Tips From The Pros :: Dynamic Warm-Up

THE DYNAMIC WARM-UP

By Jessi Stensland // Professional Triathlete // MovementU

A dynamic warm-up is one that challenges every bit of YOU that you use to perform.

Think of your body as a machine, with lots of moving parts. Your cardio system is certainly a driving factor in your performance, but your ability to get the most from your cardio endurance is highly dependent on your body’s ability to transfer your effort efficiently, from head to toe, during each and every swim stroke, running stride and pedal stroke. A dynamic warm up coordinates all of your moving parts – muscles, ligaments, and joints – by challenging your flexibility, mobility, strength, stability and cardio all at once – because that’s what you ask of yourself when you perform, right?! Doing so is pivotal in getting you to the finish line as fun, fast, and pain-free as possible.


THE GOALS OF A DYNAMIC WARM-UP

• INCREASE HEART RATE to get the blood pumping through the body and warming up the muscles.
• OPEN UP YOUR JOINTS especially those within the hips, spine, feet and ankles.
• ACTIVELY STRETCH YOUR MUSCLES to prepare them for what you’ll be asking them for in the run!
• REINFORCE GREAT POSTURE.
• HIT THE GROUND RUNNING WITH ALL SYSTEMS GO when the gun goes off!

THE KEYS TO A DYNAMIC WARM-UP

• Think of it as a part of the race. Do it!
• Set aside time dedicated to it. Whether its 30 minutes or 2 minutes you can do your body good.
• Clear your mind and focus on your body. Save chit chatting with friends for before or after the race.
• Move through the movements purposefully but continuously so that your heart rate increases throughout.

THE KEY ELEMENTS OF A DYNAMIC WARM-UP

[NOTE: Click on the name of the movement to be linked to a video demonstration.]

1. Engage strong powerful posture.
2. Activate your glute muscles by doing movements such as a glute bridge or a lateral lunge.
3. Open up your joints and stretch the muscles around them. Use a movements like the knee hug, forward lunge with a twist and/or calf stretch.
4. Put it all together with some pillar skipping.

Whether you’ve got 2 minutes or 30 minutes to warm up, you can do it properly, efficiently and powerfully.


THE 2 MINUTE VERSION WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

1. Glute Bridge OR Lateral Lunge
2. Forward Lunge with a Twist OR Knee Hug
3. Pillar Skipping

You’re committed. Your mind is strong and will only get stronger. Make sure you give your body the best chance you can give it so you can do all that you’d love to do with it. Because you can!


Move well!!