Warm up without wearing out. Remember, a warm-up is light exercise intended to get your blood pumping, not the first leg of an Ironman competition. Keep your warm-up time to ten minutes, and if you warm up on a machine, put it at a moderate setting. If you run to warm up, keep your running to a light jog, not a hard sprint. Stretch your legs a bit.
Few muscles are tighter than the ones in our legs.
The hips, thighs and calves are all in the constant business of keeping us the upright men we are, which means they can get pretty tightly wound from the constant stress of carrying us around. You can make exercising easier on your leg muscles by taking a few minutes to stretch them before and after your workout. Be sure to do stretches for the hamstrings and quads. And when you do a modified hurdler stretch, pull your foot and toes toward you, which will stretch the calf, too. Don't lock yourself out.