The 7 Minute Run Warm-Up That Actually Works

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You ever wake up, lace up your shoes, and just go, hoping momentum will kick in and your body will somehow catch up?

Listen to audio podcast below on your next run or watch the video above to learn more

Then five minutes into your run, your calves are screaming, your hips feel like rusted hinges, and you’re wondering why running has to feel so damn hard.

Yeah, that was me for years. I’d lace up stiff legs, charge into a tempo run straight from bed, and call that training. But that version of me stayed injured, sore, and oddly grumpy.

These days? I spend 15 minutes warming up before I run. Not because I’m “old” (though…yeah), but because I learned the hard way that the difference between a forgettable run and one that changes your mood, your mindset and even your day is often what happens before you start your watch.

I want to share with you the 3-step warmup system that transformed my running, and honestly, my mornings. It’s not complicated, it doesn’t require equipment, and it sure as hell doesn’t take long. But it’s the difference between stumbling out like a broken robot versus stepping into your stride feeling like you could run forever.

But first, let’s talk about why warming up matters more than most runners think, and why skipping it might be the one mistake that’s sabotaging every other thing you’re doing right.

Why Warming Up Is the One Habit Runners Can’t Afford to Skip

Let me tell you something most runners won’t: If you skip your warmup, you’re not saving time. You’re just borrowing pain from your future self.

Think of your body like a car engine. If you floor it cold, you’re going to hear some scary noises. Same thing happens when you jump straight into running without waking your body up first. Your muscles are stiff, your nervous system is still half-asleep, and suddenly, that 5K feels more like an emergency room visit waiting to happen.

Warming up primes your nervous system, gets blood flowing to your muscles, and sends a clear message to your body: “Hey, we’re about to do something important. Be ready.” Without it, you’re basically asking your legs to sprint while they’re still sipping coffee and scrolling through social media.

And don’t fall for the lie that only morning runs need a proper warmup. Anytime you go from sitting or standing still, whether it’s after work, post-lunch, or even after watching three episodes of The Office, your body needs a transition. That first mile shouldn’t be a struggle to unlock your joints. It should feel like your body already knew what was coming.

So yeah, warming up matters. Not because I say so, but because your body deserves better than to be treated like a rusty door hinge every time you lace up.

The 3-Step Runner’s Warmup That Will Make You Feel 10 Years Younger Every Morning

Step 1: The “Wake Up” Warmup

This is the bridge between “I hate mornings” and “I’m ready to conquer this run.” It takes less time than brewing coffee and you can even do it while brushing your teeth. Yes, really. It’s short, gentle, and it works.

It includes:

Double-Leg Calf Raises: Gets blood flowing to your Achilles and plantar fascia, which are tight from sleeping.
Good Mornings: A smooth hip hinge to fire up the hamstrings and glutes.
Slow Squats: Just 2–3 with a deep hold at the bottom. That’s it.

The goal is to ease in. You’re not trying to sweat buckets. You’re trying to turn the engine on before putting the car in gear.

Bonus tip: Turn on your bathroom light. Bright light tells your brain, hey, it’s go time.

Step 2: The “Inside” Warmup

Now you’re moving. Still low-key, but with purpose.

This stage is all about getting blood to your muscles. We’re talking bodyweight moves or light resistance, nothing heavy.

Rotate between:

Calf Raises (slow and controlled)
Lunges (to mimic running mechanics)
Kettlebell Swings or Deadlifts (super lightweight, just to engage the posterior chain)
Renegade Rows (for core and upper body stability)

This part should feel like a 5 out of 10. You’re not breaking a sweat yet, but you’re close. If it’s freezing outside, do this indoors with layers on. Then, when you step outside, you’re already warmed up.

If you don’t feel more awake or ready after this phase, if you actually feel worse, your body is telling you something. Maybe today calls for an easy run, a walk, or just going back to bed. Listen to that signal.

