It’s the Phoenix winter and the weather is beautiful. For exercise many will decide to go out for a hike on one of the valley’s numerous trails. Hiking is an extremely popular activity that people chose for their regular exercise routines. Yes, many of people are on a time crunch and just want to hit the trail. Many people forget to warm up or stretch due to their busy schedules. Not warming up can lead to an injury or a nagging muscle strain.
Research has been shown that a dynamic warm up is more beneficial for some-one than static stretching and no stretching at all as it helped to improve a peoples power and agility just by performing a dynamic warm up (1).
Dynamic stretching is stretching refers to performing movements done in a slow and controlled manner to warm up your muscles and joints rather than classical static stretching. Dynamic stretching can be as simple as arm circles, toe taps, lunges or squats.
I recommend before you decide to hit the trail spend at least a few minutes to warm up. This can significantly help your body prepare for your hike. So, here is a group of functional dynamic stretches that will get you warmed up and ready for the trail. Perform 5 to 10 times per movement and then switch legs to ensure warming up both side of your body.
Reference:
(1). McMillian D, Moore J, Hatler B, Taylor, D. Dynamic Vs Static Stretching effect on power and agility performance. J. Strength & Condition Research. 2006. Aug Vol. 20 Issue 3.
