3 Dynamic Warm-Ups to Kickstart Your Workout
Have you ever started a workout and felt your hamstring, back, or calf pop within the first few minutes of the workout? If so, you probably didn’t get a proper warmup in.
Let’s face it. Life gets busy and sometimes all we have is 30 minutes for a quick workout. We don’t want to waste time and we want to make our workout time count — so we skip the warmup and go right into a high intensity session. This is a recipe for disaster!
Don’t skip the warmup!
Warming up before a workout is so important because it loosens up the muscles, joints, and tendons, making them more flexible and ready for the physical demands of exercise. As you warm up, your heart rate, circulation, and body temperature gradually rise which increases blood flow to your muscles.
The harder the session, the longer the warmup needs to be. High intensity work places greater stress on your cardiovascular system and muscles putting you at risk for strains, sprains, or muscle pulls. If your muscles don’t “POP” from the abrupt increase in intensity, it is still a shock to your cardiovascular system, potentially leading to a sudden increase in blood pressure or heart rate. Additionally, cold muscles are less efficient, which can impair performance and decrease the effectiveness of your workout.
So what’s the best way to warmup?
The best warm-up is a dynamic warm-up!
It wasn’t too long ago that coaches and PE teachers had their athletes group counting through a series of long, slow, sedentary stretches. But that type of static stretching as a warmup routine has been thrown out the window by exercise scientists who have coalesced around a better way to prepare your body for exertion: the dynamic warm-up.
A dynamic warmup involves active, up-tempo movements that can help make your workout safer and more effective. They take your body through quick, fast stretches that take joints through their full range of motion. Dynamic movements increase your body temperature and begin gently stressing your soft tissues. Dynamic stretching also helps make your muscles more responsive by activating intracellular sensors called muscle spindles which then amplify the electric currents that help your mind and muscle communicate.
For a dynamic warmup to be effective, it doesn’t need to be long. Just eight minutes of focused dynamic stretching will do the trick.
Here three movements you can try:
Straight Leg Marches. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Lift one leg straight out in front of you while keeping it as straight as possible, then lower it back down and repeat with the other leg. This exercise targets the hip flexors and hamstrings, improving their flexibility and activating the core muscles.
Lateral Lunges. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Take a wide step to the side with your right foot, keeping your left leg straight and your weight on your right foot. Lower your body into a lunge position, then push off with your right foot and return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side. Lateral lunges engage the inner and outer thigh muscles, increase hip mobility, and activate the glutes.
Hip Cradles. Begin by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your right knee up towards your chest, then use your hands to cradle your shin and gently pull your knee closer to your chest. Hold this position for a few seconds, then release and repeat with the left knee. Hip cradles help improve hip mobility, increase flexibility in the hip flexors, and engage the core muscles for stability.
For more dynamic stretches check out Team RWB YouTube Channel here.
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