How good are Dynamic stretching exercises?

Have you ever wondered what dynamic stretching exercises are? Do they really help warm up the body and prepare it for the sporting event ahead? Answers to all your concerns will be provided if you simply just read on.

What are dynamic stretching exercises?

Dynamic stretching exercises are simply stretching your body through movement. These exercises are performed when you are moving and your body is in motion. When you hear the word stretching, you probably think of leaning down and touching your toes. On the contrary that is the exact opposite of dynamic stretching exercises. The former is static stretching because the body is not in motion and is static.

Why is warming up important?

The first thing to do when you start exercising is to get your body ready for it. This way, not only do you get a great workout but you will also prevent muscle injuries. Although a normal warm up requires only 5 minutes, but it is as important as the exercise itself. During warm-ups, the blood flow in the body increases and it signals the body that you are about to use it more efficiently.

Dynamic Stretching Routines:

Any number of dynamic stretching exercises can be combined to provide you with a complete dynamic stretching routine. But it is important that you keep in mind that the exercises you include in your routine should target all your major muscles of the body and are simple and easy to follow.

The following dynamic warm up exercises will give you an idea of which exercise targets which muscle and how you can choose a set of exercises to form your routine.

Lunges:

Lunges are the most popular type of dynamic warm up exercise. They are very beneficial for loosening the hip muscles. They make use of the muscles surrounding the calves, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. In lunges, you stretch one side of your leg with applying pressure to the other leg. There are side lunges, reverse lunges and forward lunges. You can twist simple lunges by stretching an arm or raising the heel additionally.

Kicks:

Kicks are the best approach to core stability. They stretch the hamstrings. Simply kick each leg in the air and aim as high as your head. However, to get the most from this exercise, it is important to keep your body controlled and straight.

Knee Highs:

Another very popular dynamic stretching exercise is the knee lifts. This exercise requires you to bring your knee up to your chest as high as possible. This prepares the hip muscles. For added height, you can raise your other foot and stand on your toes while you try to lift your knee to your chest. This will give you the required boost to accentuate your lift.

Arm Circles:

Until now we looked into the exercises that focused on the lower body muscles. These arm circle dynamic stretching exercises will help your upper body prepare for the forthcoming exercise or sporting event. The shoulder has the largest span of stretching in the entire body. This is why it is important to warm it up properly. As the name suggests, arm circles are simply rotating your arms in full length in complete circles. Doing these arm circles backward and forward will help the shoulder and arm muscles warm up. A simple variation of this dynamic warm up exercise is to use dumb bells or weight plates while rotating the arm. This will put extra pressure on the arm.

Now that you know a few basic dynamic stretching exercises, you can easily pair them up with pushups, jogging and squats to form your own dynamic stretching routine.

There are so many benefits of opting for a dynamic warm up rather than a static warm up. It prepares the body much better than any low cardio activity. It warms up the body faster. There are many trainers that suggest that warm up should be done through dynamic exercises while static exercises should be used for warm downs.

It improves the performance of the workout by expanding the range of motion and flexibility of your joints. If you want to experience more lively workouts, then warm up through dynamic stretching exercises.