STRETCHING
Stretching is an important part of running, it helps keep your muscles flexible and loose during a run. There are two types of stretches, dynamic and static. Dynamic stretches help get the blood flowing to your muscles and are best to do before a run. Static stretches help to relax your muscles and get them back into their normal, relaxed state.
DYNAMIC STRETCHING
Dynamic in this case just means "moving". These stretches are meant to get our muscles ready to run by getting blood moving around in the muscle. You should do these stretches before going out for a run, or even exercising. These stretches work better for you before a workout because your muscles are not yet warmed up and are still tight from not being used all day.
Some of the stretches we'll do are:
- Butt kickers
- Arm swings
- Leg swings
- High knees
- Lunges
For a few videos of dynamic stretch workouts, go over to the Videos Section.
STATIC STRETCHING
Static is another way of saying "not moving". These stretches are meant to relax our muscles after using them. They also allow our muscles to become more flexible overtime, which can help prevent injuries and make using the muscles (running) easier for us.
We'll work on stretching these muscles:
- Calves
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Glutes
- Hip flexors
For a few videos of static stretch workouts, go over to the Videos Section.