Skip to main content

Stretching- Dynamic vs. Static

Here are some notes on stretching that are important to consider when doing your flexibility programs. Remember that Can Fit Pro recommends stretching 4-7 days/week- more than cardio and strength. Your muscles need to be stretched and lengthened every day to avoid shortening and the discomfort and impairment of the resulting limited range of motion.

Dynamic Stretching: This is stretching that takes a body part through a range of motion. It involves gentle movement which typically mimicks the activities you are preparing for. This is ideal for a warm up program. The body is not yet warm and so can be less flexible to static positions. I always recommend beginning with a full body head-to-toe, followed by any additional stretches to target key areas.

This is a great routine for a wake up stretch.

It is important to be aware of form with dynamic stretching. Do not swing the body through movements, but rather try to lift it through the range of motion with slow, gentle and smooth precision. Each repetition should increase the ROM slightly. 

Static Stretching: This is commonly what we think of when we think about stretching, and involves holding the body in a position with resistance. These postures are static and are meant to be held for 20-30 seconds, after which time the stretch can typically be deepened for an additional 20 seconds.  These stretches are best when the muscles are warmer and therefore make an excellent cool down program.

This is a great routine for a before bed stretch.

It is important to maintain body alignment in static positions to avoid hyperextension and/or joint impairment. It is important to release static stretches very slowly!


Enjoy stretching! Every day you increase your mobility incrementally and before you know it you will have more ROM than you ever did before! I encourage people to focus on the hamstrings and lower back, and upper back and chest, as these are very common areas of extreme tension.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I don’t have a Diastasis- Why is my abdomen still distended postpartum?

I get asked this question all the time! Here is my answer: Research has shown that 100% of pregnant women will develop some degree of diastasis recti. A diastasis is a lateral separation in the abdominal wall between the recti or “six pack”, due to a stretching of the midline connective tissue or “linea alba”. Although some diastasis will heal postpartum, in many cases a separation will remain without restorative exercise. Distention from DR will present as a doming in the midline. Women who heal a diastasis spontaneously or through restorative exercise may still find that their abdomens are distended, particularly after a meal and/or at the end of the day. If there is no diastasis, why is this? This abdominal distention does not occur in the midline, but rather across the entire abdominal wall. This is due to a weakened hypotonic TVA- transverse abdominis muscle. The TVA is the deepest anterior abdominal muscle, wrapping around the midsection like a girdle, with a left an...
2 comments
Read more

Kate's Guide to Getting the Correct Sports Bra!

I wear an unusual size and it took me years to unlock the secrets to bra fitting (and finding!) I suffered for years in improperly fitting bras, and during exercise I would wear 2 or 3 just to get the support I needed.  E very woman needs support while performing sports; not having proper support means that there is extra stress put on the back during various activities. Even low-impact exercise s done without the support of a sports bra can result in strain on the upper back and shoulders that can result in pain or worse- injuries that may develop over time. Sports bras affect a woman’s posture. Exercising without support can result in slouching to prevent painful bouncing which throws the back and hips out of alignment and impedes form, leading to potential injury. The most common mistakes are when women wear a bra that is too small in the cup and too loose around the body for example a 38e instead of a 36f. Note: When you go down a band size, go up a cup! Step ...
Post a Comment
Read more

1000 Reps Time Challenge

I did another BodyRock workout today, a time challenge with 10 rounds of set reps of 2 exercises: High Knees (I did this without jump rope) Weighted Squat (I used a 5kg medicine ball which is about 11lbs) Here is the workout as posted: http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/12/21/exercise-challenge-drowning-in-your-own-sweat/ What I love about Zuzana's workouts is that they totally KICK my ass in a surprising way! Seriously after Round 2 of this looking at my time I thought I might not make the 10 full rounds, and set a goal to complete, and then have a sub 30:00. I had to rest between every round! These are hard! Here is my time count per round (I stopped the watch for about 2:00 between rounds!) I really made a push towards the end to get in under 30:00 TOTAL TIME: 27:45 Damn! See the pictures- fugly but functional I was working hard for these 1000 reps!I took these myself so bad angles and lighting and stuff, unlike Z's glamorous images so......   Can you beat me with m...
Post a Comment
Read more