Do Runners Actually Need a Warm-Up?
If you’ve ever stood at the end of your driveway wondering whether you really need to spend 10 minutes doing leg swings, skips and drills before an easy run, you’re not alone.
So, do runners actually need to warm up?
Yes—but your warm-up doesn’t need to look the same for every run.
The warm-up you need before an easy 5K is very different from what you might want before a hard interval session or a 5K race. And sometimes, the first few minutes of your run are your warm-up.
What Are We Actually Trying to Accomplish?
A warm-up is meant to prepare your body for the demands you’re about to place on it.
As you begin moving, your heart rate increases, blood flow to working muscles increases, muscle temperature rises and your cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems start preparing for exercise.
The key is that your warm-up should reflect what comes next.
If you're about to run easily, you don't necessarily need an elaborate routine to prepare for easy running.
If you're about to ask your body to run fast? That's a different story.
Before an Easy Run
For many runners, an extensive warm-up before an easy run simply isn't necessary.
Try starting the first 5–10 minutes of your run genuinely easy. Give your body a chance to settle in before worrying about pace.
If you’ve been sitting all day, feel particularly stiff or simply feel better after doing a few movements first, you can absolutely add some dynamic mobility before heading out.
That might include:
Leg swings
Walking lunges
Calf raises
Hip rotations
A few running drills
But these aren't boxes every runner needs to check before every run.
Your warm-up should solve a problem—not just add more things to your training.
Before a Workout
This is where a more deliberate warm-up becomes useful.
If your workout asks you to go from standing around to running 5K pace, threshold pace or faster, spending some time preparing for that intensity makes sense.
A simple workout warm-up could look like:
A few dynamic movements or running drills
and then:
4–6 short strides, gradually building toward the speed you'll be using during the workout.
Those strides help bridge the gap between easy running and the faster work you're about to do.
By the time your first interval starts, running fast shouldn't be the first fast thing you've done that day.
And then:
10–15 minutes of easy running before the work actually begins
What About Running Drills?
A-skips. B-skips. Butt kicks. High knees.
You've probably seen them at the track—or wondered whether you're supposed to be doing them too.
Running drills can be useful as part of a warm-up because they allow you to move through specific patterns and prepare for some of the movements and forces involved in faster running.
But drills aren't magic, and more isn't necessarily better.
You also don't need to perform every drill you've ever seen before every workout.
A drill should have a reason for being there.
For example, one runner might benefit from drills emphasizing rhythm and coordination, while another may use drills that focus more on stiffness, ground contact or preparing for faster turnover.
The goal isn't to create the world's longest pre-run routine.
It's to prepare for the running you're about to do.
Before a Race
The shorter and faster the race, the more important a deliberate warm-up generally becomes.
5K or 10K
You’re asking your body to run hard almost immediately, so arriving at the start line already prepared to move quickly can be helpful.
A warm-up might include:
10–15 minutes easy running → dynamic movements/drills → 4–6 strides
You want to feel warm and ready—not tired.
Half Marathon
A shorter easy jog, a few dynamic movements and several strides may be plenty.
You don't need to burn through valuable energy before the race has even started.
Marathon
For many recreational marathoners, an extensive running warm-up isn't necessary.
You have 42.2 kilometres ahead of you. There will be plenty of running.
Some walking, gentle dynamic movement and perhaps a very short easy jog can be enough. The opening kilometres of the race can effectively become part of the warm-up—another reason not to get carried away when the race starts.
Do You Need to Stretch Before Running?
You don't need to spend 10 minutes holding long static stretches before every run.
If something feels stiff and a particular stretch makes you feel better, that's different. But static stretching doesn't need to be the foundation of your warm-up.
Before running—particularly before faster running—dynamic movement is often a more practical way to prepare.
Save the long stretching routine for another time if you enjoy it.
Keep It Simple
Your warm-up doesn't need to be complicated.
Think about what you're asking your body to do next.
Easy running? Start easy and let the run gradually warm you up.
Workout? Easy running, a few purposeful drills and some strides.
Short race? Give yourself enough time to arrive at the start line ready to run fast.
Long race? Prepare without wasting energy.
There isn't one perfect warm-up every runner needs to perform before every run.
The best warm-up is one that prepares you for the specific demands of the session ahead—without becoming a workout of its own.
And if your warm-up takes longer than the run itself?
We may have gotten a little carried away.
Bonus: Want to see what some of these drills actually look like? Head over to my Instagram @lady__livia for a few examples of running drills you can incorporate into your warm-up.