Step 3: The Outside Warmup

This is where the magic happens. You’re now transitioning from indoor prep to actual running. Start with a walk/jog combo:

Walk 1 minute
Jog 2 minutes
Repeat until you feel smooth and ready to run continuously.

Then hit some form drills:

Ankle Overs – quick steps, loose ankles
Knee Overs – high knees, exaggerated but relaxed
Leg Swings – front/back and side-to-side to loosen hips

Wrap it up with a splash of plyometrics:

A-Skips, B-Skips, Pogos – just 15 seconds each side
Windups or Reverse Strides – short bursts that gradually build intensity

Take a moment to catch your breath, adjust your gear, and visualize your run. By now, your body should feel primed, powerful, and ready to roll.

Don’t Forget the Cool Down (It’s Not Optional)

Most people stop cold after a run. Bad idea. Imagine slamming the brakes on your car at top speed and throwing it into park. That’s what you’re doing to your body when you skip cooldown. Instead, ease out of your workout:

Finish with 5–10 minutes of easy jogging or walking
Throw in some strides or windups
Do dynamic stretches in front of your house
Foam roll once you’re home (optional, but helpful for problem areas)

Cooling down helps flush waste products from your muscles, starts recovery early, and makes the next day’s run feel easier. Plus, it gives you space to mentally unwind from the session.

Consistency is Key

Not every warmup has to be perfect. Sometimes I skip the inside stuff. Other days I only do squats and jog slowly for 10 minutes. What matters is doing something, every time.

As someone who’s been running since ’96, I’ve realized the thing that separates runners who thrive from runners who fade is this: The ones who keep going long-term are the ones who treat every run like a ritual, not a race.

Use Your Run to Change Your Life

Running isn’t just about the miles. It’s about who you become because of the miles.

The way you treat your warmup: the attention, the patience, the consistency, is a mirror of how you approach your life.

So take it seriously. Give it heart. Make it your own. And every day, aim for that 1%, not just to be a better runner, but a better human.

Links & Learnings

📈 Get your free 1% better base and habits training plan now – https://1betterrun.com/warmupfree
🎧 Listen, read and learn more here https://1betterrun.com/warmup
Use Run Form Drills and Plyometrics to Become an Injury-Free Monster https://1betterrun.com/plyos
Use this Easy Run Drill Trick to Get Unreal Results – https://1betterrun.com/elevate-your-run-performance-with-these-4-uphill-drills-with-mike-trees/
How To Warmup Before a Run – https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a40265356/running-warm-up/
DLake Runs on IG – https://instagram.com/dlakecreates
DLake Runs on Strava – https://www.strava.com/athletes/120507

[00:00:00] This is you stiff, groggy, and stumbling into your running shoes, straight outta bed. And this is me starting every morning run, feeling loose, spry, and ready to check all those boxes. In this episode, I’m gonna break down my three step warmup routine that will transform your runs by possibly preventing injuries, possibly improving performance, and 100% making you feel like you’re 10 years younger every time you start.

[00:00:25] Those morning and even afternoon and evening runs. On top of all that, we’re gonna go through my actual three step warmup process. Yes, I have three steps to warm up, wake up, warmup inside warmup and outside warmup. Yes, it’s absolutely worth it. Promise you why most runners skip warmups and cool downs. How to do it.

[00:00:42] Simple time efficient exercises that fit into any morning schedule or again, afternoon or evening. And to end it pro tips for cold weather and staying consistent ’cause that’s what we do at the 1% Better Runner because I’m Darren G. Lake running and Nutrition coach sub throughout marathoner and 10 Hour Ironman finisher.

[00:00:59] Since 1996, I’ve been helping other self-coach runners researching and experimenting on how to better myself. 1% each day, and the 1% Beretta, that’s who this is here in the YouTube and all the content, we don’t do three week quick hacks. Instead, we give you lifelong tools to run better for the next three decades.

