Full Body Workouts With Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretching is a form of stretching based on movement. By doing dynamic stretches, you should be able to progressively increase the range of motion of a given muscle or joint with each repetition. In addition, when performed at a fast pace, dynamic stretching can double as a workout to elevate the heart rate and increase core temperature.

Warm-ups
Before performing dynamic stretches, do a basic warm-up. The warm-up should raise the core temperature, elevate the heart rate and increase blood flow to the muscles. This will prepare the joints and muscles for stretching. Good warm-up exercises include jumping jacks, seal jacks and light jogging for approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

Lower Body Exercises
Lower body dynamic stretching should focus on proper hip movement and increasing range of motion in the quadriceps, posterior chain and calf complex. Dynamic stretches for the lower body might include forward lunges, knee-to-chest pulls, leg swings forwards and sideways, side lunges and split squats. Perform each exercise for 10 repetitions, attempting to increase range of motion and the speed of movement with each repetition as well.

Upper Body Exercises
Dynamic stretches for the upper body will concentrate on improving mobility of the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle. Dynamic stretches for the upper body might include a lunge and twist, wall slides, arm swings and supermans. The emphasis should be on scapular control and rotation stability and mobility of the shoulder and rotator cuff. Perform each exercise for 10 repetitions, attempting to increase range of motion with each repetition and the speed of movement as well.

Total Body Dynamic Stretches
For a complete workout integrate upper and lower body dynamic stretches. Examples might include a knee-to-chest pull followed immediately by a lunge and twist. Quadruped movements -- moving on hands and feet -- are also effective. The best example is the inchworm crawl. From a standing position, slightly flex the knees and bend forward to place the hands on the ground. Move the hands forward until the body is in a pushup position and then walk the legs to the hands using small steps while slightly flexing the knees. Repeat for 10 repetitions, stretching further with each repetition.