Do This Dynamic Stretching Routine Before Every Workout
November 14, 2018 - Reading time: 15 minutes
Have you heard of dynamic stretching? It's a pretty fascinating new trend that is taking the fitness industry by storm. In the past, there has been a passionate debate about whether you should stretch before a workout, after a workout, or if stretching is even necessary at all. Some fitness buffs believe that regular (static) stretching might make you more vulnerable to injury than exercise alone. But even those with differing opinions seem to be coming together to celebrate the benefits of dynamic stretching.
What is Dynamic Stretching?
Dynamic stretching involves a series of movements and exercises that are a cross between light aerobic exercise and a moderate stretching of the muscles. Unlike static stretching, such as bending down to touch your toes, or splaying your legs to get into a split, dynamic stretching keeps you in constant motion. It provides many different fitness benefits which most experts believe are superior to anything you can get from static stretching. And they're not wrong.
Why is Dynamic Stretching Important?
Some of the most common fitness injuries happen because people don't warm up their muscles before they start a strenuous workout. Cold muscles are less flexible and accommodating, and more vulnerable to ripping and tearing if you push them too far. Furthermore, cold muscles have a limited supply of glucose and amino acids in storage while the body is at rest. Going from sedentary to intense exercise right away will deplete those resources quickly, draining you of energy and leaving your muscles ill-equipped to repair themselves after you are done using them.
The best way to make sure your muscles are warm enough to protect yourself from injury is to get your blood flowing first. Light movement before your main exercise routine triggers your body to pump more blood into your muscle tissue. This raises your body temperature, making those tissues loose and flexible. It also helps your muscle cells absorb nutrients, like glucose and amino acids. These nutrients give you energy to power through your workout and help you build stronger, healthier muscles post-exercise. Many report that dynamic stretches performed before a workout help reduce post-exercise soreness.
Dynamic Stretching Exercises
There are many different dynamic stretching exercises you can perform before starting your main workout. You can also find set routines with a simple internet search. Just remember that your workout shouldn't be about what other people tell you is best (aside from fitness professionals, that is). There is no universal, perfect dynamic stretching routine. Your workout should be tailored to you and what works best for your body.
We've collected some of the best dynamic stretching moves from the four corners of the internet. Feel free to pick and choose from the list below. Also, don't restrict yourself to a rigid routine. Go ahead and perform them in any order that makes you feel energized and ready to work out. Most importantly, make sure you pay close attention to the instructions for each exercise and maintain good form in order to avoid injury.
Walking Lunges
A walking lunge is very similar to a forward lunge. There is one major difference, though. When performing a walking lunge, instead of pushing onto the heel of your forward foot and returning back to your starting position, you instead push forward on the ball of your rear foot and propel yourself forward. When you're ready, or if you want more of a challenge, you can add an extra movement mid-lunge such as an arm raise or a horizontal twist to the side. Start with a set of 10 lunges, then move onto the next exercise.
Side Lunges
Side lunges are bouncy and fun once you get the hang of them! But beware: they're a little bit harder to do than they look. They're great for working your glutes, outer and inner thighs, and of course your quads. On top of that, side lunges help you develop these muscle groups in such a way as to promote better balance and stability. As you get older, this can help protect you from falling injuries. If you're feeling ambitious, don't pause between each lunge after you return to your starting position. Instead, bounce back and forth from one lunge into the next in one smooth, connected flow. Trust us, it'll really get your blood flowing to those muscles!
Straight Leg Kicks
These kicks are great not just for warming up, but also for improving your flexibility and working out your core muscles. Just make sure you don't swing your leg up too quickly or forcefully. When you raise your leg to touch your toes to your hand, it should be somewhat swift but at the same time controlled. To test whether you're doing it right (or if you want an extra challenge), pause at the top of your kick when your toes and hand are touching. If you start to wobble and lose your balance, you may be going too fast.
Knee to Chest
Similarly to straight leg licks, hugging your knee to your chest also helps you work out your core muscles and improve your balance. Try starting out with 10 knee raises moving forward (5 on each leg), turning around, and doing ten more, eventually returning to your starting position.
Arm Circles
Given most people's sedentary lives, we don't move our arms around that much. Over time, this can cause some range of motion and flexibility problems in our shoulders. Arm circles are great for keeping your shoulder joints flexible so that you can perform other arm-related exercises with a reduced risk of injury. And they're easy - all you have to do is hold your arms out, palms down, parallel to the floor. Circle your arms forward, slowly, making small rotations at first. Gradually make those circles bigger, as demonstrated in the video below. After about 10-15 seconds, do the exact same thing, but rotate your arms backward instead.
T-Push Ups
These are a bit more challenging than some of the other dynamic exercises we've covered so far, but if you're ready to take your dynamic warm up to the next level, then you might like these. This exercise is yet another way to help develop your stability muscles and strengthen your core. Start by performing a regular push up. Once your arms are extended completely (AKA the high plank position), pick up your left arm and twist your body so that the fingertips of your left hand are reaching toward the sky. Hold that stretch for a beat, bring your hand back down, and repeat the same thing with your right arm.
Final Thoughts
Remember, these exercises are just the warm up. If you start sweating profusely, run out of breath quickly, or feel shaky and wobbly before your warm up is even over, you may be pushing yourself too hard. Try performing fewer reps, and limit the number of sets you repeat. Your dynamic warm up routine should be just challenging enough to get your heart pumping, but it shouldn't make up the bulk of your exercise routine. If a move is painful or feels too strenuous, either take it slower or remove it from your warm up entirely. Lastly, as always, check in with your doctor before you start any new exercise routine to make sure you're healthy enough to perform.
We hope these dynamic stretch exercises revive your stale fitness routine. When performed regularly, they'll help boost your athletic performance during your main workout while also helping you avoid injury. So good luck, and enjoy your new warm up!