What is Mobility Training?
Sean Lake
over 2 years ago
Five Reasons Why You Need Good Mobility
Have you heard the term mobility used more recently? If not, you’re about to! When it comes to fitness, strength, cardio and flexibility get a lot of attention, but mobility is where the three meet. Mobility is less of a type of exercise than it is a general quality, like flexibility and strength. And just like flexibility and strength, the benefits of mobility extend from the gym into everyday life.
What is mobility?
Mobility is where your strength and flexibility meet: it is your body’s ability to move efficiently. It includes how well your joints can move, including range of motion, endurance, and even strength. While flexibility is important to mobility, mobility also relies on strength to hold and maintain these motions. In other words, while flexibility refers to the ability of your joints to perform motions pain-free, mobility is the ability to control those motions. You can improve mobility by performing mobility exercises, or exercises that prioritize range of motion.
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You will love your range of motion When you start to include mobility training in your workout, you might start to notice that certain movements are just easier. This is because mobility training prioritizes range of motion in a way that lifting and cardio do not. Your range of motion is how far you can extend a joint. You should be able to extend your joints to their normal length without injury, but unfortunately, many people cannot, whether that is due to age, injury or just being inactive. Bending, squatting, reaching all become easier when you have good mobility. You will love how low you can squat in the gym and how high you can reach on the tennis court.
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You will improve your strength Since mobility depends on how well your joints work, it makes sense that good mobility would encompass flexibility. But good mobility will impact your strength too. Good mobility requires muscles to work with joints to perform and maintain the movements that they should be able to perform. Sometimes even people who are considered very fit have poor mobility. This could be due to how they exercise, especially if they focus on strength training. Mobility exercises use motions that help lengthen muscle tissue so that they can build strength. You will find strength training easier when you are able to squat and lift more efficiently and freely.
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Prevent injury No one ever wants to be slowed down by an injury, but unfortunately with age and activity, injuries do happen. Fortunately, many of these injuries can be prevented by having better mobility. Mobility may be a new term in fitness circles, but physical therapists have been using it for years. Physical therapists often treat issues that result from poor mobility by improving mobility. While flexibility means that you can move your joints, mobility means that you can move your joints with support and control. This is huge when it comes to preventing injury. Some of the most common injuries due to poor mobility are those as a result of falling, including sprained ankles and joints.
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Daily activities will be a breeze Daily activities should be easy and stay easy...but with aging, many people notice that those daily activities just aren’t as simple as they used to be. Bending over to tie shoes, rolling over in bed, and getting off the sofa can get more difficult with age. These activities also become more difficult when we are injured. When our mobility is limited, we are more likely to get injured, making our mobility worse, making our day-to-day activities even more difficult. It’s a ruthless cycle!
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It will be easier to jump into something new We want to die young as late as possible, don’t you? Well, to us, that means learning new tricks even as we age. But one big reason why people avoid new activities is the possible toll a new sport or hobby could take on the body. When you are confident in your range of motion and mobility, you don’t have to worry as much about the new positions, motions, or obstacles that you may put your body through. So get out there and try a new sport--it’s not too late to take on tennis or a tough mudder!
A few easy ways to improve your mobility
Whether you love to work out or are just getting back into the gym, you are sure to find easy exercises and movements to incorporate into your routine that target mobility. Many of these exercises don’t even need to be performed in the bed--if you are feeling a little ambitious, try to get some movement in when you wake up!
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Yoga/Pilates: by holding stretches you challenge both your range of motion and your muscles
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Cross-training: mixing up your workouts ensures that you are mobilizing (you see what we are getting at there?) your body in different ways so that no muscle group goes stiff or unused
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Stretching: get out of bed and stretch! Simple motions like bending over to touch your toes are important for daily life but can quickly become difficult when you are stiff and unstretched
Here’s to happy, mobile joints!
Healthy joints are happy joints, and healthy joints are strong and mobile. Did you know that you can improve joint health from pain to recovery time by bulking up on collagen? Collagen is one of your body’s most abundant proteins, and it makes up the bulk of your connective tissue, including the cartilage, tendons, and ligaments that form joints. Our body’s natural stores of collagen break down with age and activity, but we can give that a boost with collagen supplements! Our reviews say a lot, but check out BUBS Naturals unflavored collagen peptides to see for yourself!