Dynamic Flexibility
No one thinks about mobility until they lose it. Even then, we don’t think to ourselves “gee, I’m just not as mobile as I used to be”. Usually, we’ll exclaim that we’re tight, we can’t move, we hurt, or we have lost our flexibility, and you’d be correct in saying those things. All of those problems however, often stem from one basic underlying problem. We’ve lost our ability to move efficiently.
Of all the exercises that one can do for their health, dynamic flexibility movements could have the biggest impact. When I tell clients that these movements are life-savers, I’m not necessarily overstating my beliefs. Have you ever watched little kids running around and wonder in amazement at how effortlessly their bodies move? Have you noticed how, when they go to pick something up, they can squat down so that their butt almost touches the floor? I’m sure for most of us the idea of making such care free movements seems like a distant memory. Obviously, much of our ability to move in such a manner has been lost over the years due to ageing and inactivity. The good news is that we can get much of those movement patterns back.
Range of Motion, or ROM, is defined as the degree of movement that occurs at any particular joint. The majority of adults have, to one degree or another, lost ROM in some key areas, most notably the ankle, hip, and thoracic spine. These joints are built for mobility but unfortunately, because of modern life and all it encompasses- desk jobs, sedentary life styles, poor posture, we lose our ROM in these very important areas.
Besides the obvious issue that movement is essential to life, the lack of mobility in one joint will cause the body to find ROM somewhere else, most likely somewhere it shouldn’t be found. The result is injury. Lack of ROM at the the ankle, hip, and thoracic spine can lead to injury and pain at the knee, lower back, upper back, and shoulder. Enter dynamic flexibility.
The scientiific community defines Dynamic flexibility exercises as functionally based stretching exercises that use sport specific movements to prepare the body for activity. Sounds good, right? What does it mean to you, though? Quite simply, dynamic flexibility will help you restore lost ROM. This is accomplished by utilizing movements that not only stretch the muscles, but then require them to move the joints through a full range of motion in a controlled manner. This method stresses flexibility, strength and stability.
Dynamic flexibility is wholly different than traditional stretching exercises that you may be familiar with. Static stretching, where one holds a stretch for a prolonged period of time has limited usage in what we are attempting to accomplish. For one, flexibility does not imply stability and strength. We want all three to help us move as efficiently as possible.
Performing Dynamic flexibility exercises will serve the traditional function of warmups: namely: increasing muscle temperature and increasing blood flow to the muscles. In addition these exercises will teach your body to peform faster muscle contraction, improve rate of force development, increase muscle strength and power and improve your resistance to injury. Many people report feeling looser, stronger and better than they have in years from performing these simple, yet amazingly effictive exercises.
Exercise #1: Hip Circles
Goal:
To restore range of motion in your hips. This is a simple exercise that goes a long way to restore ROM in your hips.
Performance: Get on your hands and knees. Start with either leg. Bring your knee towards your chest, out to the side and then back around to the starting position. You’re simply performing a large circle with your leg. The key to this is to keep your back as flat as possible. You want your ROM coming from the hip. If you have tight hips, you’ll often compensate by tilting your body to the side in order to lift your leg. Don’t do this. With time, you’ll get better ROM with your hip. The first time I did this I wanted to cry it was so painful (my body was really screwed up). It should feel uncomfortable if you’re tight. Do about 10 reps on each leg.
Exercise #2: Spiderman
Goal:
This movement gives an excellent stretch to two major muscle groups that tend to be very tight in the adult population, especially males: the hip flexors and the adductors.
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that work to bring the knee towards the chest. Most adults are tight due to prolonged sitting and general lack of activity.
The adductors are the muscles on the inside of the upper leg. Their main role is to bring the leg towards the midline of the body.
Performance:
The Spiderman is performed by first taking a long step with either leg. At that point you bring your hands down to the ground while letting your hips sink. The arm on the same side that you stepped with should be on the inside of the leg- at this point you should feel a stretch on the inside of your front leg. You want your back leg to be as straight as possible (this is when the hip flexor stretches), you want your upper body to be as straight as possible as well- look straight ahead. The knee of your front leg should not be far in front of the foot. If your front heal is coming off the ground as you let your hips sink, you probably haven’t stepped far enough. Repeat for about six reps on each leg. Move forward one leg after another as if you were doing walking lunges.
Exercise #3: Hand Walk
Goal: Primarily to provide a stretch of the calves and hamstrings. Secondarily, to strengthen the core and upper back, especially the muscles that surround your shoulder blades.
Performance: From a standing position place your hands on the ground and walk your hands out so that you end up in a push-up position. Pause or if you’re strong enough, perform a push-up. Next, taking tiny steps, walk your feet towards your hands while keeping your knees straight. If your knees bend, you’ll defeat the purpose of this exercise. Just go as far as you can until you can’t keep your legs straight any longer. At that point, walk your hands back out and repeat. Do about 6-8 reps.
There are many more dynamic warmups that can be done, but I believe these 3 are a great start for anyone who has never done them before. If you are de-conditioned, these may feel like a workout by themselves. In fact, the first time I did dynamic warm-ups I couldn’t even proceed to the normal workout. Even the legs of people who consider themselves in shape, especially men because of their general poor flexibility, are reduced to jello by doing these.
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