A dynamic warm up is like doing a practice swing for your whole body! We do this with a lot of sports and the same holds true for running. The purpose of a dynamic warm up is to get your bodies neurological system going and prep it for the movement that is about to occur.
So using the analogy of a practice swing, let’s look at a practice swing in golf. You are on the tee box with your driver in hand and getting ready to make the shot, a long drive. Most people just don’t walk up to the ball and hit it with their first swing. You typically will stand back from the ball and take some practice swings. Often these practice swings are slower than are actual swing, at least to start, and then we might increase the speed a little, to get to full swing speed. Why do we do this? When you do a practice swing you are prepping your neurological system for what is about to take place. You are basically saying “Get ready! We are about to do this hard and fast, and here is a preview so you can get ready!” You put your club on the plane that you hope it goes on when you take your actual swing. You are building a little map for your brain on how to get back to that plane when it is time to do the actual swing. With those few high speed swings, you are actually prepping the tissue for the amount of motion and stretch that you will be demanding of them with the full practice swing. There is a lot going on with a practice swing! Wait, I thought this was about running?
What you do for the golf swing you also want to do for running! In the video below I go over several drills that you can do to warm up for running. All the movements in the video are designed to mimic certain motions that you do when you run and also do a little bit of mobility work on the main muscles that you use for running. Take a look.
Why is a dynamic warm-up important for runners? The number one reason is injury prevention. On a cold day you don’t start your car and then floor it. At least I hope not. Same thing goes for your body. By prepping your body tissues and the neurological system you decrease the chance that damage will be done. There is a big transition on your body from most peoples sedentary state to the amount of motion it takes to be running.
If you live in Roswell, Alpharetta, or Johns Creek and you are into running please give us a call or text us. (678-400-0300) We can talk running all day long and show you the best ways to start and run your best. Mission Move is way more than just Physical Therapy. We want to help you perform your best and help you reach your goals.
