October Opposites: Warm up!

By: Shania Rayford, B.S., CGEI.

Warming up is a very key part of your exercise regimen and should be performed at the beginning of every workout that you do. A warm-up should be designed to activate the muscles that plan to be utilized in your routine to increase muscle temperature, blood flow, flexibility, and avoid injury. It has been a long-told myth that individuals should stretch as their warmup prior to beginning exercise. This would be true if dynamic or ballistic stretching were being performed, but frequently individuals make the mistake of performing static stretching prior to exercise. Today we are going to cover what these 3 types of stretching mean, and when they should be performed during exercise.

Static Stretching

Static stretching requires you to elongate your muscle to its maximum length and hold for 20-45.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) it is recommended that static stretching be performed at the end of your workout when your muscles are already warm. Think of the difference between manipulating a raw chicken breast and a frozen one. The raw is synonymous to warm muscles after a workout versus the frozen one being similar to cold muscles prior to working out. It’s easier to move/stretch a raw chicken breast and bring it back to its original shape. However, think about how hard it would be to stretch and frozen chicken breast, and how it would break apart if just the right amount of force was put upon it. The same goes for the muscles in our body.

Dynamic Stretching

Now instead of holding a position, dynamic stretching is performed by continuously sending your joints through its full range of motion by mimicking movements related to the sport or exercise which you are about to perform. For example, if you are preparing to do an upper-body resistance training workout you could perform dynamic movements like arm circles, over-head claps, woodchoppers, or torso twists to warm yourself up. For more examples of movements to include in your dynamic warm-up visit this article by ACSM.

Ballistic Stretching

With ballistic stretching the movements are rapid, almost like a bouncing motion that sends the joint through its full range of motion by using your body’s momentum. These movements are usually done as drills at the beginning of practice for sports teams. An example of ballistic stretching would be high knees, jumping jacks, or leg swings. Keep in mind, you should start slow and gradually increase the speed of these movements as your muscles get warmer. For more information on ballistic stretching, visit the link here.

I hope after reading this article today you have a better understanding of what a real warm-up should consist of. Yes, you should stretch prior to working out as long as the type of stretch is dynamic or ballistic and not static. Gradually increasing your muscle temperature before introducing large loads and tension to your muscles can prevent you from injuring yourself, resulting in happy and healthy joints. As always, if you have any questions and concerns of other fitness myths out there, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our fitness staff. We would be happy to clarify!