With spring around the corner, many runners will start up their outdoor training programs. Today, we’re sharing some tips for a proper and thorough warm-up to ensure you don’t start off your season with injuries. There are some major benefits of warming up properly, here are a few of them:

Warming up raises your body temperature. Dynamic exercises performed during your warm-up heat up your muscles, boost your metabolism, and accelerate the supply of energy to your muscles.
Enhancement of muscle performance. Warming up properly allows your muscles to perform faster muscle contraction and relaxation. This enhances your performance during workouts.
Injury prevention. Warming up before a run significantly decreases your risk for injuries.

A good rule of thumb to follow while warming up is to keep your warm-up around 8-10 minutes. This should be enough time for your body to get warm and to get your muscles stretched prior to a run. Here’s a 3-step guide to follow for a thorough warm-up:

Walk for 3 to 5 minutes. This is an ideal exercise to ease your body into working out. This takes your body through the motion similar to running while increasing the blood flow to your muscles.
Jog easy for 2 minutes. Make sure you’re not overextending your foot in front of your knee, this is a common cause of injuries among runners.
Perform dynamic stretches. These stretches are controlled movements that help to improve range of motion and loosen up muscles pre-run.

If you find yourself dealing with an injury, you can trust the experienced Physical Therapists at RPT to get you back on your feet. To schedule your appointment, give us a call at 801-571-0099.