Dynamic Stretching Exercises

Top 10 Dynamic Stretching Warm-Up Excercises 

1. High Knees: With basic running form, bring the knees up higher than your waistline. Keep your feet moving as fast as possible while your ankles, knees, hips and shoulders face forwards. Since this is a warm-up, quick feet does not mean quick forward movement, it is not a run. This warm-up has more vertical foot movement than horizontal foot movement.
2. Butt kicks: Similar to high knees except you keep your thighs perpendicular to the ground while kicking your heels up towards your backside. Again, move your feet quickly while keeping the ankles, knees, hips and shoulders in alignment. Quick feet, not quick forward movement.
3. Lunges: Step forward with your left leg into a lunge position with your ankles, knees, hips and shoulders facing forward, and torso upright. Try to place your left elbow on the ground as close to your left heel as possible. Then lunge forward with your right leg and try to touch your right elbow to the ground near your right heel. Do this for about 30 feet.
4. Frankenstein walk: Reach both hands forward at shoulder height and while keeping your leg straight, kick it up in front of you as high as you can, trying to touch the fingertips of the opposite arm then repeat with the other leg. Walk forward about 30 feet. This is an excellent way to increase hamstring flexibility.
5. Grapevine: Moving laterally to your left, cross your right foot in front of your left, then step with your left, then cross your right foot behind the left and repeat. Keep the feet moving quickly. Aim for as much hip rotation as possible. After traversing 30 feet, stop, and then go back the other direction.
6. Slide step: In a low athletic position with your feet slightly wider than shoulders, your ankles, knees, hips and shoulders facing forwards with your knees slightly bent. Pushing off your right leg, slowly step laterally to the left with your left leg, then slide your right leg back to its original position just below the right shoulder, making sure your feet don't touch or cross. Your head should stay as level as possible to emphasize the lateral movement (not up and down moverment). This is similar to a defensive slide in basketball. After going for 30 feet in one direction, then stop, and reverse direction with your right foot leading.
7. Pirouette: Standing upright, your feet shoulder width apart, and your arms extended out from your sides at shoulder height, rotate your upper body to the left. Then rotate your upper body to the right, past the forward facing position, all the way around as far as you can rotate to the right. Then rotate all the way back to the left.
8. Arm circles: Standing upright, your feet shoulder width apart, and your arms extended out from your sides at shoulder height, make little circles with your hands in the air. Slowly increase the size of the hand circles until your hands finally travel from next to your legs to above your head. Then start to decrease the size of the hand circles until your arms are straight out from your shoulders again.
9. Over the fence: Facing in the opposite direction to the way you want to travel, raise your left knee as high as possible and rotate it behind you as if you were trying to walk backwards and step over an imaginary fence. Repeat on the right leg and continue with alternate legs. Walk backwards in this fashion for about 30 feet.
10. Jumping jacks: With your touching each other, your knees, hips, and chest facing forward, and your hands down at your sides, jump upwards to move your feet out to shoulder width apart and simultaneously raise your hands outwards and then up above your head. Your elbows should only bend slightly as your raise them above your head. Then jump again, bringing your feet back together and lowering your hands back to your side. This is the same movement you use to make snow angels, except your standing upright.