Dynamic Warm-ups are for anytime!

by Diana Rochon, National Strength and Conditioning Association Provincial Director for BC

Warm up. The majority of us realize the need or importance to take time to get our body moving prior to jumping into our sporting activities. To us a warm-up helps to smooth out the kinks and get our minds set on the upcoming task or helps us procrastinate just that little bit longer before doing that "lovely set of hard intervals".

From a physiological viewpoint a good warm-up allows us to:

• Increase our core temperature
• Increase heart rate and blood flow to the muscles which helps to increase oxygen uptake remove carbon dioxide and breakdown the byproducts of our work
• Improve the ability of the CNS to fire and "chat" to the rest of the body
• Enhance the extensibility of the connective tissue
• Increase the force & efficiency of muscle contractions

When warming up for our sport activities most of us follow the typical pattern of some general cardio activity to start to increase the body's temperature…a bit of static stretching for our problem areas…and then move into some sport-specific movements to get the sports skill "tuned in". Not a bad strategy moving from general (easy running for instance) to sport specific (running drills)…ramping up the complexity of the warm-up (finishing off with strides) as you get closer to actual practice or competition.

So if we understand the necessity to move to dynamic warm-up mode for our sporting activities because we intuitively feel that it makes us perform better, why not do the same for our strength training workout in the gym?

Dynamic warm-up (or range-of-motion or stretching) activities are important as they help prep the body for the dynamic movements to come in the strength training workout (think of your squats, pushups on the ball or walking lunges). Specifically think of the powerful contractions generated by the muscles in your resistance exercises…or the fact that while you do your lunge you may be pressing dumbbells up over head which requires timing, coordination and balance to achieve.

Does a 5 min spin on the bike and a couple of static stretches to the quads and hamstrings seem like they are getting your muscles prepared to efficiently contract, hold, relax and contract some more through a full range-of-motion in a smooth and coordinated force generating, strength enhancing fashion?

To get "more bang for your buck" out of your strength training routine why not add in a couple of dynamic warm-up activities that really "get the juices flowing" and help every joint and muscle group work in concert with each other. This symphony of movement will result in increased muscle activation and greater reduction of risk of injury.

The rules for dynamic warm-up exercises include: 10 - 15 reps total for one set; no resistance to light resistance; incorporate a variety of muscles in the movement looking for as much range-of-motion as possible that is safe; move through more than one plane of motion as much as possible; can include mild to moderate balance and stability challenges.

One of my favorite dynamic warm-up exercises is the angle swing and squat because it incorporates the whole body:
















Hold onto a dumbbell, weight plate or medicine ball in both hands.
Feet shoulder width apart, with weight evenly distributed over both feet (heels down).
Engage deep or inner core muscles.
Drop into a ¼ to full squat …push up through heels into triple extension swinging the arms in an arc up and back over left shoulder. Back foot can pivot and extend as shown in picture.
Follow the same path back down to start in a controlled fashion (back into the squat) and repeat, extending and rotating to alternate side.
5 - 8 reps to each side (10 - 16 reps total).

A dynamic warm-up activity or two are great additions to the 10 - 15 min warm-up prior to your strength training routine. Not only will they enhance movement and muscle firing and CNS activation, they will add a bit more fun into the workout.


Diana Rochon, BPE, CSCS, NCCP, IDEA Elite PFT, Can-Fit-Pro PTS, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association(NSCA), owns and operates Dynamic Core Fitness in Whistler, BC. Along with providing athletes, fitness enthusiasts and those on the injured list with fun and functional training programs Diana is the NSCA Provincial Director for BC, a spokesperson for VIEWS (Voices Inspiring Equity for Women in Sports and Physical Activity) and a member of the American Council of Sport Medicine's Strategic Health Initiative for Women in Sport and Physical Activity. Check out Diana's website Dynamic Core Fitness for more info.