Over the last ten or fifteen years, a lot of exercises have crossed over from strength and conditioning coaching and rehab into the mainstream. When this happens, it creates a lot of confusion and is fraught with overhyping from marketing. As a result of this crossing over, many people are confused on whether or not they should stretch anymore, whether it is still safe to do abdominal training, whether they need to do lots of unstable/balance training, and whether or not athletic movements have a role in a workout routine. In addition to being confusing, it’s unclear how to use these exercises and how to incorporate them in a way that leaves you enough time to train on the things that you want to.
This series of posts is going to discuss several trendy exercises: dynamic flexibility exercises, core training, prehab exercises, and jumps/throws. Each will be discussed from the standpoint of why you should do them, what they are, and how they can be used. The last post will provide examples of how to incorporate these exercises into your program in a quick and efficient manner.
Dynamic Flexibility Exercises:
Dynamic flexibility exercises burst on the strength and conditioning scene about ten years ago. They are nothing new, having been used in track and field for a long time, but they took the strength and conditioning field by storm. Basically, these involve a different approach to warming up. Traditionally we warm up by spending 5-10 minutes doing light cardio, stretching out, and then start with lighter sets until we work up to our workout weights.
The problem is that this approach defeats the purpose of warming up. The idea behind warming up is to increase heart rate, move blood into the muscles/joints that will be exercised, and prime the nervous system. However, when we stop movement to stretch out our heart rate slows down and less blood is pumped into our muscles and joints – in other words we’re defeating the purpose of warming up by stretching out prior. Now, does this mean that stretching out is bad? No, but it means you need to carefully consider where it fits into your workout.
Dynamic flexibility exercises are designed to take the joint through its range of motion actively. This is important because this is how you use the joint, so it’s a real world approach to training. How often do you bend forward, touch your toes, and hold that position for 20 seconds? Unless you do gymnastics or martial arts, chances are not often. On the other hand, how often do you move forward by swinging your leg from your hip? Every time you walk or run.
Some dynamic flexibility exercises are performed for sets of 10 to 20 reps (for example, a leg swing). Others are performed for 10-20 meters (for example, lunges). Normally 1-2 sets focusing on each joint to be trained in the main workout is sufficient.
Dynamic flexibility exercises have a role in injury prevention, warming up, and function. Core training has some similarities to dynamic flexibility in that it helps to prevent injuries, helps with function, but it’s also important from an appearance standpoint. The next post will cover core training.
