Don’t Skip the Warmup!

For races shorter than the marathon, ditching your layers and jumping right into a starting chute with hopes that you’ll warm up in the first couple of kilometres might not be the best pre-race routine. The warmup is an important piece of the running-well-and-running-fast puzzle. Performing a well-thought-out active warmup before your next workout or race will not only prepare you physically and mentally, but will also increase your performance potential. The goals of an effective warmup routine are to: increase core body temperatureincrease blood flow to working musclesimprove communication between the brain and working musclesincrease the blood’s oxygen-delivering abilityimprove muscle contraction ability and flexibilityreduce joint stiffness Your Ramp Warmup The RAMP (raise, activate, mobilize, and potentiate) warmup is a great way to structure the sequence of exercises. Raise Focus on raising your core body temperature…