We used to just drop about a tablespoon of castor oil down each plug hole and then turn the engine over with the coil(s) disconnected... that coats the bores nicely, and is good prior to starting an engine that has sat for a while. About 10-20 revolutions is all you need to get the oil circulating via the pump. No meaningful wear will occur if you do this before starting an engine that has been sitting... if you are really keen, you can always pull the cam/rocker cover and coat everything in nice new oil.
I once started an old Honda Accord engine that had been full of water... there was rust in the bores, but we just WD40'ed them and started it up. We didn't expect that engine to last more than a month, but 100,000 kms later it was still running fine, no smoke, no drama. It all comes down to the quality of metal used in the bores and rings.
Another engine I had was the BMW 3.5 litre six (the chain-driven one used in the E34). I had to do the head after it sprung a leak and overheated... when I pulled the head, the bores still had visible hone marks on them, and that car had over 200,000 kms on it. They reckon those engines will go for over 400,000 kms before they start to show signs of wear. Impressive.