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10 weeks to 10K - week 4
10 weeks to 10K - week 4
Warming Up
Ensuring that you warm up before you train is essential to avoid injury and helps loosen you up and gets your blood pumping around your body.
The best warm up exercises for running are dynamic movements that mimic the movement of running. These movements increase the range of movements in the joints, activate your muscles and increase your heart rate, helping to reduce your risk of injury and allow you to run with better form.
Follow this routine before the next time you train to get you ready:
Standing Hip Rotations
Photo courtesy of Evening Express.
First, open up your hips by lifting your knee up to a right angle as wide as possible and pulling it round in front of you. Repeat a few times and then do the other hip.
Standing Leg Kicks
Photo courtesy of Evening Express.
In the second dynamic movement, kick each leg lout in front of you as high as you can to stretch your hamstrings.
Standing Wide Leg Forward Bend
Photo courtesy of Evening Express.
Stretch your groin and hamstrings by placing your legs as wide apart as possible and bending down to touch the ground. Hold for 10 seconds.
Seated Hamstring Stretch
Photo courtesy of Evening Express.
While sitting on the ground, again target your hamstrings by trying to touch your toes with your leg placed straight in front of you. Repeat on the other leg.
Lying Back Extension
Photo courtesy of Evening Express.
It’s the back, shoulders, chest and more with this move. Lying face down on the ground, use your arms to push your top half upwards, while keeping your legs close to the floor, resulting in a back bend.
Lying Quad Stretch
Photo courtesy of Evening Express.
Stretch your quadriceps by lying on your side and pulling your foot behind you as far as you can.
Although warming up is important, stretching and cooling down is just as important to help you recover from your training.
See our warm up, cool down and stretching videos below.