5 Run-damental Stretches For New Runners

There are several core pieces of information that runners need to keep in mind in to help them run better and further.

- Chng Chye Tuan

Stretching exercises are one of them. Contrary to the belief that stretching is only necessary after runs, performing stretching exercises prior to running sets the body up for a productive run. The key lies in knowing which stretches to perform.

Don’t confuse warm-ups with stretching either. A warm-up is an activity that raises your core body temperature, so stretching cannot be considered as warming up. What stretching does is improve your flexibility. This is especially so when your muscles begin to tense up after long periods of running (more than 30 minutes) or a series of short sprints. It also helps to increase the range of motion for your joints, lowering the risk of injury to your joints, muscles and tendons.

Here are FIVE lower body stretches you can incorporate in your pre-run routines.

HAMSTRINGS STRETCH