[00:01:17] Let’s get into it. Why warmup matters as the Gen Z kids say, I’m gonna keep it a buck with you, or 100 or 100%, however you wanna frame it. When I started running back in 96, I skipped warmups all the time, straight outta bed or from sitting around all day. ’cause I didn’t do morning runs back then out the door and into fast intervals by like.

[00:01:39] The fourth, fifth minute, ’cause I was in a rush all the time. I don’t know. I was in more of a rush in my twenties than I am now in my forties. But as I’ve gotten older and hopefully wiser, I’ve learned this approach is an absolute recipe for disaster. Your nervous system needs time to wake up and your muscles need priming.

[00:01:54] It needs some blood flowing to it delivers the oxygen so it can perform at its best, and to put it in a way that makes sense, getting out the door and running without a warmup is like flooring the accelerator. On a cold car engine, it’s bad for your body. It’s gonna be bad for your workout, and definitely just your mental in the long term note.

[00:02:12] While this is targeted at morning run people, this is also relevant to any other time. As I said before, it’s still quite a shock to your body going from sitting or standing all day to running. Fun fact, there are actually two types of warmups. There is simply feeling warm from air temperature, so if it’s cold outside, you wanna warm up with layers, and then there’s.

[00:02:32] Getting blood flowing to your muscles. The second type, which actually matters for running and everything we’re talking about here, just an FYI that a lot of this is visual ’cause I’m showing a lot of movements and exercises and workouts. If you are a podcast listener, please listen to this on Spotify so you can watch the video along with it or head to the link in the show notes and go to the website for this episode or the YouTube link and you can see some of the visuals and I’ll even have some images on the website.

[00:03:01] Step one, the wake up warmup duration, three minutes. This quick sequence wakes up your body and your brain. You can do it in the time it takes you to brush your teeth. Yes, I do it brushing my teeth in the morning. ’cause I try to get as much sleep as I can and then just get out the door as fast as possible.

[00:03:17] These should be very easy and feel like a two out of three effort. So these. Workout movements that I’m doing, we are just warming up here. So the first of this step is the the first exercise workout, the double leg calf raise. What’s getting warmed up? Calves, achille and planter fasciae. Everything from lower legs when your knee down.

[00:03:37] Why is it important? Your low legs are stiff in the morning and this gently activates them. I found via science and myself and just experimenting on this, I know it works. Everyone knows it works. When you start moving, you pump blood to it. It starts feeling better. How to do it gently. Start by raising both legs.

[00:03:52] Hold it the top for 20 to 30 seconds. Do one. Yes one. I promise you that’s all you gotta do with just waking up. Then transition to single leg raises. Nice and slow. Two reps each. Yes. Two. You can do 10 to 20 seconds, however long you feel comfortable. You’re just trying to go to the top hold and then go down the second workout.

[00:04:09] Good mornings, no pun intended, maybe, pun intended, maybe. Maybe. What’s warming up? Hamstrings, glutes, hips, and lower back. Why is it important? A perfect follow up for the calf raises. Hamstrings kick in as your calf’s fatigue. Side note, this gets your posterior chain firing ’cause the calves are the bottom plantar fascia, and then your glutes are at the top and hamstrings are in the middle.

[00:04:29] How to do it? Put your feet hip width apart, hands on hips, slowly hinge forward. Hold two seconds and then come back up three to five times. You’re just trying to move. You don’t have to win any awards here. It’s perfect while you’re brushing your teeth, you’re going over and the third movement is squats.

[00:04:46] ’cause you can do this while you’re brushing your teeth. So what’s warming up Quads, glutes, and hip flexors. Why is it important? It’s a perfect running movement. ’cause when you’re run, you’re actually bending down every step. It hits all the major run specific muscles. How to do it? Start with shallow squats.

[00:05:01] And increase depth with each rep. Two to three slow reps total, and I’d say five to 10 seconds. You hold at the bottom. So you go down really slow. Hold at the bottom for five to 10 seconds and then back up. Make sure you just like squeeze your glutes together, your butt cheeks. Boom. Done. That’s it. Fun bonus turn overhead lights on while in the bathroom to help your brain get the signal that it’s morning.

