The Importance Of a Dynamic Warmup

It is no secret that there should be some type of warmup regime everyone should go through before starting a workout. By doing this you are warming up the muscles that you will be using during the workout, increasing blood flow which will lead to more muscle growth, taking muscles through their full range of motion which will decrease risk of developing injuries, and reduces muscle soreness. A good workout starts with a great warmup! After learning the hard way myself from developing a neck/shoulder injury from lacking a warmup that suits my fitness demands, it is one of the most important things I tell other people who workout because it is one of the most overlooked and undervalued concepts. Many people jump into their workouts while neglecting warmups also find out the hard way like myself that there is a much higher chance of experiencing an injury that can put you out of the gym for who knows how long!

But what is a dynamic warmup? A dynamic warmup consists of exercises and movements where you are not holding one position for too long. Many people are familiar with stretches like toe touches or wrist pulls where you hold the position for a few seconds to a minute or so, but these types of stretches have been proven to show much better effect at the end of a workout where muscle fibers become shortened from your workout. Before starting a workout, performing dynamic stretches provide much better results in terms of preparing your body for the workout to follow. By performing exercises where you perform shortening (concentric) and lengthening (eccentric) portions, this takes your muscles through their full range of motion which mimics the same types of movements you perform during your workout. 

If you currently workout and do not perform dynamic warmups, the longer you wait, the greater you increase the chances of injuring yourself. If you do not know where to begin or which dynamic stretches you should be performing, taking a guess or watching videos may be very scary for many. But working with an experienced trainer and health professional like myself would be the absolute best option because I can come to understand YOUR body and what YOU need in a program. There are endless movements and exercises your body could be capable of performing, but there is no one size fits all for this topic. Within my programs I include dynamic warmups with everyone's routine regardless of their fitness experience or goals simply because of how important they are. To get started with your new dynamic warmup check out our custom programs available!