Warmup & Cooldown
A warmup and cooldown jog are generally recommended for running workouts. How much emphasis should we put on warmup and cooldown? Why are we doing them? Is it okay to skip the warmup and cooldown? Here are my recommendations.
The Warmup
Warmups usually consist of a jog + strides. I also recommend some dynamic mobility and activation exercises. Warmups can range from a short 10minute jog and strides up to a full hour consisting of 20-30min jog, mobility and muscle activation, a short tempo run, strides, and more mobility.
Runner doing some mobility drills before a workout.
Primary purpose: prepare the body & mind for a harder effort
Secondary purpose: add volume
Because the primary purpose of the warmup is to physiolgically and mentally prepare for the workout, it should not be skipped. Starting a workout without a proper warm up will compromise the workout — a slower start to the workout will be necessary (to warmup!) and it will feel harder than it should.
With experience, a runner will learn how their body should feel before starting a workout. The goal of the warmup is to get that of feeling of readiness rather than always following a specific recipe for a warmup. For example, sometimes we need to do a few extra strides or more mobility because the body feels stiff or creaky. On really hot days, the jog can often be cut short and on cold days needs to be extended.
Related: Treadmill Warmup
The Cooldown
Cooldown usually consists of a jog, anywhere from about 10 minutes, or 1 mile and longer.
Primary purpose: to help body and mind unwind from a harder effort
Secondary purpose: add volume
The cooldown isn’t really proven to help reduce muscle soreness after a hard effort. The main reason we do cooldown is to unwind physically and mentally. Physically, it’s just nice to get the heart rate down and stop sweating before jumping back into daily activities. Mentally, a cooldown done with others is ideal (especially after a tough workout that didn’t go as planned) because social interaction helps lower stress.
The lesson? If you’re short on time, skip the cooldown NOT the warmup!
“Adding Volume”
Easy jogging before and after a workout can add signifiant milage to training, so if a runner consistently skips the cooldown, they will consistently be reducing their training load. Easy miles are a valuable part of training so don’t skip the cooldown every time.
Alternatively, extending the cooldown can be an effective way to boost training load. This is something I recommend for runners after a short weekend race, like a 5km. Often a weekend race replaces a long run, and replacing a long run with a 5km means a big drop in volume that day. A longer cooldown of up to an hour (at a very easy pace!) can help offset that difference in volume.
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.