[00:05:22] I have two actual lights in the bathroom. I actually have light of candle sometime so you can get a really dark light, but I found that that. Low light isn’t the best to get me to wake up. And after like a minute or two, I turn the bright light on, it’s a bit bright. I have dark eyes, so it’s okay for me, but my brain is like, wake up.

[00:05:38] And if you could have blue light or you have light outside, I usually wake up when it’s dark outside, early in the morning, get those runs in. But if you have light outside, get some of that light, open the curtains, go outside, get some of that light in your eyes, and it will also wake you up from these three movements.

[00:05:50] Your body should be slowly warming up. What’s the key to bridging the gap between waking up and running? Future Darren here, and I won’t do that thing. You know the thing where people go, Hey, you should subscribe, rate, share. Give a thumbs up, rah. Now, while I’d love for you to do that anyways, please go ahead and do it.

[00:06:07] The next steps will be for you to transform your running life without free 1% better runner, 30 day base training habits, plan and newsletter. Unlike other running plans and newsletters, we do not do motivational quick fixes and hacks. Instead, we focus on long-term success that lasts from 30 days to 30 years.

[00:06:25] And more. It’s not just a training plan, but a mental shift. Think of it as your personal running therapist sunup for free@eitherdlicreates.com slash news web search 1%. Better run a newsletter or get the link in the show notes or video description below. All value. No fluff. Cancel anytime. Let’s get back into it.

[00:06:45] What’s the key to bridging the gap between waking up and running? Step two, inside warmup, that’s what we’re gonna be doing. Duration five minutes. This step targets your full body with light resistance or body weight movements. It’s short, simple, and super effective. Yes, inside warmup. So we’re in between the wake up warmup with here, the inside warmup.

[00:07:04] These should feel like a five out of 10 effort. Rotate through, or you could pick your favorite Two to three workouts are calf raises, lunges, kettlebell swings. Slash deadlifts or renegade rows. So with calf raises, I do five to 10 reps per leg. I focus on slow controlled range of movement. Add a light dumbbell or kettlebell weight or a backpack with some water bottles of books in it.

[00:07:24] If you don’t have a weight at home, gets just a bit of resistance. If you need resistance, if you’re new to calf raises, you don’t need resistance lunges. It combines quads, glutes, and hip and calf activation, and it’s. Very, very run specific for warming up lunges are quite easy. A lot of people know what lunges are.

[00:07:41] Uh, single leg lunges, kettlebell swings, or deadlifts. They’re great for hamstring and hip activation. Use very low weight. Just focus on moving. We’re not trying to do a heavy set or anything. Single leg is great for the deadlifts and kettlebell swings. Two arms is fine. Again, low weights. You can actually do kettlebell swings with dumbbells if you know how to do ’em.

[00:07:59] So obviously watch a YouTube video on that and practice first. Hopefully I’ll have that up here. And renegade rows. These are my absolute go-to for core and upper body, and probably a little bit of hip flexors and hamstrings in there because you have to fully stabilize yourself and then get that arm up with the dumbbell or kettlebell.

[00:08:16] Pro tip number one. By the end of this, some people should feel very warm depending on the temperature of your house, uh, or how hot you run or cold you run and you’ll develop a light layer of sweat. This is what I do. This is how I know I warmed up. This is great, and it’s like you are ready. It’s like the check engine.

[00:08:31] It ding the oven’s warm sort of thing, and you should feel way better than you did when you first woke up. It should be about five to 10 minutes later, depending on how fast you can get outta the house. Pro tip number two, in cold weather, I do this second warmup with long layers on, so covering my. Arms and legs.

