The Dynamic Warm-Up for Runners: What the Evidence Supports

What is a dynamic warm-up, and does the evidence support it?

A dynamic warm-up uses controlled, movement-based drills, such as leg swings, lunges, high knees and light bounding, to raise muscle temperature and rehearse running movements before you start. It contrasts with static stretching, where a position is held still for a prolonged period.

The evidence broadly supports the dynamic approach for runners. Sople and Wilcox (2024), in a narrative review, concluded that a well-implemented, sport-specific dynamic warm-up confers musculoskeletal, neurologic, cardiovascular and psychological benefits, and recommended it for injury prevention and potential performance gains. Li et al. (2023), pooling 35 studies in a network meta-analysis, found that dynamic stretching enhanced lower-limb explosive performance while static stretching diminished it.

The caveat worth stating early is that much of the running-specific evidence rests on small crossover trials and narrative reviews, so effect sizes should be read as indicative rather than settled.

Does dynamic stretching improve running performance?

This is where the evidence is strongest and most consistent. Konrad et al. (2021), reviewing 11 studies with 111 participants, reported that a single bout of dynamic stretching produced a large increase in running performance (+9.8%), while static stretching hurt performance (-1.4%). They recommended short-duration dynamic stretching over static stretching when the goal is running performance.

Panascì et al. (2024) added a controlled crossover trial in recreational distance runners. A pre-exercise bout of moderate-duration dynamic stretching improved running economy and increased both total running distance and time to exhaustion, whereas 60 seconds of static stretching produced no significant improvement over doing nothing.

Read these figures with care: performance outcomes vary by protocol and by how they are measured, and the participants were mostly recreational runners rather than elites. Still, the direction of effect is repeatedly in favour of dynamic work.

What does dynamic stretching do to running economy?

Running economy, how much oxygen you use at a given pace, is where the evidence becomes genuinely mixed. Faelli et al. (2021) found that in eight recreational runners, both static and dynamic stretching within a warm-up improved economy and lowered perceived effort versus no stretching, with no significant difference between the two. Pamboris et al. (2022) reported that dynamic plantarflexor stretching improved economy in 12 runners, alongside reductions in ankle and vertical stiffness.

Against this, Warneke et al. (2025) pooled 15 acute studies with 181 participants and found that no stretching type, static, dynamic or PNF, significantly moderated running economy. The limited chronic evidence showed no effect either.

The honest reading is that individual trials sometimes show an economy benefit, but the meta-analytic signal is weak. Do not expect dynamic stretching alone to reliably improve your economy.

Why avoid long static stretching before running?

Prolonged static stretching immediately before hard efforts can transiently reduce force and power output. Behm et al. (2016), in a systematic review, reported that immediately after stretching, static stretching reduced performance by 3.7% and PNF by 4.4%, with larger impairments when holds exceeded 60 seconds per muscle, whereas dynamic stretching improved performance by 1.3%.

Li et al. (2023) reached a compatible conclusion, finding that static stretching diminished lower-limb explosive strength while dynamic stretching enhanced it.

Two qualifiers matter. First, Behm et al. (2016) noted that when short static stretching is embedded within a full warm-up, the impairment becomes trivial. Second, the effect is acute and short-lived, so it is a timing question, not a reason to abandon static stretching for mobility work at other times. Before a run or race, though, keep static holds brief or leave them out.

How long should a dynamic warm-up last?

Two strands of evidence point to a practical window. Li et al. (2023) found that dynamic stretching of 7 to 10 minutes produced the best and most stable explosive-strength outcome, and Sople and Wilcox (2024) similarly recommended a dynamic warm-up of at least 7 to 10 minutes using agility, plyometric and balance movements.

For the stretching portion specifically, Konrad et al. (2021) recommended short-duration dynamic stretching, at or below 220 seconds, when running performance is the goal.

These figures are not in conflict once you separate the whole warm-up from its stretching component: a roughly 7 to 10 minute session overall, within which the dedicated dynamic stretching stays short. The precise optimum is not established for distance runners, so treat these as sensible defaults rather than fixed prescriptions, and adjust to your event and conditions.

Can a dynamic warm-up lower injury risk?

