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Exercises

Warm up for sprints: build from a jog to full speed

Published October 24, 2026

Before sprinting, jog easily for 5 minutes, do about 4 minutes of dynamic mobility (leg swings, walkouts, cossack squats), 2 minutes of activation (band walks and calf raises), 5 minutes of drills and jumps (high knees, butt kicks, skips, fast feet, a few jump squats), then 3 to 4 build-up runs of 30 to 40 meters at about 60, 75, 85 and 95 percent effort. The whole warm-up takes around 20 minutes, and your first hard sprint should come right after the last build-up.

  1. Running Quads, Hamstrings, Calves
  2. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  4. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  5. Lateral Band Walk Abductors
  6. High Knees Quads
  7. Skipping in Place Calves, Quads, Hamstrings
  8. Jump Squat Quads, Glutes
  9. Single-Leg Jump Quads, Glutes, Calves

Step 1: easy jog (5 minutes)

Sprinting puts the most force through the hamstrings of any running, so warm them through properly. An easy jog raises your body temperature before anything else.

Jog and build-up runs

Running

Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

The jog warms you up, and build-up runs at rising effort bring you to full speed one step at a time.

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: mobility for hips and hamstrings (4 minutes)

Sprints need a long, fast range at the hip. Swings, walkouts and side-to-side squats move the hamstrings, hip flexors and groin through that range.

Hip mobility

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swings move the hip through the range of a sprinting stride, which is longer than a jogging stride.

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

Hamstrings and calves

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

The walkout lengthens the back of the legs without a static hold, then the plank switches on your trunk.

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

Groin and hip mobility

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

Side-to-side squats open the inner thigh, which takes load during hard pushes out of the start.

How to do it

  1. Take a wide stance with your toes turned slightly out.
  2. Shift to one side and sit into that hip while the other leg straightens.
  3. Keep the bent leg's heel down and your chest up.
  4. Push back through the middle and lower to the other side.

Cues

  • Sit into one hip
  • Toes of the straight leg point up

Common mistakes

  • Heel lifting on the bent side
  • Rounding forward to get lower

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Bodyweight Squat

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Step 3: glutes and calves (2 minutes)

Strong glutes and stiff, springy calves drive acceleration. Wake them up with a short set each.

Glute activation

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

Side steps against a band wake up the side of the hips that steady each powerful stride.

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 activation

Standing Calf Raise

Calves

Calf raises with a full stretch at the bottom prepare the calves for the stiff, quick contacts of sprinting.

How to do it

  1. Stand with the front of your feet on a step and the heels hanging off.
  2. Let the heels sink below the step.
  3. Press up as high as you can onto your toes.
  4. Hold at the top a moment, then lower under control.

Cues

  • Full range
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing at the bottom
  • Bending the knees to help

Swap for: Single-Leg Calf Raise, Ankle Circles

Build a session with Standing Calf Raise

Step 4: sprint drills and jumps (5 minutes)

Drills rehearse sprint mechanics; a few jumps wake up your nervous system. Keep them crisp, not tiring.

Drill, front-side mechanics

High Knees

Quads

High knees train a quick knee lift and a foot that lands under you, the basic shape of a good sprint.

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

Drill, heel recovery

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Butt kicks rehearse a fast fold of the back leg.

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

Drill, bounce and rhythm

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Rope-free skipping adds bounce and quick ground contacts before the faster drills.

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

Drill, foot speed

Fast Feet

Calves, Quads

A few seconds of fast patter wakes up quick contacts before the first acceleration.

How to do it

  1. Sink into a shallow squat with your weight on the front of your feet.
  2. Patter your feet as quickly as you can in tiny steps.
  3. Keep your chest over your knees and the arms ready.
  4. Stay low for the whole set.

