What is Dynamic Stretching

by Toluwani Oyesola June 3, 2021

Dynamic stretching is the movement of the joints and muscles into full range of motion. It can be used to warm up the body before working out.

Dynamic stretches can be made to mimic the movement of the workout or sport about to be engaged in, or can also be a series of movements to get the body moving before any type of workout.

Types of Dynamic Stretches

Hip Circle: Stand straight and swing your leg in small circles to the side. 20 circles per leg then switch.

Lunge with a twist: Lunge forward with your left leg, raise your right arm overhead and bend your torso to the left side. Do 5 reps per leg before switching.

Arm Circles: Stretch your arms out to the side at shoulder haigh and swing in small circles. Do 20 circles, and then switch to opposite direction and do 20 more.

Leg Pendulum: Stand straight and swing your leg back and forth balancing on the other, Hold on to a wall if needed. You can do 5-10 times before switching.

Jog Quad Stretch: Jog for a few seconds, grab one foot to stretch the quad hold for a few seconds then release. Jog for another few seconds and stretch the other quad. Repeat for 5-10 times.

Arm Swing: Stand straight and stretch your arms forward in front of you with your palms facing down, and then take a step forward as you swing your arms your side and return your legs backward as you swing to the other side.

Spinal Rotations: Stand straight with your feet and arms to the side shoulder-width apart. Keep your torso still and then rotate your body from left to right. Do about 5-10 reps.

Upper Back Stretch: Stand straight with your feet a little bit over shoulder-width apart, and your knees slightly bent. Interlock your fingers and push your hands as far from your chest as you can. Allow your upper body to relax. You should your shoulder blades stretching.

When to do Dynamic Stretches

Before Weightlifting: Doing dynamic stretches before lifting weights helps can help with leg extension power and may also aid in improving performance.

Before Cardiovascular workout: Dynamic stretching helps to improve performance and reduce risk of getting injured during cardiovascular workout.

Before Sports or athletics: Athletes that participates in running, jumping will find dynamic stretches very beneficial.

On rest day: Dynamic stretches are a good way to keep the body active even on rest day, without exerting too much force.

When not to do Dynamic Stretches

You should not do dynamic stretches if you are:

1. Injured, unless recommended by a doctor or physical therapist.

2. Elderly: It is advised for adults over 65 to be cautious when doing dynamic stretches and should look at doing more static stretches instead.

Benefits of Dynamic Stretches

1. It helps to warm up the muscles of the body to their working temperature.

2. It helps to stretch and improve the overall function of the muscles.

3. It can get the body ready for high intensity workout.

4. It can help to improve the body's mobility and flexibility.

5. Dynamic stretches plays a role in reducing the probability of getting injured.

Cons of dynamic stretches

One major disadvantage of dynamic stretching is that, too much of it can be done with the wrong intensity level and can lead to:

1. Injuries and pain in the body.

2. Fatigue: Too much dynamic stretches can actually wear you out and leave you feeling tired when working out.

3.Low performance level.

Finally, doing dynamic stretches before workouts offers tremendous benefits and can also improve your range of motion. Look out for the dynamic stretches you like and incorporate them into your warmup routine.