Difference Between Dynamic Warmup and Stretching
When it comes to working out it is a good idea to incorporate a warm up into your routine. There are 2 main ways that you can warm up and they are doing a dynamic warm up and stretching. An example of traditional stretching includes reaching your arm across your body and holding it or bending down to reach for your toes for ten to thirty seconds. When stretching this way, it can indicate to the muscles being stretched it is time to relax and elongate. This can increase risk for injury as muscles help to keep joints stable as you move. A dynamic warmup often includes doing the exercises you are going to complete but in a much lighter and less difficult way. This primes your body for the workout you are going to complete. An example of this is doing bodyweight squats and lunges to warm up for when you start your workout of squats using a Smith machine. This gets blood flow moving while recruiting the muscles that are going to be performing the exercise.
Both a dynamic warm up and stretching have a time and a place to incorporate into your daily life. A dynamic warm up can be very beneficial to perform before exercising to start recruiting the muscles needed and to increase blood flow to the necessary areas. Stretching can be beneficial after a workout has been completed to signal to the body that exercising is done and relaxing of the muscles can start. Stretching after a workout can also be beneficial to relieve any tightness in the muscles. This is beneficial due to muscles performing best when they are able to fully lengthen when needed. Stretching is also great at maintaining or increasing your joints range of motion.
All in all, stretching and dynamic warmups are great things to incorporate into your exercise routine. Depending on what you are wanting to do for your form of exercise, a dynamic warmup is a great way to start and a cool down of stretching is best once you have finished exercising.
If you are experiencing symptoms of pain before or after exercising, ProTailored Physical Therapy can help! Call us at (260) 739-0300 to schedule your consultation and take the first step towards relief.