Dancers have seen the ups and downs of discussions for and against stretching alongside those for warming up one’s body dynamically. I learned early on never to “bounce” in a stretch, particularly early in a class, to avoid pulling a muscle. And later dance classes in my adult years embody the dynamic warm-ups discussed below — slow and gentle movement to wake up the body, followed by movement to articulate the joints. (I remember telling my father once that our “warm up” was far longer than the time done on a combination, about 60-90 minutes of slow movement before 15-30 minutes doing a combination, pending how long the class was.)
As we get older, it’s even more important to not rush into activity. Consider what your body will be doing for the next hour or several, and find ways to wake up those muscles before the stress of your exercise — or better yet, talk to a PT about how to prepare for activity in order to reduce your chance of injury.
Taking care of your body before and after working out: Dynamic warm‑ups and static stretching
with advice from AIM Rehab Services, Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy, and Hess Physical Therapy
Most people understand that it’s good to warm up their body in some way before activity. But conflicting advice and lack of knowledge mean that not everyone knows how to make the most of that warm up time.
Garrett Lachvayder, a physical therapist assistant at Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy, a Physiquality member in Arizona, explain three benefits of doing a dynamic warm-up before activity: