Get ready to run! Don’t skip this warm up: get your mind and body ready for your next running workout with this Runner’s Warm Up


Let’s talk about warm ups today: do you do warm-ups regularly before your workouts, or do you skip that part of your exercise and go right to the meat and potatoes of your routine? While I have skipped my warm-ups a few times (mostly when running), it’s important to include this in your workouts. A proper warm-up is essential, especially if you’re getting ready for a race!
As tempting as it is to skip a good warm-up, your body will thank you for taking the extra few minutes to ease into your workout. Warm-ups don’t have to be really long: the length of a regular song on your headphones is long enough for a decent warm-up.
If you have a habit of skipping a good warm-up before your workouts, try designating one of your favorite upbeat songs as a warm-up song so you can build a habit of spending that time getting physically and mentally ready for your workout.

Keep your workout untangled with the lightweight VerveLoop+ earbuds
If you’re not entirely sure of what to do for a warm-up for your next running workout, here is a Runner’s Warm-up you can do to get your joints and muscles prepared for running.
Here are the exercises in this Runner’s Warm-Up:
- Lady liberties
- Spiderman
- Butt kicks
- High-knee skip
- Frankies
These are all exercises that my physical therapist taught me how to do a couple years ago and I began incorporating them into my warm-ups with my training clients and before races. Before doing these range of motion exercises, jog lightly for a few minutes to get your body warm.


Lady Liberties: stretches glutes, hip flexors, calves, psoas, and lats. Prepares hip, knee joints, and shoulder joints for activity
Tips: keep your knees behind your toes on the forward knee

Spiderman: stretches hip flexors, glutes, calves, and hamstrings. Prepares hip and knee joints for activity
Tips: avoid excessive rounding in the upper back, movement should come from the hips not shoulder rounding

Butt kicks: stretches quad muscles. Prepares knee and ankle joints for activity.
Tip: stay on your toes during this move for better shock absorption

High Knee Skip: stretches glutes, warms up calves. Prepares ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder joints for activity
Tip: stay on your toes during this movement

Frankies (Frankensteins): stretches hamstrings, prepares hips for activity.
Tips: try to keep your back straight during this stretch. If you have very tight hamstrings, avoid this movement and stick with static hamstring stretches to avoid tearing the muscle.
The VerveLoop+ wireless stereo earbuds have great sound and created with an integrated mic that lets you take calls easily without reaching for your phone. The wireless reach of these headphones goes to 150 feet so you can move around the gym or home without your phone. Since these are wireless, it’s so easy to keep your workout untangled!

The VerveLoop+ headphones are also sweat and waterproof, Siri and google compatible, and has a 9.5 hour battery life so you can stay in the loop, even on the go.
If you are exercising outdoors, definitely consider safety when wearing your headphones. I recommend not wearing headphones if you are biking on the street since you need to be fully aware of traffic (most bike events will not allow headphones for safety reasons). When I’m running outdoors, I will run with just one earbud in place so I can hear what is doing on around me.

Check out VerveLife products, Motorola’s new line of wireless connected devices, including the VerveRider+, and the VerveOnes+
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Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie which she founded in 2011. Sarah is based in Wyoming and has been managing food allergies for herself and her 2 children for over 20 years. Sarah was also a certified personal trainer for 12 years, as well as a group fitness instructor, health coach, running coach, and fitness nutrition specialist.
I am so grateful for this post. Our gym is closed and I need to do some exercises at home.
You’re welcome Marjie! I’ll continue to add workouts to this post as I find them too 🙂
Great tips for warming up! And thanks for mentioning the VerveLoop+. I have never heard of this brand before but just broke my Bluetooth collar and need another one. I think I will for with these instead of a collar that bounces around while working out.
Thanks Stephanie! I’ve been using the VerveLoop+ for a while now and love them!