Dynamic Vs. Static Exercises to Build Strength

Did you know that every single person—no matter if they have chronic conditions—can exercise to build strength? Two examples of excellent exercises are dynamic and static ones. Dynamic exercises involve weights and must be done in specific ways to avoid injury. Static exercises don’t need weights and can be done by any person, as they involve very little movement. Learn about both of these exercises and how they benefit your health!

Why Should You Build Strength?

The Library of Congress reports that the human body has over 650 different muscles. Those muscles cover your body and are the reason you can move at all. All day long (and even during your sleep), your muscles are contracting and relaxing, allowing movement to take place. Muscles strength helps the body to move easier and better. The more muscle power you have helping you, the more you can do throughout your day.

When you exercise, you allow yourself to build strength. Lifting weights, for example, will end up tearing small muscle fibers in your body. Those muscle fibers will repair themselves and add more muscle fibers during that repair, leaving you will stronger and more resilient muscles. Cardio provides amazing benefits for the body, but if you build strength through weight-lifting, it can really do wonders for your muscle health.

Dynamic Exercises

When you think of building muscle, you probably picture people lifting weight at a gym. Lifting weights is one of the best ways to build strength and to get lean, strong muscles. Many people are healthy enough to lift weights and do countless exercises in a gym. Lifting weights is an example of dynamic exercise, because it involves joint movement. If you are moving a joint during an exercise, then that exercise is dynamic. If you don’t move a joint during the exercise (such as holding a plank), then it is a static exercise.

Dynamic exercises require the body to move through a full range-of-motion. When doing a bicep curl, your arm goes from one motion (down) to another (all the way up) through joint movement. Almost all weight-lifting exercises are designed to make your body go through a full range-of-motion. This causes entire muscle groups to contract and relax, and with the added weight that is being lifted, a muscle can break down and build up newer, stronger muscle fibers. When starting an exercise program with dynamic exercises, always seek professional help to learn exactly how to do it. You have to perform these exercises in specific ways to avoid muscle injury.

Static Exercises

Many people have tried dynamic exercises and either don’t like them or they feel too weak during them. This weakness is normal and will go away the more you exercise. However, if injury, chronic conditions, or a physical handicaps prevent you from traditional dynamic exercises, try static exercises! These are exercises that require very little movement to perform, yet they work your muscles, your mind, and they help you build strength. Examples include:

• Holding a plank and gradually increasing the time you do.
• Holding weights out in front of you without dropping your arms.
• Staying in a seated position without a chair.
• Standing on one foot and going into a slight squat, holding your position.

Any exercise can be a static one if you hold a muscle group in a certain position long enough to have it physically exert you. Your exercise will be a static one if there is no joint movement going through a range-of-motion during the exercise. There are countless static exercise that people can do no matter their physical condition. If you are of advanced age, or you have a chronic condition, we recommend starting with static exercises first. We can provide you specific static exercises to help you build strength and to even work up to dynamic exercises without injury.

Benefits for You

Why do static or dynamic exercises? When you work your muscles, not only do they build strength, but they improve neuromuscular health. Circulation improves, sending oxygen-rich blood to your muscles and tissues. Neural synapses work better and deliver signals to the brain more efficiently. As muscles become stronger and healthier, the rest of your body does too because of the strength that muscles provide your body to run all of its systems and processes. Whether your health allows you to do dynamic or static exercises, doing either one will improve chronic conditions, diseases, injuries and more.

Build Strength with Customized Programs

It’s great to learn about static and dynamic exercises, but how do you know which is best for you? Where do you start? Most people lose weight, build strength, and avoid injury better if they have the help of another to get them started. Many people are injured because they don’t exercise properly and they injure muscles, tendons and more. Simple improper stretching or wrong positioning when exercising can tear and strain muscles. At our center, we see patients every day that are injured or who want to prevent injury.

With our help, we can provide you with a health evaluation. If you are an athlete in training for sports who wants to build strength and get faster, we can help you with customized plans and therapies to reach those goals. If you have a degenerative condition, we can provide you with therapies to reduce chronic pain and inflammation as you build strength with specific exercises. No matter your condition or physical ability, there is always some type of exercise or therapy that can help you build strength. Even if you have a severe handicap or chronic disease, there are ways to keep your body stronger and healthier with help. You may even find that many of your health problems go away as you build strength and have a better diet with our counseling. To get started on a customized program, call Texas Spine & Sports Therapy Center today at (512) 806-0015!