Since I started Couch to 5k, before every run I have always followed a 5 minute warm up routine and a 5 minute warm down routine, on YouTube with (James Dunne - Sports Rehab Therapist). A colleague in work, who regularly runs 5k park runs and further distances, has said he never warms up or warms down. Also, another colleague said there isn't any need to warm up or down, unless you are doing more than 5k as a run.
My question to anyone is - is it necessary to warm up / warm down just doing 5k and Couch to 5K. I just don't want to get injured. I get a few niggles now, but after an evening with an ice pack on my foot or knee, it soon sorts it out and also the more I run, the more my body is getting used to the new regime of running (so will be stronger etc) ?? Thanks in advance
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adnewg73
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Even if you just walk at least for 5 minutes that can count as a warm up to a 5K or longer run, for example not many people get out of the house or their car and immediately start to run, I do advise you to at least have a warm up run of 5 minutes or more before and after your run.
What you’ll discover as you run for longer and longer is that everyone is an expert and everyone has a different opinion on what’s best. People who run live to tell you about what’s worked for them, but it won’t necessarily be right for you.
As a new runner who has already had niggles, I’d be erring on the side of caution and listening to what the NHS Couch to 5k suggests, which is to warm up and cool down after every run. That’s what Denise Lewis told me to do back when I did the programme and I trust her! I hear all the other coaches say the same!
Do you want to ditch your warm up/cool down? You sound like you’re enjoying this aspect of your run and it’s working well for you.
🍏 excellent question! The very least one should do is the 5min warm up and the 5min cool down walk. However 🤣 there is always an however isn’t there, the extra you are doing will stand you in good stead, help prevent injuries and make your runs more enjoyable. You will specially find it useful in winter to go out with warmed up muscles and ligaments… so please keep up the good routine you already have. Well done!!!
Hang on, you get a few niggles now that need an ice pack to sort them out, and your colleagues are suggesting you don't need to warm up or cool down? Doesn't matter how experienced they are as runners, that seems to me to fly in the face of common sense.
During C25K I always did the five minute warm-up and cooldown walk, sometimes more for the cooldown, owing to my inability to plan routes that finished where I needed them to.
Nowadays, just over three years on, I do dynamic stretches before my runs, and static ones after, but almost never do a warm-up or cooldown walk. But that's what works for me,now. It wouldn't have worked for me during C25K, and I'm certainly not trying to impose it on you or anyone else.
However, I personally wouldn't go out and start running, even the shortest distances, without some sort of warm-up, and if I don't stretch post-run, my legs are likely to feel uncomfortable as a result.
"... another colleague said there isn't any need to warm up or down, unless you are doing more than 5k as a run."
Oh dear. Exactly the OPPOSITE I'd say ... Why?
For a lot of us recreational runners, a 5k run, many times a parkrun, is actually run at a faster pace than a 10k / 1 hour or 10 mile or half-marathon/20k/2 hour run or a marathon (anything from 2.5 to 8 hours).
It's common sense (to me at least) that a warm-up becomes more important as the run becomes shorter and the pace maybe quicker.
Who is more likely to pull a muscle (think of what you've seen on TV) ... a 100/200/400m runner or a marathoner?
Therefore the warm-up becomes even more important for the shorter distance runners.
Regardless of the overall importance of warming up, your colleague's logic is completely wrong and talking nonsense as far as I'm concerned.
Absolutely SkiMonday 👍 The short sprints put a massive load through the body especially at the start. Without a dynamic warmup there is every chance of injury.
Actually you have given me an idea! It may be interesting to make a video of a typical sprint warmup session as there’s bound to be useful exercises in there for everyone. 👍
Yea, I think that would be useful. Although I think a short video summary (maybe one for each warmup exercise) combined with some text to describe the sequence would be better than showing the whole warmup.
As for this fella ... "A colleague in work, who regularly runs 5k park runs and further distances, has said he never warms up or warms down... " , I'm afraid that's shear arrogance and laziness in my opinion.
Let him crack on.
If you're going to listen to 1 person here, another person there ... then why not listen to ME? 😜
At a very minimum I do a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down walk before/after every run I do - that's 4-5 times a week and averaging about 60 km a week, often with a 2 hour /20km long long run at the weekend. I'm quite happy for you to refer to me as 'some bloke on an NHS-sponsored running forum' - which I realise carries as much weight as your 'colleague at work' 😎 - and I INSIST 😁 that warm-up/cool-downs are absolutely necessary for almost any exercise you're about to carry out.
I'll explain why in a separate reply. But I'd love to hear how your 2 colleagues justify their stance?