Cues

  • Short and fast
  • Stay on your toes

Common mistakes

  • Standing up tall
  • Big slow steps

Swap for: High Knees, Agility Ladder Drill

Build a session with Fast Feet

Jumps, power

Jump Squat

Quads, Glutes

Three to five jump squats wake up your fast muscles without tiring them.

How to do it

  1. Take a shoulder-width stance.
  2. Squat to a comfortable depth.
  3. Jump straight up, extending hips, knees and ankles.
  4. Land softly and move into the next rep.

Cues

  • Explode up
  • Soft knees on landing

Common mistakes

  • Landing with straight legs
  • Going deeper than you can rebound from

Swap for: Box Jump, Bodyweight Squat

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Jumps, single leg

Single-Leg Jump

Quads, Glutes, Calves

Single-leg jumps prepare each leg for pushing off alone, the way it does in every sprint stride.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg with the knee slightly bent.
  2. Dip and jump up from that foot, swinging your arms.
  3. Land quietly on the same foot and settle before the next jump.
  4. Change legs after the count.

Cues

  • Quiet landings
  • Arms help you up

Common mistakes

  • Landing with a locked knee
  • Chaining jumps before you are stable

Swap for: Skater Hop, Box Jump

Build a session with Single-Leg Jump

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

Acceleration day (10-30 m)

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets34 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You are training starts and short accelerations.

Short sprints are mostly about pushing hard out of a low position, so this plan leans on jumps and hip work and finishes with build-ups of 20 meters.

Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
RunningSeconds. Easy jog. 5 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, each direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 1 × 10 4 15 s
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
Fast FeetSeconds. 2 × 10 4 0 s
Jump Squat 2 × 4 3 30 s
RunningSeconds. Build-ups at rising effort, walk back. 3 × 20 2 1 min
How to run it
Do the plan, then start your first acceleration within 2 minutes of the last build-up.
How to progress
As you get faster, add a fifth build-up rather than more drills.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Top speed or flying sprints

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets42 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentStanding Calf Raise

You are running flying 20s or 30s, or full 60 to 100 meter efforts.

Full speed asks the most of your hamstrings, so this version gets the full drill sequence, single-leg jumps, and four build-ups climbing to near maximum.

Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
RunningSeconds. Easy jog. 6 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, each direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Standing Calf Raise 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
Single-Leg JumpPer leg. 1 × 4 3 30 s
RunningSeconds. Build-ups toward top speed. 4 × 30 1 90 s
How to run it
Walk back fully between build-ups and start your first sprint within a few minutes.
How to progress
Keep the plan the same; let the sprints themselves get faster.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Hill sprints

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets13 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You are doing short hill sprints, an easier way into sprint training than the flat.

A hill naturally shortens your stride and slows top speed, so less drill work is needed. A jog, mobility, two drills and build-ups up the hill finish the job.

Warm-Up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
RunningSeconds. Easy jog. 5 × 60 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 5 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg, each direction. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 20 4 0 s
High KneesSeconds. 1 × 20 4 0 s
RunningSeconds. Build-ups up the hill. 3 × 15 2 1 min
How to run it
Jog to the hill, do the mobility at the bottom, and make your build-ups up the slope.
How to progress
Add one sprint per week before you make the hill steeper.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How to warm up for sprints?

Jog 5 minutes, do dynamic mobility for the hips and hamstrings, a short set of glute and calf work, drills like high knees and skips, a few jumps, then 3 to 4 build-up runs toward full speed.

How long should you warm up before sprinting?

About 15 to 25 minutes. Sprinting is the fastest running you do, so the warm-up builds gradually.

How to warm up for a 100m sprint?

Run the full routine, then two or three practice starts or build-ups at race intensity, finishing 5 to 10 minutes before the race.

Should you lift before or after sprinting?

Sprint first, while you are fresh, then lift. Sprinting tired makes the sprints slower.

Do I need to stretch before sprinting?

Move instead of holding: leg swings, walkouts and cossack squats prepare the hamstrings for sprinting better than long static holds.