Stretching Routines and When to Do It
Static vs Dynamic 

Examples: 

•  heel to butt (quadriceps) 

• touch your toes (hamstring) 

• figure 4 (piriformis) 

• calf stretch 

Dynamic
or moving stretches are those that you would do walking. These exercises get the muscles warmed up and prepared for the motions that you will be performing. High knees butt kicks and A skips are all exercises that help activate the right muscles and teach them how they should perform when running so that when you start, the muscles are ready and performing properly.  Dynamic stretches also elevate the heart rate for exercise in a more steady way than static exercises so the transition into your run is easier. A proper cool down can reduce muscle soreness, helps speed up recovery and increases flexibility and joint health.  Stopping quickly after exercising without a proper cool down can actually cause pooling of blood in your legs. Your heart wants to heeps pumping blood to it when the heart rate is higher while exercising, but if you stop, suddenly and your heart rate decreases, the rate of circulation of blood is decreased and it all just stays in your legs. This causes your legs to feel sore and heavy and delay recovery. 

Examples: 

• High knees 

• butt kicks 

• A and B skips 

• walking lunges 

Ballistic 

Or bouncing stretching uses the momentum of movement to push the muscles through increased ROM that they would not be able to get to statically. This is less popular of a stretch because of the risk of injury. If you are not properly warmed up, ballistic stretching can do more harm than good. 

• side lunges rocking back and forth 

• Twist at the trunk

• bend overreach for your toes with a pulse

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation

or PNF, is a type of stretching done usually with a health or fitness expert where you use natural reflexes in the body to alternate between contracting and relaxing the muscle. As an athletic trainer, I like to do this with my athletes working on their hamstring flexibility and range of motion. I would hold the athlete into a comfortable position of a stretch for 15 seconds, have them press against me and contract the hamstring for 5 seconds and then they will relax again and I will push them a little bit farther into the stretch for another 15 seconds. The athlete will be surprised with how much farther they can get after.  

• hamstring PNF (back of thigh) 

• adductor PNF (inside of thigh) 

• pectoralis major PNF (chest)