It is important to perform dynamic stretches not only to gain flexibility but to also gain strength in that new range of motion. Have you ever watched a gymnast or dancer jump in the air into a full split, or a pole dancer in a full middle split iron x? That is what we call dynamic flexibility and static-active flexibility. It is the combination of the strength and flexibility of specific muscles, that hold those flexible positions without the help of gravity.

1 Hour Suggested Routine

Pick Lower or Upper Body.

Lower Body

Pick (1) Dynamic Stretch Routine, and (1) Static Stretch & Pose Routine.

1. Warmup
2. Dynamic Stretch Routines - Strength & Flexible Movement
   • a. Side Splits
   • b. Middle Splits
3. Static Stretches & Poses
   • a. Side Split Routine
   • b. Middle Split Routine

...More Poses & Stretches

•  Splits
• Balancing

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Upper Body

Pick (1) Static Stretch & Pose Routine.

1. Warmup
2. Dynamic Stretches - Strength & Flexible Movement
   • a. Backbends
3.  Static Stretches & Poses
   • a. Backbend Routine
   • b. Feet to Head Routine

...More Poses & Stretches

• Backbends
• Balancing

2 Hour Suggested Routine

  Upper & Lower Body Pick (2)  Dynamic Stretch Routines, and (2) Static Stretch & Pose Routines. Ideal Combinations:

• Side Splits & Backbends
• Side Splits & Middle Splits

1. Warmup
2. Dynamic Stretches - Strength & Flexible Movement
   • a. Side Splits
   • b. Middle Splits
   • c. Backbends
3. Static Stretches & Poses
   • a. Side Split Routine
   • b. Middle Split Routine
   • c. Backbend Routine - Shoulders & Upper Back Focused
   • d. Feet to Head Routine - Lower Back & Hip Flexor Focused

...More Poses & Stretches

• Backbends
• Balancing

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Both the lower and upper body dynamic stretching routines will take about 20-30 minutes each to complete. The static stretches and poses are your end goals, to achieve them you must be able to complete the warmup and dynamic stretches first, every time. The warmup and dynamic stretches are also great to do before working out on the pole, gymnastics, dance, etc. If some of these stretches look daunting to you, I recommend a private lesson or support pass, so we can guide you and help you through the routine properly. You can also make a new topic on the community support forum to get other member's opinions and experiences.

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Additional Information

Source: Version: 1.18, Last Modified 94/10/12 Copyright (C) 1993, 1994 by Bradford D. Appleton Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this document provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Many people are unaware of the fact that there are different types of flexibility. These different types of flexibility are grouped according to the various types of activities involved in athletic training. The ones which involve motion are called dynamic and the ones which do not are called static. The different types of flexibility (according to Kurz) are:

dynamic flexibility

Dynamic flexibility (also called kinetic flexibility) is the ability to perform dynamic (or kinetic) movements of the muscles to bring a limb through its full range of motion in the joints.

static-active flexibility

Static-active flexibility (also called active flexibility) is the ability to assume and maintain extended positions using only the tension of the agonists and synergists while the antagonists are being stretched (see section Cooperating Muscle Groups). For example, lifting the leg and keeping it high without any external support (other than from your own leg muscles)

static-passive flexibility

Static-passive flexibility (also called passive flexibility) is the ability to assume extended positions and then maintain them using only your weight, the support of your limbs, or some other apparatus (such as a chair or a barre). Note that the ability to maintain the position does not come solely from your muscles, as it does with static-active flexibility. Being able to perform the splits is an example of static-passive flexibility.

Research has shown that active flexibility is more closely related to the level of sports achievement than is passive flexibility. Active flexibility is harder to develop than passive flexibility (which is what most people think of as "flexibility"); not only does active flexibility require passive flexibility in order to assume an initial extended position, it also requires muscle strength to be able to hold and maintain that position.

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Just as there are different types of flexibility, there are also different types of stretching. Stretches are either dynamic (meaning they involve motion) or static (meaning they involve no motion). Dynamic stretches affect dynamic flexibility and static stretches affect static flexibility (and dynamic flexibility to some degree). Dynamic stretching, according to Kurz, "involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both." Do not confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching! Dynamic stretching consists of controlled leg and arm swings that take you (gently!) to the limits of your range of motion. Ballistic stretches involve trying to force a part of the body beyond its range of motion. In dynamic stretches, there are no bounces or "jerky" movements. An example of dynamic stretching would be slow, controlled leg swings, arm swings, or torso twists. Dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility and is quite useful as part of your warm-up for an active or aerobic workout (such as a dance or martial-arts class). See section Warming Up. According to Kurz, dynamic stretching exercises should be performed in sets of 8-12 repetitions: Perform your exercises (leg raises, arm swings) in sets of eight to twelve repetitions. If after a few sets you feel tired -- stop. Tired muscles are less elastic, which causes a decrease in the amplitude of your movements. Do only the number of repetitions that you can do without decreasing your range of motion. More repetitions will only set the nervous regulation of the muscles' length at the level of these less than best repetitions and may cause you to lose some of your flexibility. What you repeat more times or with a greater effort will leave a deeper trace in your [kinesthetic] memory! After reaching the maximal range of motion in a joint in any direction of movement, you should not do many more repetitions of this movement in a given workout. Even if you can maintain a maximal range of motion over many repetitions, you will set an unnecessarily solid memory of the range of these movements. You will then have to overcome these memories in order to make further progress.  

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