Stretches and Warm-up Exercises to Start and End a Workout

Everyone knows you’re supposed to stretch and warm-up before an intense workout, but without proper knowledge, you could seriously injure yourself by pulling a muscle. But one thing many people don’t know – static stretches before a work-out hurt you more than they help. Recent studies show that a pre-workout stretching decreases athletes’ performance according to a Boston University article.

Dynamic stretching allows your muscles to warm-up without being stretched to the breaking point – New York Times’ wellness blog wrote back in 2013 that it’s more effective to warm-up and stimulate your muscles this way rather than stretching them and risking inferior performance or injury.

Pre-Workout: DYNAMIC STRETCHES/WARM-UP EXERCISES

Up-and-Over

To start out a workout, one fun way we warm-up here at Sonoma Gymnastics Academy is an exercise we call the up-and-over. The basic principle is to use your whole body (upper and lower body) by jumping over something and then crawling under something in a fast (and fun) motion. If you can’t find something to go up and over, you can do jumping jacks into burpees! (Not as fun, but the name is funnier!)

Leg Swings

 

Find a wall (or a bar) to hold yourself steady. If you’re swinging your right leg, use your left arm to hold yourself steady. Swing your right leg back and forth forwards and back carefully, without using a kicking momentum. Point your toes as your leg raises up, and relax when your leg comes down as your toes near the ground. Try to swing your legs higher each time, but only using your core (don’t kick just to get it higher, that could pull a muscle and lead to injury).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main thing to remember for warm-up stretches/exercises: Dynamic stretches are your friend, and are more fun than sitting in the same position for a few minutes!

 

 

End of Workout Stretching

Stretching at the end of a workout helps because your muscles are in a shortened state – that’s why you’ll feel tightness in certain muscles or areas (Men’s Fitness) of your body after an intense workout, especially if you don’t stretch! Static stretches are your friend after a long workout. Usually this means touch your toes and hold the position. We recommend holding each stretch for 30 seconds to a minute, so get some post-workout playlists going to soothe your muscles and refresh your brain.

But the most important thing to remember is to listen to your body and to care for it. Treat it better than a luxury car!

Here’s a gallery of some stretches we (Mary) like to do after a great workout!