Everyone knows to warm up before any exercise to prevent sports injuries. However, many people only know the traditional static stretching, and in fact, studies have shown that dynamic stretching has a more positive effect on athletes' speed, strength, and agility, and can really reduce the risk of sports injuries.
What is dynamic stretching
Dynamic stretching refers to stretching the muscle tissue to the longest, holding it for 3-5 seconds, and then causing the stretched muscles to contract. The muscles and tendons apply pressure to the part instead of stretching the muscle tissue to the maximum as static stretching and then pause for 15-30 seconds.
Dynamic stretching starts from the middle position of the joint and extends to the end of the limb through slow limb movements and back to the original position. Obviously, this kind of dynamic stretching can better increase the elasticity of muscles and tendons and improve the range of motion of muscle groups to better protect joints and prevent sports injuries.
How to do dynamic stretching
The warm-up routine before exercise is an essential part of any fitness activity and can help improve the range of physical activity and performance. This procedure only takes 5 minutes, and each exercise is repeated ten times to complete 1-2 groups.
1.Trunk twist
1. Keep your feet in a standing position, then separate your feet and shoulder width；
2. Then stretch out the left leg to form a lunge;
3. Raise your arms and keep them parallel to the ground, hold your hands tightly (or hold the basketball with both hands);
4. The upper body torso is slowly twisted to the left and held for 3-5 seconds;
5. Finally, return to its original position;
6. Repeat the exercise of the right leg to complete one exercise.
2.Side twist
1. Keep your feet apart and keep the same width as your shoulders；
2. Bend the left knee, while straightening the right foot to the right to form a side lunge, and then the toes always point forward;
3. Bend the upper body torso and keep it parallel to the ground, with the waist and back straight;
4. Touch your left toe or ankle with your right hand for 3-5 seconds;
5. Return to the original position, repeat the above action with your right leg.
3. Arm circles
1. Stand on both feet and lift your arms to both sides. The arms should be parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the body trunk;
2. The arm slowly starts to make a circular movement, and the range is maintained at about one foot;
3. After 10 seconds of circle movement, move in the opposite direction；
4. Perform about 1 minute of activities.
4. High knees
1. Separate your feet and shoulder width；
2. Raise the left knee, as far as possible to the chest position;
3. Lower your left foot and repeat you’re right foot, i.e. imitate running movement;
4. The arm swings naturally and maintains high knee movement for 1 minute;
5. If you are having difficulty with this high knee movement, you can lift a single knee first and then hold it against your chest and repeat it a few more times before starting the high knee.
5. Squat jumps
1. Keep your feet apart and maintain a standing position;
2. Raise your arms, parallel to the ground;
3. Squat down to the ground with your knees, not over your toes,
4. Connect the core, jump explosively, reach the highest bounce;
5. When landing, still keep squatting, then complete one action;
6. Repeat 2-3 groups of 10 exercises each.
Dynamic stretching as you benefit
Dynamic stretching can increase the range of motion of the torso, and flow good blood and oxygen to key parts such as muscles and ligaments in advance to reduce the risk of injury and improve performance.
1.Activate muscle
Dynamic stretching can increase the blood circulation of local muscles and prepare for muscle fibers, ligaments, joints, etc. This means that the muscles can be activated and the muscles can quickly respond to the state of exercise. Through dynamic stretching, the body adapts to the eccentric movement of the movement, improves the range of motion of muscles and joints, and further reduces the risk of injury.
2. Quickly enter a fat-burning state
Perform dynamic stretching exercises to warm up the body, increase the heart rate before the formal exercise, help the body reach the target heart rate of the exercise more quickly, and avoid having to waste a few minutes before the exercise to adapt the body to high-intensity exercise so that the body muscles can be more quickly enter the fat-burning state to enhance the effect of exercise. In the process of dynamic stretching, the heart rate is slowly increased instead of directly performing high-intensity fitness exercises to force the heart rate to increase, which can make the heart safer.
3. Better athletic performance
Dynamic stretching can improve the body's consciousness by imitating movements during exercise, making the body more and more adapt to it, so that the body muscles form inertial memory, allowing the body to respond more quickly, thereby improving the body's function and the nerves of movement so that the body has better athletic performance.
4. Greater explosive power
Dynamic stretching is good for sports that require strong muscle power, such as football and 100-meter sprints. For example, at the beginning of a sprint, you need to quickly relax your muscles so that your legs can provide high initial speed. Dynamic stretching can relax muscles and joints to increase the range of muscle activity and release the body's maximum explosive force.
The benefits of dynamic stretching in the warm-up procedure are significantly higher than static stretching, but it does not mean that static stretching should be eliminated. Static stretching still has value in muscle relaxation after formal exercise, which can help high temperatures and high heart rate. Keep your body calm and prevent stiff muscles or cramps.
