Mobility Training

Mobility training, an old but useful set of movements that have recently surged in popularity all over social media. Influencers on Instagram and Facebook have started a rave about mobility training, sparking discussions and urgency among the masses. This has provided a breath of fresh of air as mobility training is much needed in a world where we sit almost all the time. Your body is remarkable, it adapts to whatever circumstance you put it in. If you sit most of the time, your body gets good at sitting. What that means is, that your body gets good being comfortable in a seated position. That is why mobility training is essential for everyone. However, to apply mobility training properly, we must first understand its foundations and movements. Only then will we be able to maximize its utility.

Mobility.

According to Men’s Journal: “Mobility designates exercises that will increase your range-of-motion and your stabilization, or control of the muscles that surround each joint. Mobility incorporates flexibility and strength, and it’s crucial to help you squat deeper, push harder, and jump higher.”

As highlighted above by Men’s Journal, mobility is the process of increasing our range of motion that aids our movement patterns in other more strenuous exercises.

How do we apply mobility?

Is mobility the same as stretching? Do we hold a single position for a set period? Essentially, no.
Mobility is not about holding the end of a range of motion. As mentioned above it is about stability and increasing the range of motion. Thus, it is about the whole range of motion in question, not the latter part of the motion. Therefore, mobility training should be treated much like strength training. That is, it should be done for sets and reps where you go through the phases of movement throughout. Exhibiting control, stability and most of all, intention through each movement.

Mobility is about learning to activate our muscles and learning how to control them. Most people just go through the motion without any control. You will see a host of people at the gym doing exercises with seemingly correct form, however, most of them do not actually know how to activate their muscles. Their muscles respond to the load, their muscles do not control it. That is why mobility training should be an essential part of your life as it teaches you the fundamentals of your body. It teaches you how to control your body, and how to activate muscles.

Here is a list of exercises that should make up your mobility training:

1. Deep lunges
2. Bridge
3. Deep squat holds.
4. Bar Hanging
5. Torso twists

These exercises are by no means the only ones you should be doing, mobility training involves moving parts of your body where you feel you are weakest and working on them to improve.
Mobility is movement, and movement is freedom. Build a life full of freedom, full of movement.