Kickboxer's Pre-Workout: Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretches are a great way to warm up your body before a workout. Loosening your muscles, getting your joints more mobile, and slightly raising your body temperature are all effects of dynamic stretching and will prepare your body to start sweating.
Before any workout, but especially when you are going to be throwing kicks, it is key to incorporate dynamic movements like these to unlock your hips so that your kicks are more explosive and have a fuller range of motion.
Here FightCamp Trainer Shanie "Smash" leads you through five (5) pre-workout dynamic stretches, 10 reps of each.
What Is a Triple Extension?
Many of the stretches mentioned in this article will require a leg movement called a “triple extension”. Here is how you do a triple extension with both of your legs:
- From a standing position, start with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Lift your heels and stand up on the balls of your feet and toes
- This is the first extension - the ankle
- Together with the previous movement straighten your legs at the knees
- 2nd extension - the knee
- AND at the same time push your pelvis an inch forward, trying to get your whole body in a straight line
- 3rd extension - the hip
Quad Pull
- Start in a standing position with your legs shoulder-width apart
- Bend at your knee and grab your right shin behind you with your right hand
- Raise your left arm up
- Do a triple extension on the standing (left) leg
- Come back down with your left heel and release the right leg - that's one rep
- Repeat on the other side - that's two reps
- Continue for 10 reps
A common mistake that people make is to grab the foot instead of the shin. As you raise on your toes, exhale to release your breath.
Knee Pull
- Start in a standing position with your legs shoulder-width apart
- Bend at your knee and grab your right knee and gently hug it up to your chest
- Do a triple extension on your standing leg
- Pull your knee closer to your body as you raise up
- Come back down - that's one rep
- Repeat on the other side - that's two reps
- Continue for 10 reps
Piriformis Stretch
- Start in a standing position with your legs shoulder-width apart
- Bend at your knee and grab the front of your right shin with your left hand
- Put your right hand on your right knee
- Do a triple extension on your standing leg
- As you raise up, gently pull your right shin up and slightly push your right knee down
- Come back down and release the tension to your leg's joints - that's one rep
- Repeat on the other side - that's two reps
- Continue for 10 reps
Remember to be gentle when applying pressure to your joints.
These are dynamic movements, so you want to do them before a workout to help unlock your hips, get warmed-up, and be ready to kick faster and higher.
Lateral Lunge
- Start in a standing position with your feet closer together than shoulder-width and your hands on your pelvis
- Take a wide step to the right with your right leg, keeping your left leg in place and your toes pointing forward
- Bend your right knee, but keep your chest up
- Return to the starting position - this is one rep
- Repeat on the other side - that's two reps
- Continue for 10 reps
It's very important to warm up. You want to make sure that you do this before any workout, whether it's kickboxing or running. This is partially so you don't get injured and make your body more flexible when moving. Plus, if you don’t warm up properly, you risk injuring yourself and tearing a muscle.
Perfect Stretch
- Start in a standing position, legs straight, feet spread shoulder-width apart
- Without moving your feet, bend at your waist and put your hands on the ground (palms down)
- Slowly "walk" forward with your hands, lifting your heels as you extend out
- Stop about 1-2 feet before you reach a high plank position
- Step your right foot up on the outside of your right hand
- Drop your right elbow to try to touch the ground in front of you
- Then, keep your left arm planted and raise your right arm to the ceiling while following your gaze to your right hand and hold for a second
- Return your right hand down
- Bring your left leg to the outside of your left hand (now everything is the same on both sides)
- Sit your hips down and get your hands off the ground, while keeping elbows at knee-level
- Straighten your chest and wiggle side-to-side for a second
- Bring your hands back down
- Return your right leg to its original position (where you were originally standing) - that's one rep
- Repeat the previous steps on the left side - that's two reps
- Continue for 10 reps
All of these stretches are considered “dynamic stretches” and are meant for your pre-workout warm-up. If you want to stretch after your workout, here is a video of FightCamp Trainer Flo Master explaining his static stretching routine, specifically intended for improving your kicks. In static stretching, you hold the stretch much longer which will help with your flexibility. The dynamic movements we showcased here serve to unlock the hips and kicking power. They don't only help with kicking, but they help with your punching as well. If you're using the proper technique, all of your power comes from the hips.
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The Author: Shanie "Smash" Rusth is an undefeated professional mixed martial artist, FightCamp Trainer, and mother of two. She began training MMA in 2011 as a way to get in shape, learn a new skill, channel aggression, and feel empowered after becoming a young single mom. Outside of practicing martial arts and being a trainer, Shanie loves spending time in the gym and being active in the sunshine with her kids by going to the beach, running in the soft sand, and riding skateboards. Shanie is also USA Boxing Coach certified.