Stretching regularly is crucial for your overall health. However, if you’re a person who actively exercises, dynamic stretching can be a game-changer. Activating muscles and improving your range of motion, dynamic stretching can help you make the most of your gym session.

Dynamic stretching is also an excellent way to prepare your body for exercise, as it helps to increase blood flow, improve flexibility, and activate the muscles. Incorporating them into your warm-up can set you up for a more effective and injury-free session. Here are nine of the best dynamic stretches to start practicing now. For each of these stretches, aim for 10-15 reps per movement.

Leg Swings (Front-to-Back)

  • Target Area: Hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, and quads.
  • How to do it: Stand tall and hold onto a stable surface for balance. Swing one leg forward and backward in a controlled motion, gradually increasing the range of motion as you go. Perform 10-15 swings on each leg.
  • Benefits: Improves hip mobility and warms up the lower body, especially the hamstrings and hip flexors.

Arm Circles

  • Target Area: Shoulders, upper back, and arms.
  • How to do it: Extend both arms out to the sides. Start making small circles and gradually increase the size of the circles. Perform 10-15 circles in each direction, both forward and backward.
  • Benefits: Increases shoulder flexibility and mobility, preparing your upper body for pushing and pulling movements.

Lunges with a Twist

  • Target Area: Quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, and spine.
  • How to do it: Step forward into a lunge position with your right leg. While in the lunge, rotate your torso to the right, reaching your left hand towards your right foot. Return to standing and repeat on the other side. Perform 6-8 reps per side.
  • Benefits: Activates the lower body and core, improves balance, and enhances spinal mobility.

High Knees

  • Target Area: Hip flexors, quads, calves, and core.
  • How to do it: Stand tall and march in place, lifting your knees as high as possible, alternating legs. Maintain an active core and pump your arms to increase intensity. Perform for 30 seconds.
  • Benefits: Elevates heart rate, activates the hip flexors and core, and gets the blood flowing to the lower body.

Straight-Leg Kicks

  • Target Area: Hamstrings, hip flexors, and lower back.
  • How to do it: Stand with your legs straight and feet hip-width apart. Keep your legs straight as you kick one leg forward, aiming to touch your toes with the opposite hand. Alternate legs and repeat for 10-12 reps on each side.
  • Benefits: Stretches the hamstrings dynamically while improving balance and flexibility.

Butt Kicks

  • Target: Hamstrings, glutes
  • How to do it: While jogging in place, kick your heels toward your glutes. This will engage your hamstrings and flow blood to the lower body.
  • Benefit: Activates and stretches the hamstrings and glutes.

Torso Twists

  • Target: Spine, obliques, lower back
  • How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms outstretched at shoulder height. Gently rotate your torso from left to right, keeping your hips square. Aim for 15-20 twists on each side.
  • Benefit: Increases spinal mobility, warms up the obliques and lower back muscles, and prepares the torso for rotational movements and lifting exercises.

Hip Circles

  • Target: Hips, hip flexors, glutes
  • How to Do It: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your hips. Make big circles with your hips in both directions to mobilize the hip joints and engage the core.
  • Benefit: Increases hip mobility, improves flexibility in the lower back and pelvic region, and prepares the body for dynamic, rotational movements.

Inchworms

  • Target: Hamstrings, calves, shoulders, core
  • How to do it: Stand tall, then bend at your waist and walk your hands out to a plank position. From there, walk your feet towards your hands and stand back up. Repeat for 5-10 reps.
  • Benefit: Stretches the hamstrings and calves while engaging the shoulders and core, helping to improve full-body mobility and stability for exercises like squats or burpees.