[00:08:46] So pants in, uh, a long sleeve shirt when you step outside. So I usually put the gear on that I’m gonna wear outside. You feel ready to run, not freezing cold like I’m a 10 man. That leads oil and it’s such a good feeling because the cold air, the cold surface air doesn’t make me go bur, and then I’m trying to warm up on top of trying to warm up from the outside.

[00:09:04] Protest tip number three. By this point, if you don’t feel any more awake or ready to run and possibly feel worse, you might need to change a run to be a short and easy run a walk, or just go home. But I’ll talk about that on the next step, and you’ll know within 10 minutes of running after the next step what to do.

[00:09:21] Listen to your body with your muscles prime. Now it’s time to take it outside. For our last step, what’s the difference between form drills and plyometrics, and why do you need both? Let’s answer that in the last part of this three stage warmup up. Step three. Outside warmup, duration, five to 10 minutes.

[00:09:39] Again, this whole thing, even though it’s 20, 30 minutes, it’s absolutely worth it. This is where the magic happens. You combine form drills, dynamic stretches apply metric sets everything up for you to run your best. So start out for the first minute, gentle run, walk. So you’re walking for the first minute, follow about two minutes of jogging, and then you run another minute, two minutes of jogging.

[00:09:57] After about probably four or five minutes, you should feel fine, you should keep running. And then you go into, I like to go into form drills, so within between five and about seven minutes. And I focus on mechanics. So the three form drills that I like are ankle overs, knee overs, and leg swings. And again, I’m just doing one quick set of this, like boom, boom, boom.

[00:10:15] It’s done in about 30, 40 seconds. I jog for another 20 seconds. I do the next one. Super easy. So thank overs you’re running over each ankle. Short, rapid steps to activate lower legs thinking, stepping on hot holes. But your ankles are loose and your foot is dropping down, so you want it to be plantar flexion, which is your foot pointing down versus dorsal flexion with your foot.

[00:10:33] Trying to point up for these ankle overs. Knee overs, it’s the same thing but running over each knee so you’re getting your knees and your, your legs and your feet to go higher. Keep ankles loose though and dropping, pointing towards the ground plant reflection. And then I’ll just do some leg swings, loosens up my tight hips.

[00:10:48] Do them anywhere. Grab a pole. Make sure you ging. Get as high as you can. You can’t mess it up. Do side to side ones and then do front ones. Plyometrics. So this is the last two to three minutes of my warmup. Sometimes as I get older and it’s cold outside or I just need to warm up for a sprint set. I might actually be doing this for 15 to 20, 25 minutes, but that’s some advanced stuff.

[00:11:07] You’re probably like, ain’t nobody got time for that. I only got like seven minutes to warm up. So you can do plyometrics. I did a whole episode on that up here. Check that out or link in the show notes or video description if you’re listening. Explosive movements. They build power, so I’ll just focus on the top three.

[00:11:24] A Skips B skips high knees and PGOs, A skips and B skips. I found if you haven’t been running track or you’re very new to running, they’re a bit more on the complex side. High knees and PGOs are easy. You can even substitute buck kicks for the B skips if you want. It. It really doesn’t matter. It’s just getting you doing, running like movements and feeling powerful and strong and warmed up.

[00:11:44] You just need, again, 15 seconds each side for each one warming up. We’re not doing a hard set, so just bounce up and down. Do about 15, 20 pogo bouncing up and down. If you’re new to it, do about five to 10. You’re just literally keeping your knees still and you’re bouncing up and down, hitting the ground, bouncing off high knees.

[00:11:59] Everyone should know what high knees are. You go on high knees, do that for about 10 seconds, and then you can do butt kicks again. 10 seconds. Very simple. Just one at each windups run throughs or reverse strides. These are short speed bursts that gradually increase in intensity, 50 to 90%. They’re perfect for waking up your neuromuscular system.

[00:12:17] I actually did a full episode on how to do windups run throughs and strides, and even sprints. Go up here or go to the link in the description in the podcast show notes, description or video description below. If you’re listening, take the next 30 to 60 seconds to chill. And again, after doing two to three windups or run throughs and adjust your gear, retire your shoes, visualize for the intent of the workout focus.

