Gentle stretching before running is the foundation of healthy training
Every runner knows it. You're standing at the door, wearing your favourite running gear, the sun is shining outside, and your body is craving movement. The last thing on your mind is spending another ten minutes stretching. And yet it's precisely this seemingly pointless routine that determines whether you return from training feeling fresh and satisfied, or with a painful pull in your thigh that puts you out of action for a week.
Stretching before running is a topic that divides the running community just as much as debates about the correct stride length or shoe selection. Some claim it's unnecessary, others consider it the foundation of every training session. The truth lies, as usual, somewhere in the middle – but above all, it depends on how and when you stretch.
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Static versus dynamic stretching: A crucial difference that many overlook
For many years, it was considered a sporting dogma that before any performance you needed to properly "stretch out" – sit down, extend your leg, and hold the position for thirty seconds. Today, however, sports science speaks clearly. Static stretching immediately before running can be counterproductive. Research published in, for example, the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has repeatedly shown that holding a static position for a long time before exercise reduces muscle strength and explosiveness, and paradoxically can increase the risk of injury rather than reducing it.
Dynamic stretching – that is, movement performed smoothly and in a controlled manner through the full range of joint motion – is, on the contrary, precisely what muscles and tendons need before running. It is a way of gradually warming up the body, activating neuromuscular connections, and preparing the musculoskeletal system for the load that is coming. This doesn't involve any fast, jerky movements. Gentle stretching before running works on the principle of gradualness and respect for one's own body.
Consider Markéta, a forty-four-year-old accountant from Brno, who started running three years ago as a way to manage work-related stress. Initially, she skipped stretching – it seemed like a waste of time to her. After repeated pain in her calves and Achilles tendon, she began looking into how to change her training. Once she incorporated a ten-minute dynamic warm-up, the pain gradually disappeared and she was able to increase her weekly mileage without any problems.
Stories like Markéta's are not the exception. They are the rule. And yet so little is needed.
What gentle stretching before running looks like in practice
Gentleness in this context does not mean inadequacy. It means a conscious approach in which you don't overload cold muscles or force movement. An ideal warm-up before running lasts approximately eight to twelve minutes and includes several key phases.
It always begins with a general warm-up. A fresh muscle is like cold wax – hard and prone to cracking. Five minutes of brisk walking or light jogging will raise body temperature, increase blood flow to the muscles, and prepare the joints for greater demands. Only then does it make sense to apply stretching exercises to this warmed-up body.
This is followed by the dynamic phase, which should include movements that mimic the running motion. Lunges with trunk rotation activate the hips, gluteal muscles, and core simultaneously. Ankle and knee circles prepare the joints that bear the weight of the entire body with every step. Knee-to-chest pulls while standing work the hip flexors, which are chronically shortened in people with sedentary jobs. Leg swings forwards and sideways then simulate the natural range of motion that you use when running.
The transition from the warm-up to the run itself is also important. Don't jump straight into your planned pace. The first five to ten minutes of running should be slower than your target speed. This allows the body to fine-tune the oxygen supply to the muscles, and you'll avoid the unpleasant sensation of "heavy legs" that many runners experience in the first kilometres.
Where static stretching does have its place is after the run. It is precisely then, when the muscles are warm and well-supplied with blood, that the right moment arrives for slow, sustained stretching. Gently held hamstring stretches, quadriceps stretches, or releasing the lumbar spine – all of this helps the body recover and prevents muscle stiffness the following day. As leading Czech physiotherapist Pavel Kolář says: "Movement is the best medicine, but it must be correctly dosed."
Care for the body doesn't end with warm-ups and stretching. Recovery as a whole is equally important – quality sleep, adequate hydration, and nutrition that replenishes what the body used during training. In this regard, the products you incorporate into your daily life also play a role. Natural supplements, quality functional clothing made from sustainable materials, or eco-friendly sports equipment – all of this contributes to approaching sport as an overall lifestyle, rather than just a single isolated activity.
The most common mistakes runners make when stretching
Even with the best intentions, stretching can go wrong. One of the most widespread mistakes is skipping the warm-up entirely – either due to time pressure or the belief that a young, healthy body can manage without preparation. But injury doesn't discriminate by age or fitness level. A muscle that isn't warmed up is vulnerable regardless of whether it belongs to a twenty-year-old athlete or a fifty-year-old recreational runner.
The second common mistake is performing static stretching before running in the belief that it constitutes proper preparation. As mentioned, this practice is now professionally questioned. If you are accustomed to traditional "stretching", try moving it to the end of your training session and observe how your feelings during the run itself change.
The third mistake is painful stretching. A mild pull is fine and signals that you are working in the right area. Pain, however, is never the goal. If you feel a sharp or burning sensation during an exercise, that is a clear signal that you are going too far or performing the technique incorrectly. Gentle stretching before running is built on respect for your own limits, not on forcibly overcoming them.
The fourth mistake, which is discussed less often, is one-sidedness. Many runners only stretch the areas that are currently hurting them or that they know are problematic. A healthy preparation for running, however, should be comprehensive – encompassing not only the lower limbs but also the hips, gluteal muscles, and core. A weak core is, in fact, one of the most common causes of knee and ankle overload, as it compensates for instability in the pelvic area.
There is also a less obvious but very important group of muscles that tends to be forgotten when preparing for running: the calf muscles and the plantar fascia – the connective tissue band on the underside of the foot. Regular calf stretching and foot massage using, for example, a tennis ball significantly reduces the risk of developing plantar fasciitis, which is one of the most common and most painful running injuries of all. According to information from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, approximately two million people suffer from plantar fasciitis each year, with a large proportion of cases being preventable through proper foot care.
Stretching and warming up is not just a matter for elite athletes or those who train every day. It applies equally to weekend runners who head out once a week for five kilometres as it does to those preparing for a marathon. Perhaps even more so – recreational runners have less movement routine, their muscles are less adapted to repeated load, and the risk of overuse is proportionally higher for them.
The good news is that it's never too late to start. The body is remarkably adaptable and is capable of improvement at virtually any age. If you have been ignoring stretching until now, simply start tomorrow – before your next run. It won't take more than ten minutes, and your knees, ankles, and back will thank you for it.
A sustainable approach to sport, after all, shares many values with a sustainable approach to life in general. It's about doing things consciously, with respect for what we have – whether that means the nature around us or our own bodies. Gentle stretching before running is simply an investment in long-term health that will pay back many times over – in the form of joy in movement, fewer injuries, and the greater freedom to do what you love, even ten or twenty years from now.
