Dynamic Warmup

Presented by 2x Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier, Amanda Nurse.
For video demonstration, click here.

Ankle Rolls (both directions): Using your toes as an anchor, make circles with ankle, clockwise and counter-clockwise, 3-4x.

Calf Activation: Place just your forefoot down, raising your heel and activating your calf muscle. Then slowly lower your heel to release. Continue with other foot as you walk forward. 

Hamstring Sweeps w/ Chest Opener: Dig your heel into the ground about 2-3 feet in front of you, straighten that leg and sit your butt back so your hands can reach towards the ground. Keep hips even. You should feel deep hamstring stretch. Sweep your hands towards your feet, forwards and up for chest opener. Repeat 4-6x as you walk forward.

Walking Quad Stretch: Grab your ankle and pull it towards your glute, squeezing your legs together to protect the knee. Option to raise arm up overhead. Release and step forward for other side. Do 4-6x each side. 

Vertical Pigeon Glute Stretch: standing tall, draw right knee towards chest (at angle, about 1 o’clock). Right hand grasps knee, left hand grasps shin/ankle, and pull in for glute stretch. Option to raise up on left toes for balance challenge and full left leg activation. Repeat other leg by walking forward. Do 4-6x each side. 

Twisting Lunges w/ Psoas Stretch: Lunge forward with right leg, knee stays over ankle, goal post your arms and twist right. Come back to neutral by untwisting and walking forward for other side. Do 4-6x each side. 

Tin Man Hamstring Stretch: Standing tall, reach arms out in front and walk forward alternating straight leg kicks towards finger tips. 4-6x each side.

High Knees: Jog forward bringing knees up to tabletop height and swinging arms. 4-6x each side. 

Butt Kicks: Jog forward kicking your heels towards your glutes, keeping knees pointing towards ground. 4-6x each side.

Side Shuffle: Start in a slight squat and shuffle to the side. Staying low, move to the side in a jogging fashion, reaching legs ~3 feet apart and then drawing them together. 6x each direction. 

Walking Side Lunges: Starting on right side, stand sidewards step right feet out about 3feet, bend right knee and sit back so that knee remains over ankle (doesn’t surpass toes) and keep left leg straight. Then use right inner thigh to draw left leg towards right as you come back to standing. Do 4-6x and then reverse direction. 

Walking Hip Openers (both directions): To lubricate hip joints and help with hip mobility, stand upright and walk forward, drawing bent knee (90 degree angle) out to the side, up and around forward. Alternate legs as you walk forward, 4-6x each side. The walk backwards doing the reverse, first draw knee up and forward the up and out to the side. 4-6x each side. 

Squats: Stand upright, legs about hips width distance, toes just slightly turned out. Keeping knees over ankles, sit back as far as you can (as though you’re sitting into a chair). Keep you chest raised, head up. Then squeeze glutes as you return to standing. Do 4-6x.