The injury question is where confidence should be most measured. Sople and Wilcox (2024) concluded that a well-implemented, sport-specific dynamic warm-up is recommended for injury prevention as well as potential performance gains, drawing on musculoskeletal, neurologic and cardiovascular mechanisms. This is plausible, but it comes from a narrative review reflecting expert interpretation rather than pooled trial data specific to distance runners.

On the flip side, there is reassurance about stretching itself. Behm et al. (2016) found no evidence that stretching increases injury risk in healthy active individuals.

So the fair summary is twofold: dynamic warm-ups are reasonably supported as part of injury-prevention practice, and stretching before exercise does not appear to raise injury risk. What we lack is strong, running-specific trial evidence isolating a dynamic warm-up as the cause of fewer injuries. Treat injury prevention as a supporting reason, not a proven guarantee.

Where is the evidence weak or mixed?

Several limitations deserve flagging. First, running economy shows conflicting results: single trials such as Faelli et al. (2021) and Pamboris et al. (2022) report benefits, but the meta-analysis by Warneke et al. (2025) found no significant acute or chronic effect of stretching on economy at all.

Second, sample sizes are often small. Faelli et al. (2021) studied eight runners and Pamboris et al. (2022) studied 12, so precision is limited and effects may not generalise.

Third, much of the injury-prevention and duration guidance comes from narrative reviews and non-running populations, including Sople and Wilcox (2024) and parts of Li et al. (2023). Finally, most performance findings are acute, measured shortly after warming up, so longer-term training effects remain sparsely studied. None of this overturns the practical guidance, but it should temper how strongly you state the benefits.

How should runners build a dynamic warm-up in practice?

A defensible template follows the evidence without overreaching. Spend roughly 7 to 10 minutes overall, in line with Li et al. (2023) and Sople and Wilcox (2024), and build it from active, running-relevant movement: easy jogging, leg swings, walking lunges, high knees, and light agility or bounding drills as Sople and Wilcox (2024) describe.

Keep any dedicated dynamic stretching short, around or below the 220-second guide from Konrad et al. (2021), and avoid prolonged static holds immediately beforehand, since Behm et al. (2016) showed these can transiently reduce force. If you like static stretching, keep it brief within the fuller warm-up, where its impairment is trivial.

Finish by rehearsing near your intended pace so the warm-up is specific to the session ahead. This is low-cost, well-tolerated, and aligned with the strongest available evidence.

Is a dynamic warm-up better than static stretching before running?

For pre-run preparation, yes. Konrad et al. (2021) found a single bout of dynamic stretching was linked to a large rise in running performance, while static stretching slightly reduced it. Behm et al. (2016) reported acute force loss after prolonged static stretching but a small gain after dynamic work. Save long static holds for another time.

How long should a dynamic warm-up be for runners?

Roughly 7 to 10 minutes overall is a reasonable default. Li et al. (2023) found dynamic stretching of 7 to 10 minutes gave the best explosive-strength outcome, and Sople and Wilcox (2024) recommended at least that duration. Keep the dedicated dynamic stretching short, at or below about 220 seconds per Konrad et al. (2021).

Does a dynamic warm-up improve running economy?

The evidence is mixed. Individual trials by Faelli et al. (2021) and Pamboris et al. (2022) reported improved economy after dynamic stretching, but Warneke et al. (2025), pooling 15 studies, found no significant acute or chronic effect of any stretching type. Treat an economy benefit as possible but unreliable rather than assured.

Can skipping a dynamic warm-up increase injury risk?

The running-specific evidence is limited. Sople and Wilcox (2024) recommended a sport-specific dynamic warm-up for injury prevention, though this came from a narrative review. Behm et al. (2016) found no evidence that stretching itself raises injury risk. A dynamic warm-up is sensible for injury prevention, but a firm guarantee is not supported.

Is static stretching bad for runners?

Not in general, only immediately before hard efforts. Behm et al. (2016) showed static stretching can transiently reduce performance, especially with holds over 60 seconds, but the impairment becomes trivial when short static stretching sits inside a fuller warm-up. Static stretching for mobility at other times is fine and did not increase injury risk.

What should a runner's dynamic warm-up include?

Build it from active, running-relevant movement: easy jogging, leg swings, walking lunges, high knees, and light agility, plyometric or balance drills, as described by Sople and Wilcox (2024). Keep dynamic stretching brief, avoid long static holds beforehand, and finish by rehearsing near your intended pace so the warm-up is specific to the session.