As the owner of Williamson Road Pharmacy in Roanoke, Virginia, Ashok Pinnamaraju leverages 12 years of pharmacist experience to meet the needs of clients. In his free time, Ashok Pinnamaraju enjoys staying active by playing tennis.
Warming up before any sport lowers your risk of injury and better prepares you to engage in rigorous activity. In tennis, dynamic warm-ups take on even greater importance.
Dynamic warm-ups involve the athlete remaining in motion throughout stretching rather than holding static positions. Not only do dynamic exercises stimulate and loosen the muscles needed to move across a tennis court, but they can also help achieve full joint movement. Try the following dynamic warm-up exercises before your next match -
1. Calf Stretch - Using a stretch band, lie down on your back and tuck the band under the ball of your foot. After bringing your leg straight up, flex your foot forwards and backwards to stretch the muscles.
2. Knee Tuck - This exercise should fully engage the hip and groin area. Start by raising your leg up toward your chest and holding your knee with your hands. In one fluid motion, rise onto the ball of your other foot and take a step forward onto the tucked leg. For an added stretch, end the move by holding a lunge for three seconds before moving to the opposite leg. This exercise will help you extend and mobilize multiple parts of your body at once for a full stretch.
