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Exercises

Warm up for running: a 10-minute pre-run routine

Published October 24, 2026

Before you run, walk briskly or jog very easily for 5 minutes, then spend about 3 minutes on dynamic moves (10 leg swings each way per leg, 5 walkouts, 10 alternating lunges), 1 minute waking up your hips and calves (10 clamshells per side, 10 calf raises per leg), and finish with 2 rounds of 20 seconds each of high knees, butt kicks and skips. That is about 10 minutes, and your first kilometer of the run itself should still be your slowest.

  1. Brisk Walk Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves
  2. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  4. Cardio Lunge Quads, Glutes
  5. Clamshell Abductors
  6. Single-Leg Calf Raise Calves
  7. High Knees Quads
  8. Butt Kicks Hamstrings
  9. Skipping in Place Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Step 1: raise your heart rate (5 minutes)

Start with easy movement that gets you breathing a bit harder: a brisk walk, a very slow jog, or jumping jacks if you are stuck indoors. Five minutes is enough before an easy run; give it closer to ten on a cold morning.

Raise, lowest impact

Brisk Walk

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves

A few minutes of fast walking lifts your heart rate without any pounding, which makes it the easiest way to start every run, whatever the pace planned after it.

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

Raise and the run itself

Running

Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

An easy jog is the most specific warm-up there is. Start slower than feels necessary and let the pace come to you over the first few minutes.

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

Raise, indoor option

Jumping Jack

Calves, Quads

When you are warming up in a hallway before heading out into the cold, jacks get you warm in a small space.

How to do it

  1. Start upright, feet touching, hands resting at your thighs.
  2. Hop your feet out wide as your arms sweep overhead.
  3. Hop back to the start as the arms come down.
  4. Hold an even rhythm.

Cues

  • Light on the balls of the feet
  • Full arm sweep

Common mistakes

  • Landing flat and heavy
  • Half-height arm swings

Swap for: Jump Rope, High Knees

Build a session with Jumping Jack

Step 2: dynamic moves for hips, hamstrings and ankles (3 minutes)

Running asks your hips to swing through a long range and your ankles to flex on every step. Move those joints through that range a little at a time instead of holding stretches: long static holds belong after the run.

Hip mobility, front to back

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swinging the leg like a pendulum moves the hip through the same arc it travels in a stride, so the hamstrings and hip flexors loosen in the direction you are about to use them.

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

Your ankle bends and pushes off on every step. Ten slow circles each way remind it of its full range before it starts taking load.

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

Hamstrings and full-body opener

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

Walking the hands out and back lengthens the hamstrings and calves while your shoulders and trunk do a little work too, all in one move.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, hinge forward, and put both palms down, bending your knees as much as you need.
  2. Walk the hands out until you reach a push-up position.
  3. Pause one beat with your body in a straight line.
  4. Walk the hands back toward your feet and roll up to standing.

Cues

  • Hands travel, feet stay
  • Ribs tucked at the plank

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging at the far end
  • Walking out farther than you can hold

Swap for: Bear Crawl, Plank

Build a session with Walkout

Hip flexors and single-leg control

Cardio Lunge

Quads, Glutes

A rhythmic lunge opens the front of the back hip and asks each leg to control your body weight alone, which is what running is.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and step one foot back into a lunge.
  2. Lower until both knees bend, then push back up to standing.
  3. Alternate legs in a steady rhythm.
  4. Swing your arms in time to hold the pace.

Cues

  • Upright torso
  • Soft touchdown

Common mistakes

  • Front knee drifting inward
  • Short choppy steps

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Cardio Lunge

Step 3: wake up glutes and calves (1-2 minutes)

A couple of short sets for the side of your hips and your calves make the first strides feel springy rather than flat. Stop well short of any burn; this is a primer, not a workout.

Glute activation, side of the hip

Clamshell

Abductors

The muscles on the side of your hip keep your pelvis level when you land on one foot. A short set of clamshells gets them firing before the run asks for it a few thousand times.

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

Glute activation, standing

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

If you carry a mini band, side steps do the same job as clamshells without lying down on wet ground.

How to do it

  1. Loop a band around your legs and sink into a quarter squat.
  2. Step sideways with one foot, then follow with the other, never letting the band go slack.
  3. Take your steps one way, then come back.
  4. Stay low throughout.

Cues

  • Knees push out
  • Toes forward

Common mistakes

  • Standing up tall
  • Feet snapping together

Swap for: Band Standing Hip Abduction, Clamshell

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk

Calf and foot activation

Single-Leg Calf Raise

Calves

Your calves push you off the ground every stride. Ten slow raises per leg, with no weight for a warm-up, get them ready to absorb and return force.

