A Runner's Dilemma: Brittle vs Gooey Taffy?

Yes...it all comes down to taffy.

Would you like yours cold and brittle or warm and gooey?

If you're about to go out for a run, I'd recommend warm and gooey!  Even just 5 minutes of a dynamic warm-up before running can decrease your risk of running injuries.

Performing a long hold stretch where you maintain the stretched position for anything more than just a couple of seconds basically tells the muscle it's time to relax.  That "sleepy" muscle is now like cold, brittle taffy and is happy to just stay in that one position...but you want it to CONTRACT and MOVE...QUICKLY and REPETITIVELY...and it's just not ready to do that!

The best dynamic warm-up routines have combined a little bit of strength challenge, a little bit of flexibility challenge and a little bit of balance challenge, all while maintaining a neutral spinal curve and good knee positioning where the knee doesn't move too far forward toward the toes.

You don't have to do THIS dynamic warm-up but if you want to keep running without injuries, you need to find a dynamic warm-up that you love and will perform consistently!

Train smarter, not harder to keep your body moving!

You can do this!