Dynamic Warm Ups – What are they?
Dynamic warm ups are a cluster of alternating fully body motions that assist in promoting controlled range of motion, agility, pliability, and muscle temperature elevation. Unlike they’re static stretching counterparts, dynamic warm ups are usually performed before playing Pickleball or Tennis, taking on average take between 3-5 minutes to implement. This is a small time commitment to reduce risk of injury and improve your sport performance and quality of play.
What Do Dynamic Warm Ups Do?
Engages/Promotes Key Muscles Used in Sport
Why it matters: Court sports (tennis/pickleball) use a variety of muscle groups—especially quads, calves, core, and others. A dynamic warm-up targets these muscles through movements that mimic the patterns you’ll use during the game (e.g., lateral shuffling, overhead reaching, etc.).
How it helps: Engaging multiple muscle groups such as your core, quads, hamstrings, glutes, lats, rotator cuff, and forearms to name a few through dynamic exercises prepares these muscles for the specific actions of the would be under in sport, allowing for smoother, more effective movement on the court.
Improves Sport Performance
Why it matters: Who doesn’t want to play at an optimal level? Whether recreationally or professionally, all players want to feel their best in their sport. Adding in a dynamic warm up can be the jump start to elevate your game. Just a few minutes prior to your time on the court to add some speed to my game, why not?!
How it helps: Clinical research shows that a dynamic warm up can improve performance with cutting, sprinting, change of direction, and jumping based actions. The thought process here is an increase in muscle temperature and application in the same positions/motions of the desired sport improve the muscles readiness for activity. (Lopez-Samanex, 2021)
Reduces Injury Risk
Why it matters: Being injured is one thing, getting injured and being unable to play your sport is another. What if I told you dynamic warm ups alone can reduce your risk for injury? Sign me up!
How it Helps: Dynamic warm ups are one way to reduce the likelihood of injury prior to a sporting or recreational activity. Clinical research has shown that dynamic warm ups or warm up intervention programs reduce the risk of injury risk by 36%, that’s more than a 1/3rd reduction in the potential for a muscle strain, joint sprain, or tendon based injury. (Ding, 2022)
Where Do I Start?
Here at Reyes Performance Institute, we recommended encompassing 7 movements into our Dynamic Warm Ups. Perform while traveling 10 yards forward and return doing the same thing.
Here are 10 warm-up exercises for Pickleball or Tennis:
Single Knee Pull to Chest
Hamstring Scoop
Single Leg Romainian Dead Lift
Frankenstein
Side to Side Lunge
Forward Lunge
Side Shuffle
Side Carioca
Forward Run
Back Pedal
What Next?
If you need more information about dynamic warm ups or have questions about them, please feel free to reach out. We are Racquetfit Certified and can help you through an injury or help improve your overall Pickleball or Tennis performance.
At Reyes Performance Institute, our goal is to enhance the physical and mental well-being of our clients by integrating state-of-the-art sports performance training with proactive recovery methods. We strive to help each individual achieve their highest potential in sports and everyday life.