Perfect Your Marathon Warm-Up With Personalized Dynamic Stretching

Before the start of the Salt Lake City Marathon in April of 2013, it hit me how geeky we runners are. As I sat in a field doing glorified yoga exercises to make sure my hip flexors were loose and ready to go, I watched those around me, albeit impervious to how silly I looked myself. Let me describe the scene: first, there were three teenage boys fifty yards in front of me doing synchronized skipping exercises that included a loud stomp of the foot and required moving the upper-body in a way that mimics a chicken walking. Second, there was a slightly overweight man relaxing while performing Warrior 1 Pose. Third, a group of women were jogging a two plus mile warm-up before the marathon.

This scene not only made me chuckle, as I sat in a pigeon pose with one knee under my chest while lying on the ground, obviously fitting right into this circus-scene, but it made me question, what is the right warm-up routine for this marathon? From miles of jogging to chicken-skips, we all had a different idea.

Practice Dynamic Stretching Before Your Marathon

Today, the long-running disagreement among professionals on what should and shouldn’t be done for warm-up has been as fervent as ever^. However, one thing is certain– static stretching, which essentially means holding a stretch for a set period of time, how most of us were taught in gym class, has been proven time and time again to adversely affect the preparation for power based sports activities.

Since this discovery, it has been deemed that dynamic stretching is the way to go. A recent investigation from North Dakota State University studied the effects of various stretching and warm-up techniques on vertical jump performance. The study concluded that it doesn’t matter what kind of dynamic stretching activity is used — whether jogging, skipping, or a series of fluid warm-up movements — they all work in preparing neuromuscular function.

It is important to note that many studies have looked at warm-up components in isolation, but a more useable study would be one that takes into account a more realistic warm-up session, which would include dynamic movements (like lunge with a stretch, knee-to-chest while walking forward, etc.) followed by static stretching.

Don’t Overcomplicate Your Marathon Warm-Up

In one study, Australian researchers looked at a three-way warm up, which followed the sequence of dynamic stretch, static stretch, dynamic stretch. All of the articipants finished a five minute warm-up, followed by a vertical jump, and then separated into static stretching, dynamic stretching, or control, followed by a second vertical jump. Every participant then finished with a series of movements with a final vertical jump recorded after 60 minutes of activity.

The results showed a 10.7% better vertical jump score in the dynamic stretch group compared to the static stretch group. After the second period of activity, the dynamic stretch group increased vertical jump again while the static stretch group did not record any differences. However, the control group was required to do jogging, high steps, skipping, and zigzag running instead of particular static or dynamic stretches, and this group outperformed both the static stretching and the dynamic stretching group. The conclusion, supported by another study based in Louisiana, is that all we really need for a warm-up is some basic running-style movements.

At this point, you may have noticed that a lot of studies discuss how passive, static stretching adversely affects power-based activities like vertical jumping as compared to dynamic stretching. But does this translate to our endurance sports?

Although some recent studies have discussed little to no difference in static stretching versus dynamic stretching when it comes to endurance activities, it is important to remember that running is still a plyometric and ballistic activity that requires strength and power, albeit on a sub-maximal level and over long periods of time. Thus, I would argue that it may be more challenging to measure exactly how much dynamic stretching is better than static stretching when it comes to endurance running. However — and this is still my opinion — because of the ballistic and plyometric nature of running, the benefits highlighted in the aforementioned vertical jump and max strength studies would still apply to endurance running.

Create Your Own Running Warm-Up

1. Keep the goal of the warm-up clear; it is to help you improve performance and reduce the risk of injury during performance. It is not the time to develop flexibility. Learning from the Ohio study, perform two sets of 15-second stretches/15 seconds of relax per muscle group and no more.
2. If you are performing a maximal strength or power activity, don’t let stretching be the last activity you do during warm up. Your muscles need to be activated for performance, so either skip static stretching all together or do it before dynamic running movements in the warm-up so your body is primed for power.
3. Static stretching is not evil personified, but timing is key. Save static stretching for post-activity or while at home watching TV, and keep it separated from your pre-performance routine.
4. Finally, this article is not your warm-up Bible. Before the event, a healthy, performance-oriented mindset is the most important part of an athlete’s preparation. If that means completing a long-held warm-up routine that includes static stretching, so be it if it helps you visualize your success, and stay calm and focused.

In conclusion, think of the warm-up as a gray area, not black and white. There isn’t a right or wrong way to warm up, as the research is simply too varied and contradictory to completely rule out static stretching or dynamic stretching all together. What is widely agreed-upon, and obvious, is that you need to be prepared for your event. Every athlete is different, and with experience comes a certain “right” way for you to be prepared for your specific event. I purposely prescribe ranges of activities rather than specifics for my athletes’ warm-up.

Thus, perhaps neither my pigeon-stretch, the man’s yoga performance, nor the high-schoolers’ absurd-looking skips were completely right or completely wrong. We were each doing what prepared our own self for that morning’s marathon.

References

1. Hough, P. et al. (2009, March). Effects of dynamic and static stretching on vertical jump performance and electromyographic activity. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204571/
2. Samson, M. et al. (2012, June 1). Effects of Dynamic and Static Stretching Within General and Activity Specific Warm-Up Protocols. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737866/
3. Christensen, B.K. & Nordstrom, B.J. (2008, November). The effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and dynamic stretching techniques on vertical jump performance. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18815572/
4. Robbins, J.W. & Scheuermann, B.W. (2008, May). Varying Amounts of Acute Static Stretching and Its Effect on Vertical Jump Performance. Retrieved from http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2008/05000/Varying_Amounts_of_Acute_Static_Stretching_and_Its.19.aspx
5. Gergley, J.C. (2013, April). Acute effect of passive static stretching on lower-body strength in moderately trained men. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22692125