Without impairing the muscle’s static passive ability to stretch, dynamic stretching makes the muscle go into further ranges of motion and is vital for athletes. It is the range of motion that the stretching sticks to as outside the range it turns ballistic. It is also a warm up exercise for athletes preparing for an arduous training session under the watchful eyes of their trainers. It is the movement speed, active effort on part of muscles and momentum required to perform the stretch.

More sports specific in nature

It is close to ballistic stretching, but it avoids the bouncing movements. The exercise is more tuned to sports and is specifically tailored for athletes and sports related activity. Lunge walking, circling of arms, excessive and extended kicking fore and aft are common types of dynamic stretching. But all these movements are performed without the help using any weights. Hip joints get strengthened and loosened by lunge walks.

Tight hips are impediments in sports competitions. Studies have shown that performing dynamic stretching before sports can get stiff muscles to loosen up. Stiff muscles are usually the causes for sprains and strains. Trainers advocate dynamic stretching just before the main event to keep the risks of injury low. This form of stretching can easily lead to better performance and preparation before the main sporting event.

Exercising with certain equipment like stability balls and foam rollers available at M2 Fitness Pros are another great way to get started with this form of stretching.

Types of dynamic stretching

The types of dynamic stretching that you can perform are swinging your arms back and forth in front of your body. You have to do it in a standing position. Side bends can be done with a toning bar placed on your shoulders. By keeping your torso straight you have to lean from one side to the other in a continuous motion without making any back and forth movements. Trunk rotations can be performed by bending your knees slightly keeping your feet firmly on the ground. To perform this type of dynamic stretching you have to stand with hands on hips and stretch your shoulders.

Clasping your hands behind your knees at the back, bring them to your chest while you lie on your back. This is known as fullback stretch and you need to roll forwards and backwards without letting your head hit the floor. You can do an abdominal stretch by holding a horizontal bar and with legs straightened and outstretched arms roll on a stability ball. You can do a groin stretch with the stability ball by planting your knee on it and rolling it over while you slowly spread your legs. Try the exercise using the other knee.

Alternatively touching your toes and swinging your legs, you can also perform exercises in your home or any place of your choice. It gears you up before a major sporting event where muscle action is the key to success. Your muscles get warmed up and the nervous system gets primed for the performance and the major reason for dynamic stretching is to keep injury risks to the minimum.

Body Weight Exercises for Core Development

Developing a strong functional core should be the goal of any serious athlete. Oftentimes people just want a ripped midsection simply for the aesthetic aspect of it but because just about every movement we make requires the muscles of the core some degree, focusing on this area of the body is extremely important for the overall functioning and health of your entire body. With the multitude of products on the market for working out the core it can be easy to forget that the only thing you need to strengthen this area of the body is, your body.

Using only your body weight to stretch and strengthen your core may not seem as exciting as getting hooked up to the latest exercise gadget that promises you a ripped six-pack in no time at all, but the results are often much more impressive. Simply grabbing a space on the floor and using your body weight for some specific exercises can give you all the core workout you’ll ever need.

One of the simplest and most effective body weight exercises for the core is the basic crunch. Just grab an empty space on the floor and lie down to knock out a few sets of this powerfully effective abdominal workout. By utilizing slight variations while doing crunches, you can twist or position your upper body to be able to hit all aspects of your abdominal muscles.

Another effective body weight exercise for your core is planks. The basic plank requires you to support yourself using your forearms while keeping your back straight all the way down to your toes which are also used to support your body as you stabilize yourself and stay rigid, just like a plank. Holding a plank position for even as little as a minute can make even the most hardened body builder begin to shake uncontrollably. Stabilizing your core muscles and keeping your spine rigid while continuing to breathe throughout this exercise provides an incredibly intense core workout. Variations of planks exist so that there will always be something new to help train your core as you progress and become stronger.

Lying leg lifts or scissors are another popular core exercise. These help to target the area of the upper thighs as well as the abdominals helping to strengthen a larger section of your core. These muscles will help to support your body through all types of functional movements and will give you increased strength in just about every exercise you perform.

The core is not just about your abdominals of course so let’s not forget body weight exercisesfor your lower back like back extensions. One simple way to hit this area of your core is to lay down flat on your stomach with your legs extended and your fingers behind your head. Then, simply raise your shoulders and chest you inches above the ground and hold for a few seconds. This simple movement will work wonders for strengthening your lower back also tying in your glutes along with hamstrings and again help to develop a much stronger core using only your body weight.

The examples above make up just a few of the multitude of exercises that you can do using only your body weight to stretch and strengthen your core muscles. Take some time to investigate some of the other ones out there that will complete theses few and make sure to add them into your regular core training regimen for a more complete core blast!