When was the last time you thought about doing a mobility workout? Just as you train for aerobic endurance, strength, and flexibility, you also need to train for mobility, especially if you want to maintain a vibrant, active life.
Mobility refers to the way your joints move inside their socket.
“Mobility is the ability to move your joints freely with the surrounding tissues allowing the movement to happen smoothly,” says Denise Cervantes, an ACSM-certified sports performance and fitness specialist based in San Bernardino, California.
Think, for instance, the way the shoulder moves when you’re doing an arm windmill or arm circle.
It’s related, but not synonymous with, flexibility.
Flexibility refers to the ability to lengthen or hold a muscle in a stretch. Mobility refers to the range of motion of your joints.
Mobility exercises tend to be more dynamic than exercises to improve flexibility, Cervantes says. Yet working on both can lead to some of the same benefits.
“If you don’t have flexibility or mobility, in time it can get harder to do simple things like getting in and out of your car, bending down to put on your shoes, or reaching up to get something out of a cupboard,” Cervantes says.
And it could make training and exercise more difficult.
Take for instance, mobility in your hips and thoracic spine.
If you keep these body parts immobile too much, you may develop injuries simply due to repetitive daily behaviour, namely from excessive sitting and device use.
Without attention, those habits cause kyphosis, an exaggerated rounding of the back, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Immobility can also lead to poor walking mechanics.
“Because of so much sitting, the hip flexors become so tight that they’re unable to open so when you walk, you’re only able to use a shortened stride,” she says. You’re then more likely to shuffle your feet as you walk when you age, your body hunched over.
The good news is that simple mobility exercises, when practised regularly, can help prevent these issues now and slow some of the related natural issues that happen with age.
Even better? You’re never too young – or old – to start mobility training. “At all points of your life, mobility training should be part of your strength training program,” says Prentiss Rhodes, CSCS, a NASM-certified personal trainer and master instructor based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
7 MOBILITY EXERCISES TO HELP YOUR JOINTS
While there’s no specific guideline for how often you should do mobility exercises, the more you do, generally the more you’ll benefit.
Cervantes recommends doing mobility exercises daily. “The older you are, or the more sedentary you are, usually the more mobility work you need to do,” she says, adding that she likes to do a short mobility workout with multiple exercises before any workout she does.
Or you can do them in small doses throughout the day. “The most important thing is to do them regularly so that you maintain and improve that mobility,” Cervantes says.
Here are seven mobility exercises you can try that help with your major and most-used joints:
1. Child’s Pose to Downward-Facing Dog
Kneel on the floor and lower your hips toward your heels. Now let your torso fall over knees and head fall between arms as you reach arms forward onto floor. This is Child’s Pose. Hold for a few deep breaths.
Then come into Tabletop position, shifting your weight forward until your shoulders are over your wrists, and your hips over your knees. Flip your toes under and push your feet to the floor, extend your arms so your hips lift, and your chest pushes through your arms, and legs straighten. (Your body will form a triangle with the ground.) Lengthening through the torso, take a few deep breaths and slowly release your knees to the floor, untucking your toes and moving back into Child’s Pose.
Repeat three times, taking three to four deep breaths per move, Cervantes says.
2. Frog Pose to Deep Squat
Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, and your toes turned out for this exercise, Rhodes says. Sit back to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as close as you can get to parallel). Hold here a second before shifting your weight forward and placing your hands on the floor in front of you. Spread your knees farther apart, as you lower yourself toward the ground, bringing your chest to the floor if possible. (Support yourself as needed with your arms if the stretch in your inner thighs and groin is too intense.) Hold for a second before pushing back to that deep squat with toes turned out. Moving slowly, stand.
Repeat 8 to 12 times, Rhodes says.
3. Chest and Shoulder Opener
Lie face up on the floor with a dumbbell or kettlebell in your right hand (or use a soup can if you don’t have strength equipment or find the weights too heavy), Rhodes says. Extend your right arm straight above your chest and your left arm overhead resting on the floor by your ear. Bend your right leg, placing your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. Roll onto your left shoulder, letting your right knee fall to the floor. Now extend your right leg onto the floor and slowly roll your hips forward and then back to the position with your right knee bent and your arm still extended overhead.
Repeat 8 to 12 times, Rhodes says; then carefully roll onto your back, holding your weight into your chest to give your arms a break. Then switch sides, and repeat.
4. Hitchhiker
Get on the floor on your hands and knees in Tabletop position, with your wrists below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Form your right hand into a fist, thumb pointing up in Hitchhiker position, and lift your right arm in front of you to shoulder height. Lower to start and repeat 8 to 12 times. Switch sides and repeat.
5. Hamstring and Hip Opener
Kneel on the floor with your knees about hip-width apart. Step your right foot forward so your right knee is over your right ankle and your right thigh is parallel with the floor. With arms to your sides or hands on hips, shift your weight back as you lean from your hips over your right foot allowing your right toes to come up. (If you need some balance, place your hands on the floor.) Release to start and repeat 8 to 12 times. Switch sides and repeat.
6. Arm and Shoulder Circles
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your hips and shoulders square to start this exercise from Cervantes. Relax your left arm by your left side as you circle your right arm forward 10 times; extend your arm as long as possible to make large circles without shifting your hips. Change directions for another 10 repetitions, then switch sides and repeat.
7. Hip Circles
Lie face up on the floor with your legs extended on the floor, Cervantes says. Bend your right knee and bring it toward your chest so your knee is pointing toward the ceiling. Draw circles, making them progressively bigger, with that knee in one direction 20 times, then change directions and repeat. Then switch sides and repeat.
SOURCE: Everyday Health
