When it comes to any kind of exercise, a warmup (and cooldown!) is important, so running is no exception. NASM-certified Peloton Tread master trainer and USATF/RRCA run coach Rebecca Kennedy told POPSUGAR that if you're doing a more intense run — like 20-minute HIIT on the treadmill — she would recommend getting a run warmup in first. Peloton's digital app, for example, has 10-minute warmup runs on demand. But if you're doing more of an endurance run, a five-minute warmup with dynamic stretches (involving movement) is ideal to get your heart rate elevated and target your hamstrings, glutes, and hips, she said.
In a warmup, you want to be doing, movements that "warm the muscles up and prepare the joints and the ligaments to actually receive that impact," she explained. Ahead, check out Rebecca's top three warmup exercises for runs that you can do in whichever order you choose. Then, find more expert tips from Rebecca for how to properly do a treadmill HIIT workout here.
If you don't want to do these running in place, Rebecca said you can just do slower "heel to bum" kicks (seen here).
Knee hugs are a simple way to warm up your legs, and they also require you to focus on your balance, so make sure you're moving slow and controlled.
Rebecca said you'll be hinging your hips backward, sweeping, and then lifting up into a "hip drive." You can do these one leg at a time or with both legs (as Rebecca also demonstrates here). The motion itself, she said, is similar to a deadlift. See directions for the single-leg hamstring sweeps below: