As discussed in the previous article in this series, a proper warm-up provides an important avenue for warding off injury. It increases blood flow to the muscles, increases the speed of muscular contractions and nerve transmissions, and enhances flexibility. The warm-up should take place prior to intense activity, and it should be tailored to the specific needs of the activity and the athlete.
With this in mind, we began to discuss a warm-up designed specifically for running. To review, the full dynamic run warmup consists of (1) neuromuscular activation, (2) dynamic stretching, and (3) the cardiovascular component. We discussed Neuromuscular Activation in Part 1 of this series. Now we are now ready to move into the second part: Dynamic Stretching. More..