[00:12:41] That’s what I like to do. I just sit for a minute or two, get my music right. If I need to get the right BPMs, which I did an episode on getting the right cadence, you can go check that out up here and how to use music and metronomes and DJ mixes and all that type of stuff, and Spotify and all that to give you the exact cadence you want and listen to some cool music.

[00:12:57] So. Check all that out when you can. There’s links in the show notes if you’re listening or the video description below, and go out for your run. Now that you’re fully warmed up, the workout should feel smoother, faster, and more enjoyable. I promise you, you should be sweating a lot and you’re like, I’m ready for this workout.

[00:13:13] But what happens after you run? Do you do a cool down slash warm down? And if so, are you doing it the right way? Enter the last section, the cool down, why it’s essential. The cool down should compromise of the last five to 10 minutes of your run. Regardless if it’s a long run track, workout, speed session, easy, short run, et cetera.

[00:13:32] These should be baked into your workout beforehand. Do them after every single run if possible. Skipping cool downs. It’s tempting, but it’s like slamming the brakes on a car at full speed and putting it from drive to park while rolling. It will destroy your transmission. I love the car analogies for running.

[00:13:48] It’s not great for your body. A proper cool down can also kickstart recovery so you can get the gains from the workout. So it’s like it’s a virtuous cycle. The flywheel, you end up doing a good cool down, which gets you ready for your workout next tomorrow or two days later, which then you do a right warmup, which gets you ready for workout.

[00:14:04] So hit the flywheel virtuous cycle. So a few ways to cool down, easy jogging going from whatever your top speed was in the run. So if you’re doing a long, easy run, then obviously your top speed’s gonna be a bit slow, but you’re still gonna slow down into an easy. Your jog or even walking, so you can run walk the end.

[00:14:21] So reverse the inversion of the warmup. You can do strides or windups at the end, anywhere from four to eight reps. Again, episode up here if you wanna check that out or check the link in the show notes or video description if you’re listening. And dynamic stretches in front of your house. Leg swings, calf stretches, or hip openers.

[00:14:39] A lot of different ways to do that. I like to do that, have really tight hips, but I like to make sure that. I keep the movements nice and big and loose and dynamic. After my runs, I feel so much better, and then you can at the end, foam roll or self massage when you get home. This is subjective and optional.

[00:14:55] Some people don’t do this. I like to actually use this spiky massage ball. It’s super hard, hurts a lot, but it feels really good. I do this as a warmup or when I’m doing my inside warmup. I’ll do this for about a minute or two on each side of my hip. That feels amazing, and I’ll do this as a cool down usually at night.

[00:15:10] But sometimes if I’m feeling pretty tight, I like to hit all the troublesome injury prone areas. My hips are super tight, so I always hit those and my calves. The finish line. Final thoughts? So you’re probably like, yo, Darren, man. How much time do you think I have? Better question is how much time have you planned to be injured?

[00:15:30] Yes. You getting injured, going to appointments, nursing yourself and licking your wounds, Googling every remedy. Generally sad and depressed about life because you can’t run. How much time have you allocated? Exactly. Prevention is always easier than treating. There’s no perfect warmup. Just steadily get your heart rate up from standing still and resting to where you need to be to perform and do movements similar to running.

[00:15:51] That’s all you need for a warmup. This really only takes 15 to 30 minutes total for proper three step warmup and cool down to unlock better runs, reduce injury, and build a foundation of habits and consistency for long-term performance. What did I miss? Let me know in the comments below. If you’re watching on YouTube or if you’re listening, you can email me, TA k@onebetterrun.com.

[00:16:12] I love to hear your thoughts, your prayers, what I got wrong, what you disagree with, all that stuff. How long do you warm up? Do you warm up, do you? Cool down. Let me know all that stuff. Always trying to help. Thanks, rocking peace.