Here’s an e-mail I received from a gym friend that you may enjoy.
“Hey Mike,
I came across an interesting article on the NYTimes website which discusses dynamic vs. static stretching:What are your thoughts on the matter?”Mischa
My response:
“Hi Mischa,
Great article. I’ve been warming up like that for the last 10 years +. People make fun of me all the time for my unorthodox warm ups. It really is a superior way to prepare yourself. In addition to all the benefits they mention, it also makes you more aggressive and focused.
I liked the movements they showed too. I do all of them and some others. I have stopped doing the scorpion b/c you get excessive lumbar rotation and you really want to resist lumbar rotation to prevent injuries. Instead I would do side-lying thoracic rotations and hip swings to loosen up the same muscles. Attached are some photos.
Thanks for asking the question.
Mike”
Here’s a photo of Side-Lying Thoracic Shoulder Rolls.
You can do 1 set of 5-20 reps as a warm up.
And here’s a photo of Hips Swings or Leg Swings. The first 2 photos are sagittal plane or forwards and backwards swings and the last 2 photos are frontal plane or side to side swings. Again you can do 1 set of 5-20 reps as a warm up.
Not only do I use dynamic stretching as a warm up, but I also have my clients use it. We give it an even fancier name too. We call it movement prep (preparation).
Here are some benefits to dynamic stretching:
- increased heart rate
- increased core temperature
- increased muscle elasticity
- increased motor coordination
- increased mental alertness
- increased aggressiveness
- increased mobility
- increased flexibility
- increased nervous system rate of muscle firing
- decreased risk of injury
Now just because it makes sense to use dynamic stretching as a warm up, it also makes sense to use static stretching as a cool down. Here are some reasons why:
- increased flexibility
- increased muscle pliability and ability to be lengthened post workout
- increased level of calmness
- increased circulation
- decreased heart rate
- decreased blood pressure
- decreased risk of injury
- decreased aggressiveness
Last, here are 2 videos from my recent pumpkin workout showing both a dynamic warm up and a static cool down.
Have you ever tried a dynamic warm up?
How does it make you feel?
Cheers,
Mike Alves
www.mikealves.com
p.s. Turkey Workout for Charity, Thursday, November 20 @ 7pm. Come join me and support a good cause if you think you can hang.
p.p.s. visit, www.mikealves.com/gobble.html