01 Feb What is a Dynamic Warm-up?

To begin a great workout, you should always start with a great warm-up routine. Start with a dynamic warmup.  A dynamic warm-up is a series of movements that actually challenge you before your actual workout.  It is a series or sequence of movements that prepare your muscles, joints, and body systems, prior to your workout program and builds up to the exercises you have planned for your session.

Think of a dynamic warmup as your pre-workout, workout. It will gradually prepare you for the impending session and get your primed to perform well. It should take about 10 minutes or so, on average to complete.  It may even make you sweat a little before your workout.  Consider it a small conditioning, flexibility, coordination, and joint preparation program.  Depending on your workout and what body parts your training (ex, legs, shoulders, back), your dynamic warm-up routine may vary, being more focused on what you’re working on that day.

The objective is to get your muscles and connective tissues (tendons, fascia, neuromuscular system) ready to go and work more effectively for your workout.  This will increase your performance and help prevent any injuries, potentially.  The bottom line is to be safe and improve your performance by utilizing a dynamic warm-up.

Now you know what it is and why it’s important, here’s some examples of what to do:

• Bodyweight squats, 10-20 reps
• Jumping Jacks, (yes, that’s right), 10-50 reps
• Pogo Hop, 20 reps
• Side Lunges, 10 reps
• Forward lunges with rotation, 10 reps each side
• Skipping drills (forward/backward), 10-20 yards
• Hip Swings & Circles, 10 reps each side/direction
• Shoulder swings & diagonal patterns, 10 reps

These are just some samples of things to do, but the reality is there are endless possibilities of movements to adequately perform appropriate dynamic warm-up or joint mobility drills.  So, make sure you incorporate some sort of proper dynamic warm-up into your program, for the reasons I mention.  Simple, time efficient, and effective.  Go for it!