Slow Jogging: Why It’s the Most Efficient Warm-up Exercise for Running

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As the name suggests, slow jogging is running slowly or taking short strides.

A good pre-run warm-up activity increases your heart rate, blood flow, oxygen, and energy to run effortlessly. And, unless you’re an elite runner on race day, slow jogging is a simple and effective way to warm up and avoid the risk of injuries.

Here are 7 reasons why slow jogging is a great warmup exercise for running.

1. Jogging is a gentle warmup. This means that it gradually increases your body temperature, loosens up your joints, and lets you ease into a comfortable pace that can sustain you till the end of the run.

2. When sleeping or sitting, your muscles naturally tighten because of the lack of movement. Therefore, warming them up by jogging slowly safely stretches those tight muscles and prevents you from injury.

3. Jogging slowly at the beginning helps you save more energy and use it for running.

4. According to this study, jogging is a good pulse raiser that slowly increases your breathing, allows oxygen in your blood, and fills your muscles with the energy to run efficiently.

5. Slow jogging is simply taking short, slow strides, which makes it the most natural warm-up exercise for runners.

6. Jogging slowly for the first 5 minutes helps you mentally prepare for the run. It is time to warm your mind by figuring out how long the run will take, how far you’ll go, and the techniques to push past the pain.

7. Jogging as a warm-up stretch is a massive time saver, especially when hurrying to return home and go to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

i. What happens if you don’t warm up before a run?

According to a study on innovations in warming up and cooling down in sports, warming up aims to help the body perform best from the beginning of the run to the end. It prepares your body for physical activity, so skipping it could stress your organs (heart and lungs) and cause serious muscle injuries.

ii. Is a 5-minute slow jog a good pre-run warm-up?

A 5-minute jog is a good warmup because it’s enough to raise your heartbeat and increase breathing, blood flow, and oxygen levels in your muscles to enable you to have a productive run.

iii. How do you breathe when jogging and running?

According to Healthline, you can choose nasal breathing when running slowly, i.e., while jogging. However, during an intense run or aerobic activity, breathing through both nose and mouth is vital to increase oxygen and feed your body with energy to support the intensity.

Nasal breathing filters and warms the air through the nasal cavity, helping protect runners from colds and flu. It also engages the diaphragm and stomach, which allows runners to inhale more oxygen to the lungs and body for maximum performance.

Mouth breathing helps expel carbon dioxide, a waste product created when your body produces energy.

Therefore, both nose and mouth breathing is healthy. It only depends on the intensity of your run.

Conclusion

A slow jog at the beginning of a run is a great warmup exercise not only for beginner runners but also for advanced runners.

Now I’d like to hear from you.

Do you also use the slow jogging warmup technique before running? How has it impacted your running journey?

Leave a comment below to help other runners.