Health and fitness aren’t just about fancy moves and big lifts.
Feeling your best should incorporate all aspects of fitness including a flexibility and mobility protocol. Flexibility and mobility training should be specific to the individual and the activities they take part in. Whether you are a seasoned lifter who works out 5-6 days per week or a beginner to movement whose days are spent at a desk, having a focused strategy to either improve or maintain your mobility will set you up for success in your daily activities.
Flexibility vs Mobility
Flexibility in fitness usually refers to the ability of muscles and joints to passively move through a range of motion without pain or impediment. Examples of flexibility training are assisted stretching with a health and fitness professional, and static or held stretches. We often use different types of equipment during flexibility training such as straps, yoga blocks and mats.
Mobility refers to the ability of a joint to actively move muscles and joints through a full range of motion. Flexibility is one of the components of good mobility. Good mobility requires many components of fitness including strength, balance and flexibility. Everyone needs to be able to move well and mobility is key to moving with ease.
Why does mobility matter for your weight training goals?
Mobility is essential to proper joint function and the ability to move the body through full ranges of motion. When we experience joint dysfunction there can be a cascading effect where our entire postural alignment is altered in order to compensate for areas of the body that don’t move well. This in turn hinders our ability to recruit the full functionality of our muscles resulting in reduced performance and strength output. Mobility means that we not only access full ranges of motion but are also able to control and stabilize throughout multiple movements and joint angles.
What is included in a mobility program?
Dynamic stretches are used to actively move joints and muscles through a given range of motion. This type of stretching is often used as a warm-up before activity. A few common examples of dynamic stretches seen on the soccer field or gym floor are high knees, butt kicks and Frankensteins. More advanced dynamic stretches can include lunging and twisting, inchworms or even jumping depending on the level of the athlete.
Static stretches are held stretches. This type of flexibility training is probably most recognized. Static stretching is performed by moving a joint to the edge of its pain-free range of motion and then held for more than 10 seconds. We often use this as a cool-down after exercise.
Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) is an amazing tool when starting a mobility routine. In its simplest terms, SMR is a great way to massage muscles, increase blood flow to tight areas and relax the body and mind. When performing SMR we use props like foam rollers and acupressure balls.
Strength or Resistance Training includes a variety of both weighted and bodyweight modalities that are focused on improving muscular strength in the body. Strength is a key component of mobility because it is needed in order to stabilize joints through active ranges of motion.
Simple everyday activities like standing up from a chair, squatting down to pick something up from the floor or getting in and out of a bathtub require both flexibility and strength to perform easily.
A trainer can recommend the perfect exercises for your goals ranging from dynamic stretching, foam rolling and myofascial work to static stretching or assisted stretching with an FST professional. Contact us today to chat about what type of training may be best for you!