Dynamic Warm-Up Safely Warms Up Muscles

Static Stretching Can Cause Injury if Muscles are Cold

Aug 15, 2009 Michelle Watrin

Some athletes injure themselves at a time when they are trying to prevent injury - during warm up. Knowing how to warm up muscles safely is key to a good workout

Today a “Dynamic Warm-up” is the way to go before starting a workout. The definition of dynamic according to Dictionary.com is “full of energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of purpose and able both to get things going and to get things done.” Sounds great for a warm up. They style can be traced back to different coaches, one of them being Coach Fred Wilt, former Olympic distance runner from Indiana University and coach of women's track and field at Purdue University in the 80s.

Back in the late 80s, Coach Wilt helped fight the static-hurdle-stretch-type of warm up. Requesting that his runners get actively ready to run, he designed a birch-bark path around the campus 400-meter track with small hills and required runners to do at least four laps before a workout. Ideally, the first lap would be a jog, the middle two would be at tempo or a faster stride with at least four 100-meter accelerations thrown in, and the last lap back to a jog. A few plyometric jumping drills and, according to Coach Wilt, runners were ready for intervals on the track or other types of workouts.

Coach Wilt said many times, "I have never seen a racehorse stretch." His point was that stretching a cold muscle was an unnecessary and even detrimental step in a workout that could cause more harm than good.

Today's Dynamic Warm Up

Today this type of dynamic warm up continues to evolve with form-building running drills including A-cycle (a type of high knees and kick backs), skipping and bounding with force on the ball of the foot, side slides with arm swings, grapevine with a high knee, and multiple types of lunges. The important thing is that the muscles are warm before any stretching occurs.

The following list of stationary running drills can also be used as part of a dynamic warm-up. Ideally, these would be done after a three to five-minute jog or skipping rope. The actions should always be smooth and comfortable without any strain on the athlete.

Stationary Running Drills

  1. Holding on to a chair or wall with your right arm and keeping your left leg in one place, kick your right foot from front to back, gradually getting higher and higher until you feel a hamstring/quadriceps stretch at the height of the front kick and back kick. Once you have reached the stretching kicks, repeat at least 10 times. Switch sides and repeat.
  2. Face the chair or wall and put use both hands for support. Keep your left leg stationary, and gradually start side kicking your right leg. Keep the sidekicks going until you feel a stretch in your groin at the height of your sidekick. Repeat stretching kicks at least 10 times. Switch sides.
  3. In the same position as #1, do figure eight kicks front and back. Make the movement very big. This will warm up the hip flexor area. Complete 10 figure eight kicks each leg.
  4. Face the chair or wall. Place both hands far above your head. Letting your left leg bounce with you, bring your right knee up to your chest in a very quick motion 15 times, trying to move the foot off the ground as soon as it touches it. Repeat on the other leg.

The copyright of the article Dynamic Warm-Up Safely Warms Up Muscles in Fitness is owned by Michelle Watrin. Permission to republish Dynamic Warm-Up Safely Warms Up Muscles in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
A Dynamic Warm Up is Important in Any Workout, MIchelle Watrin A Dynamic Warm Up is Important in Any Workout
   
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