While your cross-training How to use this list strength workouts or time on a bike, adding some flexibility exercises into your schedule—with the help of this seven-move routine—will also help you move better. All runners need a level of both Exercises for More Energy to perform their best and though many use the two terms interchangeably, they’re different.
“Mobility is the active movement of a joint through an intended range of motion, and flexibility is the passive range of motion a person has using an external force like gravity or an assisted stretch,” Lindsey Clayton, senior instructor at Barry’s in New York City and co-founder of in New York City and co-founder of, tells Runner’s World. “Both play an important role in being a well-balanced runner,” she adds.
The Benefits of These Flexibility Exercises for Runners
Runners need adequate Exercises for More Energy to maintain proper running form and mechanics. As your body tightens up, performance can suffer, and you may begin to make movement compensations that lead to pain and injury. Regularly performing flexibility exercises can help keep you nimble and potentially address tight muscles and sticky joints.
Research supports the IT Brand Stretches and decrease perception of effort review found that adding stretches to a Best Big City Marathons found that a single bout of dynamic stretching can improve running performance and the researchers say less flexible runners benefit the most from incorporating stretching into their workouts. Also, a small study of eight endurance runners, published in 2021 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that adding stretches to a warmup can improve running economy or any time you need to loosen up.
To help you reap these benefits, the following routine, programmed by Clayton, engages the entire body, from the neck down to the ankles. “The combination of Exercises for More Energy in this sequence will take your joints through their full range of motion and will help reduce tightness and stiffness and prevent injury,” she explains. She recommends performing it before or Best Big City Marathons, or any time you need to loosen up.
How to use this list: Perform each exercise below for 50 seconds, resting 10 seconds between exercises. However, if you feel like you need more time with any or all of the exercises, take it. “The key is to take your time,” Clayton says. “Don’t push any of the stretches to a place of pain, Minute Indoor Workout breath as you move through the sequence.”
Each move is demonstrated by Clayton in the video above so you can learn the proper form. You will need an exercise mat.
1. Child’s Pose to Upward-Facing Dog
From an all-fours position, keep arms straight and push hips back to sit on heels. Lower chest toward floor and rest forehead on mat. Pause for 1-2 breaths in child’s pose. Then, draw belly button to spine and roll back up through an all-fours position. Lower hips to floor, press into hands, and lift chest into an upward-facing dog position. Hold for 1-2 breaths, then lift hips and return to child’s pose. Repeat sequence.
2. Primal Squat With Alternating Reach
Stand with feet wider than hip-width apart and palms together in prayer position in front of chest. Send hips back and down into a low squat so that hips are below knees. Keep chest up and don’t allow knees to collapse inward. (If you need support, place a block under tailbone.) Rotate torso to right and, looking up, reach toward the ceiling with right hand. Pause, then turn back to center, lowering hand back to prayer position. Rotate torso to left and, looking up, reach toward the ceiling with left hand. Pause, then turn back to center, lowering hand to prayer position. Push through heels to return to standing. Repeat sequence.
3. Cat-Cow
Start on all fours, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Slowly inhale, lifting crown of head and tailbone upwards so that you come into a slight back bend. Pause, then slowly exhale, drawing belly button to spine as you tuck tailbone forward and draw chin towards chest. Repeat sequence, moving with breath.
4. Quadruped Thoracic Spine Rotation
Start on all fours, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Rest fingertips of right hand behind right ear and on an exhale, slowly rotate to right, reaching right elbow toward ceiling. Then, rotate inward on an inhale, drawing tip of right elbow down toward left hand. Repeat, rotating in both directions. Then place right hand on ground and fingertips of left hand behind left ear. On an exhale, slowly rotate to left, reaching left elbow toward ceiling. Then, rotate inward on an inhale, drawing tip of left elbow toward right hand. Repeat, rotating in both directions, then place left hand on ground. Repeat sequence, alternating sides, doing two reps per side.
5. World’s Greatest Stretch With Down Dog
Start in plank position, shoulders over wrists, body forming straight line from head to heels. Step right foot to outside of right hand in a low lunge. Rotating upper body to right, look up and reach right hand toward ceiling. Pause, then rotate upper body inward, bending right arm and tapping right forearm on floor in front of chest. Return right palm to ground, step right foot back into a plank position, and push hips back and up into a down dog position. Keep arms and legs straight and spine neutral as you lift hips and draw chest toward legs. Pedal out feet, pressing heels down, one at a time. Lower hips into a plank position and place left foot outside of left hand in a low lunge. Rotating upper body to left, look up and reach left hand toward ceiling. Pause, then rotate upper body inward, bending left arm and tapping left forearm to floor in front of chest. Return left palm to ground, step left foot back into a plank position, and push hips back and up into a down dog position. Repeat the sequence, alternating sides.
6. Dynamic Kneeling Hamstring Stretch
Start on all fours, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Bring right foot forward and place outside of right hand. Push hips forward, further flexing right knee. Then draw hips back toward left heel, straightening right leg and stretching hamstring. Flex and straighten right leg 3 more times, moving slow and with control. Return to all-fours position and repeat with left leg. Continue alternating.
7. Roll Down to Plank Walk-Out
Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides. Starting with the neck, slowly roll down one vertebra at a time and place palms on floor. Walk hands forward to a high plank: shoulders over wrists, neck neutral, back flat, core engaged, and legs straight. Pause, then walk hands back to feet and slowly roll up to standing one vertebra at a time. Repeat.
