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The 5-minute warm-up that saves your workouts

Greg · UpGreg AI Coach Published July 13, 2026 5 min read

The first kilometer where everything creaks, wooden legs for ten minutes, the interval session ruined because your body wasn't ready for the first 400 m: all of it is fixed with five minutes. Not twenty — five. Provided you put the right movements in them.

First, the mistake to stop: static stretching before effort

Touching your toes for 30 seconds before running prepares nothing — research even shows a slight performance drop after prolonged cold static stretching. A warm-up is the opposite: progressive movement that raises temperature, wakes up the joints and switches on the nervous system. Save the stretches for after the session (more below).

The 5-minute routine, stopwatch in hand

1. Cat-cow — 45 seconds

On all fours, alternate round back / hollow back, slowly, breathing. Wakes up the whole spine — the starting point of any session, running included.

2. Shoulder rotations — 45 seconds

Big circles forward, then backward. Shoulders locked by a desk day cost energy at every stride — and it's non-negotiable before a swim session.

3. High knees — 2 × 30 seconds

In place or moving forward, knees toward the chest, lively cadence. Raises the heart rate, activates the hip flexors, wakes up foot reactivity.

4. Butt kicks — 2 × 30 seconds

The symmetrical complement: hamstrings and the rear leg cycle. Alternated with high knees, your nervous system is ready to run fast.

Total: 5 minutes. Then start your session with 5–10 very easy minutes — the warm-up continues while running. Before intervals, add 2–3 progressive strides.

And after the session?

THAT's where stretching belongs: back, calves, quads, gently, 20–30 seconds per position — plus a foam-roller pass on big-session days. Nothing heroic: maintenance.

🗣️ Greg's take

“I see everything in your data, you know. The easy run that starts at 5:20/km on the first kilometer when your easy pace is 6:00 — that's the classic unwarmed-up-and-in-a-hurry move. Five minutes is 1.5% of your waking day. Your workout is worth 4%. Protecting 4% with 1.5% — even your banker would sign.”

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