Thanks John_W, I'm not sure if it's a bit of bravado or something with my colleagues. One of them doesn't run much now (her hips are really bad) and the other one just said unless I am sprinting straight away, there is no need to warm up or down. He actually is a smoker too, so must be really fit or able to control his breathing really well.
I'm hoping that when the time comes for me to do my first ParkRun, that they have some sort of warm up / warm down as a group. I will still do my usual warm up exercises before I do the ParkRun but it will take me about 20mins to drive to the ParkRun, so by then I might not be as warmed up as I would if I was running from home.
I'm doing W5 Run 3 tonight, which will complete W5. I'm looking forward to it, but a bit apprehensive that 8 minutes of running non stop, to 20 minutes of running non stop is a big jump !!
NOT warming up for a 5k run, flies in the face of every piece of advice from, I'd guess, every coach, every physio, every elite athlete who's ever been asked to give out advice to a beginner or intermediate runner.
Have you read here of the 'Toxic Ten' - that first 10 minutes of your run that feels awful but afterwards is much better? That's your body *literally* warming up and making you more *efficient* at what you're asking it to do.
Whenever I've tried to some do weights under supervision at the gym, the PT has always had me do a warm-up jog for 5 mins on treadmill.
Sebastian Coe and Paula Radcliffe, in their books, strongly suggest walking for a few mins as pre-run warm-up.
BUT WHY???
A warmed-up body - cardio-vascular and musculoskeletal systems together - will perform more efficiently than one that is 'cold and at 'rest'.
A cold car in winter will perform much better after having the engine on for a few minutes than one that is driven off when cold. Our bodies are no different.
WHY would a Couch to 5k program, supported by the NHS, include a warm-up/cool-down ? I'd suggest because that is going to minimise the amount of muscle/tendon/ligament strains etc.
That warm-up, at the very minimum, should be a walk ... Why? Because you're using and warming up the very same muscles/joints you're about to use running/jogging.
I could go on for a lot longer, but I'll stop there 😎
I'll end by saying that you're doing exactly the right thing - don't change!
As the longer runs kicked in, I started following the warm up/warm down videos included in the app (Hello, Steph!). Personally, I found that they did make a difference - little or no muscle ache or stiffness compared to the one or two times I neglected these (particularly the warm down). As an additional bit of body activity, keeping other parts of me mobile at the age of 58, I’ve really come to appreciate them. It may feel tedious sometimes, and certainly makes the process of going for a run a longer affair, but for me it’s now part and parcel of the experience. The warm up gets me in the right place, mentally, to run, and the warm down adds to the afterglow and sense of achievement.
My other half (Mr Grumpy) does some kind of activity every day. He runs or cycles for miles. He doesn't bother with a warm-up, but always does cool-down stretches. He has also picked up a few running injuries on the way. He had awful shin splints which stopped him running for months, which was when he decided that maybe the cooldown stretches were a good idea.
I am much more prone to back problems, still recovering from a broken ankle, have a dodgy hip and now post-covid fatigue. I would NEVER run without dynamic stretches first, a bit of a warm-up and cool-down walk (maybe not the full 5 minutes when I'm properly fit) and in particular the cool-down static stretches, without which I am guaranteed to be creaking the next day. I've never had shin splints!
I am no spring chicken though, and I dare say that the older you are, the more important it is.
Hi I have tbh I find the warm up / cool down has been enough for me but just this week (9) I have noticed twinges in my back once I’ve been at my desk for an hour or so ( I run b4 work) so moving forward I might start doing more ! Hope u find something that works for u we r all different x
I do a 5 min warm up walk then some stretches then start the run/jog then after 5-10 mins walk then some more stretching. Seems to work for me.
We're all different. I always do both warm up and cool down walks and stretches. I'm very careful what shoes I wear and how they're laced up.
My husband would just launch into a run (though he almost always does the warm up with me) and only recently has started doing stretches after. Plus he'll run in whichever trainers are nearest.
Guess who's the one who's been on the injury couch? Clue: it's not him 😂
(Bear in mind that he was very sporty when young and is solid muscle, the complete opposite of me)
We are all different, so it is up to you. I have always been puzzled to see only about 50% of Parkrunners warming up and worse, about 5% warming down. They may be Parkwalkers, which explain it, or, many are runners who are regularly on the IC and haven't put 2 + 2 together yet. I totally agree with Mr-Plod about the extra mental benefits of warm up and warm down. Lovely extra time in the zone. So, if it is something you enjoy, PLUS it keeps you off the IC, who cares what others are/are not doing? Running routines are for YOUR body, so choose whatever suits YOU.
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