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: running drills (2 minutes)

Drills take everything you just loosened and put it into a running rhythm. Do each for about 20 seconds, walk back, and make the second round a little quicker than the first.

Running drill, knee drive

High Knees

Quads

High knees rehearse a quick knee lift and a short ground contact under your hips.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, feet under your hips.
  2. Run in place, bringing one knee toward hip height, then the other.
  3. Touch down on the front of your feet right under your hips.
  4. Pump the arms in time with the knees.

Cues

  • Knees up, chest up
  • Short ground contacts

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to get the knees higher
  • Landing on the heels

Swap for: Skipping in Place, Fast Feet

Build a session with High Knees

Running drill, heel recovery

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Pulling the heel up toward the seat practises the folding of the back leg that makes a stride efficient.

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

Running drill, rhythm and bounce

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Bouncing from foot to foot adds a little spring to every ground contact right before you start running.

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

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

Easy or recovery run

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets48 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You are heading out for an easy 20 to 45 minute run and want a warm-up short enough that you actually do it.

An easy run is mostly its own warm-up, so this keeps the extras to about 7 minutes: a walk to raise your heart rate, two mobility moves, calf raises and one drill. Everything is far from tiring, so it adds nothing to your fatigue for the next day.

Warm-Up + Easy Run
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk WalkSeconds. One-minute blocks back to back, easy pace. 4 × 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, no weight. 1 × 10–12 4 15 s
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
RunningSeconds. Easy pace; keep going into your run. 3 × 60 3 0 s
How to run it
Do it right before you go out the door, then start the run at a pace slower than your normal easy pace for the first five minutes.
How to progress
Once it is a habit, add the walkout and the clamshell before each run.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Intervals, tempo run or race

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets38 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You are about to run fast: intervals, a tempo segment, or a race, and you want your first hard rep to feel ready.

Hard running asks for full stride length and quick ground contacts straight away, so this version runs the whole ladder: an easy jog, every mobility move, glute and calf activation, two rounds of drills, and short strides that build toward the pace you are about to hold. It takes about 15 minutes and finishes a few minutes before the first rep.

Warm-Up + Strides
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
RunningSeconds. Five minutes easy jog. 5 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, each direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 0 s
Cardio LungeAlternating. 1 × 10 4 0 s
ClamshellPer side. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Single-Leg Calf RaisePer leg. 1 × 10 4 15 s
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
RunningSeconds. Strides: build to interval pace, walk back. 3 × 20 2 1 min
How to run it
Do the jog and drills, then 3 strides of about 20 seconds, building from easy to the speed of your first interval. Walk back between strides.
How to progress
Make the strides a touch faster over the weeks as your race pace improves; keep the jog and drills the same.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Cold morning, starting indoors

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets39 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

It is cold and you would rather not stand around outside doing leg swings, so you warm up inside and step out ready.

Cold muscles take longer to feel loose, so the raise doubles to about 8 minutes and happens indoors with jumping jacks, high knees and lunges. The band walk and calf raises go in before you leave. Once outside, the first ten minutes of the run stay easy while you settle in.

Indoor Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Jumping JackSeconds. 3 × 40 4 0 s
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 30 4 0 s
Cardio LungeAlternating. 2 × 10 4 15 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 0 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 1 × 10 4 15 s
Single-Leg Calf RaisePer leg. 1 × 12 4 15 s
Ankle CirclesEach way, per foot. 1 × 10 4 0 s
RunningSeconds. Easy first minutes outside. 2 × 60 3 0 s
How to run it
Do the whole block in a hallway or living room, put your layers on, and start running within a couple of minutes.
How to progress
As the weather warms up, drop back to the easy-run version.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good pre-run warm-up?

Five minutes of brisk walking or very easy jogging, a few dynamic moves like leg swings and lunges, a short set of calf raises and glute work, then 20-second running drills such as high knees and skips. About 10 minutes in total.

Should I stretch before running?

Move rather than hold. Dynamic moves like leg swings and walkouts get the joints through their range; save long static holds for after the run.

How long should a running warm-up be?

About 5 to 10 minutes before an easy run and 15 to 20 minutes before intervals or a race, where you also add strides that build toward your target pace.

What exercises should I do before running?

Leg swings, ankle circles, walkouts and alternating lunges for mobility, clamshells and calf raises to wake up the hips and calves, and high knees, butt kicks and skips as drills.

Is walking a good warm-up before running?

Yes. A few minutes of brisk walking is a fine way to raise your heart rate, especially for beginners or on an easy day. Follow it with a couple of dynamic moves and start the run slowly.

Do I need to warm up for a slow run?

A short one helps: even a slow run feels smoother after a few minutes of walking and some leg swings. If you skip it, treat the first five minutes of the run as your warm-up.