Check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program. If you have any questions about the exercises contained in this article, consult with a local certified professional or contact Dr. Nancy Grieger at (702) 904-0178 or through her website,blueskiesphysicaltherapy.com

Brought to you by Dr. Nancy Grieger, DPT, of Blue Skies Physical Therapy at Skydive Elsinore in California. Video of each exercise is available at youtube.com/skydiveuspa. Photo by Reto Nyffenegger.

Dynamic warm-ups are a perfect way to get ready for a day of jumping. They increase your core temperature, and the increased blood flow enhances your nerve impulses and reaction time. Particularly helpful for staying limber for landing are these six warm-ups (from least intense to most intense): reverse lunge with rotation, lateral shuffle, jumping jacks, inchworm, butt kick and high knees. Your warm-up should generally progress from the lowest intensity exercise to the highest and last about five to 10 minutes, keeping your heart rate at about 50 percent of its maximum. Perform one to four rounds of each exercises (depending on the time you have and the burn you get) for about a minute each. The first two exercises are:

REVERSE LUNG WITH ROTATION

This exercise focuses on the glutes, legs and core. You can also do this with a weighted ball to include your arms. This exercise moves you through the full range of motion in the hips and trunk. It just screams “warm-up for a tandem jump.”

Start Position: Standing.

Action: Step back with one leg and then lower your back knee straight down to the floor. Hold your stomach in and keep your chest upright.

Hold the lunge and rotate over your front knee.

LATERAL SHUFFLE

The lateral shuffle is one of my favorite exercises. It focuses on strengthening the gluteus medius, which helps decrease medial knee pain and controls the knee while landing.

Start Position: With your legs about shoulder-width apart, hold your abdomen tight, unlock your legs and slightly flex your knees.

Action: Following the step to one side, stay in the slight squat, bring your feet together, weight-shift on to the other leg and take another step in the other direction, maintaining that squat position.

Take 10 steps right and left, which should last about a minute. 

Hint: If your knees hurt, look at your ankle, shin and knee. Try to keep your knees from going past your toes and try to sit back in the squat.

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Dynamic Warm-Ups, Part Two—Jumping Jacks and Inchworm