Mobility workout guide the general consensus is that mobility and flexibility are the same thing, and that a little bit of stretching after a run is enough. It does not. A particular mobility drill trains your joints to move actively and controllably at both ends of their range of motion rather than simply passively maintaining a stretched position, like a static stretch can never truly do.
What is a mobility workout guide?
Instead of doing a hamstring stretch for thirty seconds, try hip circles, shoulder dislocates, deep controlled squats and thoracic rotations as part of a mobility workout. A mobility workout is a series of active, controlled exercises to help increase your joints’ range of motion.
According to Hinge Health, flexibility is how far your muscles and soft tissues stretch and mobility is how your joints move. Together, they support controlled joint movement and increased flexibility expands the range of motion (Hinge Health). A mobility exercise develops an active ability, while flexibility is a passive ability.
What’s the Difference Between Stretching and Mobility Workouts?
The primary advantage of static stretching is flexibility . This is when you hold a position and allow your muscle to elongate . But a mobility workout is different . This is where you use strength and coordination as you actually move your joints through their full range of movement . Thus, mobility work generally transfers better to actual performance than passive stretching alone.
Mobility exercises are not just about muscle length, but rather about joint function,” says Release Physical Therapy. A joint that is not mobile can still function poorly even if the muscles around it are flexible, and regular stretching can provide only short-term relief (Release Physical Therapy).
If the aim is movement preparation or to increase technique in real exercise patterns, a mobility workout should be the first step, according to ACE-certified professionals. Static stretching is most useful to correct tissue shortness or down regulate after training (ACE Fitness).
Benefits of Regular Physical Activity for Mobility quality of movement and good technique. Pre-training mobility drills increase circulation, increase tissue temperature and prepare your nervous system for safe force production.
The result: better hip hinge mechanics, overhead reach, and squat depth. less joint pain and stiffness. Regular mobility exercises help to prevent the deterioration of the joints over time from regular sedentary activities such as driving, sitting at a desk and scrolling through a phone.
Key Points to Focus on During a Mobility Drill
It is the tightness of the hips and the thoracic spine (mid-to-upper back) that usually cause the most problems. According to ACE Fitness, these are two of the body’s most mobile and frequently restricted areas, and restricted mobility in these areas can greatly affect the knees and low back (ACE Fitness). A comprehensive mobility exercise should also address the rotational ability of the ankles, shoulders and thoracic spine because these areas often present with compensations elsewhere.
Sample Program of Mobility Exercise
This is a 15-20 minute mobility exercise that you can do as a warmup for strength training or as a stand-alone session.
Hips (5 min)
90/90 hip changes (8 reps each side)
The world’s best stretch: five repetitions on each side
3 30-second deep body weight squat holds
Mid back, five minutes.
Eight thoracic rotations on each side in all fours
Cat-Cow: 10 slow reps
Open book stretch: 6 reps each side
Shoulders (4 min)
Ten arm circles in each direction (forward and backward)
Shoulder dislocation with band/cloth (10)
Wall slides 10 reps
Ankles (three minutes):
10 ankle circles, each direction
8 reps each side – Knee to wall – ankle stretch
A mobility workout is about quality of movement, not speed, so move through each exercise with control, not haste.
When to Work Your Mobility
Mobility work is very adaptable in many ways. You can: Use dynamic mobility activities as a warm-up to increase tissue temperature and prepare the nervous system before lifting or sport. as a cool down to help the body get out after a workout as a stand alone activity, on days off or as a specific mobility activity for recovery broken up into little daily sessions, like a few in the morning and a few more later, rather than a single long session
UC Davis Health recommends that you should stretch every day to maintain range of motion. The same consistency principle applies to mobility work, frequent short sessions often better than sporadic long ones (Medical News Today).
Common Errors in a Mobility Exercise pushing an uncontrolled range. Mobility work should feel like the strength through range, not the limit reached. Passively getting into a stretched posture is not the same as actively managing it.
Last Words
Mobility exercises train your joints to move through the range that your muscles will allow. Stretching and strength training are complementary to mobility exercises. If you work on your hips, thoracic spine, shoulders and ankles for fifteen minutes a lot of times a week, you are likely to feel less annoying aches, lift better and find it easier to deal with the small physical demands of a normal day.
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