Skipping the Warmup
Ok so I don’t recommend cutting your warmup. I’ve already written previously that “If you’re short on time, skip the cooldown NOT the warmup!”
However, I know people are going to compromise the warmup. It will happen! Even I do it when I’m in a rush! Or when I’m really bored during the warmup and impatient to get the workout started. In fact, I reduced the warmup on BOTH my workouts this week.
Please Note: I did not completely eliminate the warmup. I reduced the jogging portion. I still did strides and dynamic mobility.)
Read more: Warmup & Cooldown
What the body needs
I know that my body really needs at least 2 miles but ideally 3 miles of jogging plus some dynamic stretching and drills and strides before a workout if I want to really feel good in the workout. And I always want to feel good in a workout. And I know my clients are the same. Everyone wants to run well and feel good in workouts. I also know that across the board, the older we get the more warmup time we need.
Two Options for Cutting the Warmup Short
Option 1: Compromise the start of your workout.
You’re feeling stressed and rushed. So you jog 5-10min instead of your 2-3 miles, do some quick strides and mobility and jump into your first interval. Unsurprisingly, the first few intervals feel harder and/or are slower than expected. Oh well! Your body was still getting warmed up during those intervals. That’s the trade off for an inadequate warmup.
And remember: just because the first few intervals are not as good as they could have been, they are still training! Those intervals will still contribute to you getting better. A workout does NOT need to be “ideal” to be beneficial.
What I did: The other day, I did a tempo run. 4 miles. But I was short on time and only jogged for about 1 mile. (plus strides and mobility!) So I decided to treat my tempo run as a progression run. I knew I wasn’t warmed up enough to hit my tempo pace range at the start. The first mile and a half were slower than I would run for a tempo, but I was able to work down to my tempo pace and end a bit faster, at a higher effort level than I would have held had I done the steady 4mile tempo run..
Option 2: Add to the beginning of your workout.
You’re not in a rush but you are BORED and eager to start the workout, the more interesting part of the day. So you jog 5-10min instead of your 2-3 miles, do some quick strides and mobility. Then you start a longer version of your workout. You add a few extra intervals on the front end of the workout, using these intervals to finish warming up. Don’t worry about hitting paces during these! Soon you”ll be ready to start the intervals planned for the workout.
What I did: Today I ran hills. I was bored of warming up after 1.5miles and just wanted to get started! But I was not really warmed up. So instead of doing 6 hills as originally planned, I did 8. The first two were slower than normal. By the 3rd hill (or the 1st of 6 planned) I was running the goal pace.
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.
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