run it
Do it right before you set off and keep the first 10 minutes slower than your long-run pace.
How to progress
Do the same routine before every long run as the distance grows.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Should you warm up before a marathon?

Yes, but lightly. Walk and jog a few minutes, do some leg swings and calf raises, and let the first kilometers do the rest.

How long should a marathon warm-up be?

About 10 to 15 minutes in total, mostly walking and very easy jogging. Longer just costs energy.

Should you warm up for a half marathon?

Yes, with a bit more than for a marathon: a 10-minute jog, two drills and a few strides, because the pace is faster from the start.

What to do the morning of a marathon?

Get up early enough to eat what you usually eat before long runs, do the floor exercises at home, then walk and jog lightly at the start.

Do I need strides before a marathon?

Only if you plan to start at goal pace. Two relaxed 15-second strides are enough.