Dynamic flexibility involves a person’s range of motion during fast movements, while static flexibility is the ability to sustain a stationary stretch. Dynamic stretching exercises promote dynamic flexibility and are popular in certain sports. Athletes focus on exercises that push muscles to their flexion limit during a movement. Dynamic stretching is similar to ballistic stretching, but with more controlled and smooth movements. Static stretching may hinder muscle elasticity and decrease performance in strength-based activities. Dynamic flexibility exercises are common in track and field, but may not be suitable for medical rehabilitation. A combination of static and dynamic flexibility exercises for rehabilitation is still debated.
Dynamic flexibility is generally defined based on a person’s range of motion during movements, particularly during fast movements. This is in contrast to static flexibility, which has more to do with a person’s ability to sustain a stationary stretch. There are special dynamic stretching exercises designed to promote dynamic flexibility, and this stretching approach has become popular in certain sports. The main reason for its popularity is the belief that static flexibility could hinder muscular performance, while dynamic stretching can offer the same benefits without the potential drawbacks.
When training for dynamic flexibility, athletes will generally focus on exercises, which push the muscles to their flexion limit during a movement. For example, the athlete may kick their feet up in a controlled movement to flex the musculature. Over time, these exercises will generally increase the height at which the athlete can kick.
This exercise approach is generally very similar to an earlier method of stretching called ballistic stretching, but there are some differences. Ballistic stretching also promoted dynamic flexibility, but it had a tendency to cause injury. The main difference was in the speed and aggressiveness of the moves used. Ballistic stretching used more forceful movements, and less care was taken to avoid injury. With dynamic stretching, movements are generally more controlled and smooth, allowing for a more gradual stretch.
The other common stretching approach used by athletes is called static stretching. This involves stretching the muscle to its limit and then holding the stretch for an extended period of time. Some experts think this could hinder the elasticity of the muscles and therefore decrease performance in strength-based activities. Many experts also believe that static stretching could help prevent injury, but research has generally shown that it’s not very effective for that either. There is also some research to suggest that performance issues from static stretching might be mitigated by holding the stretches for a shorter period of time.
Exercises to promote dynamic flexibility have become relatively common in track and field competition, but are generally not as popular for medical rehabilitation. Some of these exercises require too much athletic ability and fast movement, while injured people may need gentler exercises that can help restore their range of motion. There are some experts who believe that a combination of static and dynamic flexibility exercises could be useful for muscular rehabilitation, but this is still debated.
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