Warm-up is not something that an athlete can avoid during sprinting, it is one of the greatest performance and safety aids that an athlete can possess. Most beginners believe that warm up is purely meant to prevent an injury, however, warm up enhances speed production, coordination, rhythm, and confidence. Sprinting is a very intensive exercise which requires rapid contraction of muscles, and solid activation of the nervous system. Failure to prepare the body causes tightness of the muscles, makes movements heavy and the sprint inefficient. The awareness of speed training explains that warm-up is an element of speed since a ready athlete will always run faster than an athlete who is unprepared. An effective warm-up is not a waste of time; it increases the performance.

Warm-up serves the role of heating the body and increasing blood circulation. Cold muscles reduce the rate of contraction and increase the chances of straining particularly in the hamstrings and calves. The correct warm-up should start with light exercise of 5-10 minutes of jogging, Skip, cycling or brisk walking depending on the level of the athletic. This mild exercise enhances blood flow to the legs and enhances the supply of oxygen to the working muscles. Consciousness enlightens that running without this step is applicable to driving a bike or a car without starting its engine first- it might be able to move but it will not move at optimum speed. Hot muscles react quicker, work harder and recuperate better during the sprint.

The next significant warm-up layer is mobility, and it is necessary due to the fact that sprinting involves the huge distances of motion in the hips, ankles, and thoracic spine. Most athletes can run slow not due to lack of strength but because of tightness of hips and ankles. Hot hip flexors limit the drive of the knee, tight ankles limit the ground push, and stiff upper body destroy posture when the body becomes freer.Sprint form automatically improves when the body becomes freer.

Another important warm-up phase that should not be neglected by many athletes is activation work. Activation is another term used to describe stretching; it relates to turning on the right muscles. During sprinting, butt-muscles have to contract forcefully, abdominal muscles need to hold the body stable, and hamstrings need to enable the movement at a high speed. In case glutes are not active, the body overloads quads and calves, making them more prone to injuries and less powerful. Although there is awareness of glute bridges, band walks, single-leg balance exercises, and plank exercises. Such exercises awaken the sprinting muscles of the body and enhance the relationship between the brain and the movement. The muscles that are activated generate increased speed of acceleration and improved posture.

Sprint-specific drills are needed after the mobility and activation of sprint training. Sprint exercises train the body in the right postures and movement patterns without the body in full speed under stress. The speed awareness termed this technique rehearsal as these drills condition the sprint rhythm of the body. Without the use of drills, the athlete who jumps into full sprints will have form that is not under control and will be wasting energy. However, when exercises are also involved, the body will memorize more the posture, knee lift, foot position and arm rhythm. The speed habits are established through drills and then speed follows.

Finally, warm-up and mobility are preparation and  more importantly, speed education. They also teach the athlete the feeling and movement of the body before the body reaches its peak performance. Athletes who effectively warm up are better runners, better healers and suffer less injuries. With time, flexibility, coordination and technical control is also enhanced with the regular warm-up and this would act as a long-term advantage performance. Speed training awareness also renders the making of warm-up an unalterable habit as fast athletes never miss a prep since it is their tool of trade.