Good mornings to you interwebs
I thought it was due time for a blog post. As the title
eludes, the topic today will be on mobility training. Specifically, I will provide
an introduction to what mobility training is and isn’t, why and when we should
be working on mobility, and some tips to get you started on the journey to
increased bendyness.
I’m happy to see people to start talking more about
mobility, especially the heavy lifters and even more recently the YOUNGER heavy lifters (you know who you
are).
When I first started in the health and “fitness” industry,
there really wasn’t a lot of focus on mobility training, other than what was
practiced in yoga (either that or I just didn't know what was going on).
Stretching seemed to be always secondary to the “main workout”. However, it is becoming increasing clear how
imperative mobility is as I, and the industry in general, learn more about
injury prevention and optimal performance.
I. What is mobility
training?
·
In short, mobility training is any
modality/activity used to maintain/increase the range of motion in your joints.
·
This includes not only what people
“traditionally” think of when they hear the word “joints” (e.g., elbow, knee),
but also less obvious joints such as the intervertebral/spine joints, ankle joints,
the joint where the spine meets the pelvis (SI joint), and even finger joints.
To get your geek on, I would recommend looking into some anatomy literature to
really get a good understanding of the different structures that may cause
restrictions in certain joints
·
There are a variety of different
tissues/anatomical structures/physiological processes that mobility training
seeks to improve, keep moving, and maintain health, which generally includes….
o
Muscles
o
Fascia (the shrink wrap that surrounds muscle)
o
Joint capsules (these are less pliable then
muscle and fascia)
o
Joint surfaces, which receive nutrients through
movement and loading
o
Increased blood flow, which helps with healing
and recovery
Now, I find a common misconception with mobility training is
that it only involves stretching. Although “traditional” static stretching,
(i.e., where you hold a position for say, 20 seconds) is important, it is not
necessarily the best or most efficient method for increasing
mobility, depending on what joint/tissue structures you’re seeking to
manipulate. Efficiency or the most “bang for your buck” is important,
considering time is a major concern for most people when it comes to physical
activity.
Before I get into the different ways you can start to
increase your mobility, I’d like to talk briefly about the potential issues
that can occur due to immobility. For the sake of simplicity, I will focus on
the traditional lifter, as these people tend to be the most immobile due to the
type of training. OBVIOUSLY, this is a stereotype and I’m not suggesting that
if you lift heavy then you don’t do mobility training, that’s just silly.
II. Why should I do
mobility training?
The short answer is: Mobility Training decreases the chance of
tissue wear and tear and/or damage/injury:
If you are regularly active… well existing, keeping your
movements as fluid as possible should
be a main priority (although it’s really up to you, no one can tell you what to
do).
In other words, maintaining optimal range of motion in all
joints (or as many as you can) will keep your movements and anatomical strutures healthier for longer and
decrease the chance of injury. The way I explain this to people is using the
following analogy…
Imagine you have a door in front of you. You don’t open that
door very often, and eventually the hinges start to get “stiff”. You don’t oil
the hinges and only open the door wide enough so you can fit through it. One
day you try and fit a new couch through the door, so you open it wider than it
has been in years. Because it hasn’t been moving, the hinges aren’t ready for
the load and they will ultimately break. Also, the hinges will sustain more
wear in general as they move only through a short range, thus less force distribution
is occurring through the structures on a day to day basis.
So, in a human example, say you do not keep optimal
flexibility in your upper back and hips, yet you lift a LOT of weight (although
through a sub-optimal range). When you go to help your friend move his couch,
and you need to get down to the ground to lift, you’re more likely to hurt your
upper back, lower back, and hips, because your body isn’t used to the range. A wham, you’re injured for 8 weeks. There goes
all your gains bro!
Also, if you’re not moving your hips and back through full
range when lifting, you are stressing the structures over and over in a short
range, which will decrease force distribution in your tissues, and increase
wear and tear over time. It may not seem
like a big deal now, but trust me when I say that in 20-30 years you’ll probably
be wishing you treated your body in a different way.
Mobility training has other benefits other than just
preventing injury and joint wear and tear… such as…
- Reducing stress
- Increasing recovery (if done appropriately)
- Improving performance WHEN you are lifting/training/competing
III. How do I do the
mobility trainings?
There are SO MANY WAYS/METHODS out there for mobility
training. The short answer to the afore mentioned question is: It depends
I cannot tell you, the reader, exactly what mobility training you should be doing because I would need to
do a formal assessment to identify where your restrictions/limitations are and
go from there.
I can however guide you in the right direction towards begin
to incorporate mobility training into your training regime/life.
Tip 1: Find a
physiotherapist (or similar type-health professional): I know this is kind
of self advocating since I’m in PT school, but seriously, we can help in this
area.
Clinicians that specialize in movement can get you perform what
you usual do in the gym (snatches, deadlifts, squats), analyze your movement,
then provide suggestions on ways your body has been adapting/moving to account
for mobility limitations and how to overcome these deficits.
If you are not injured, or have sneaky overuse injuries
creeping up 1-2 sessions with a PT (depending on how restricted you are) can
provide you will some basic tools to help increase your flexibility.
ALSO: PTs, registered message
therapists, myofacial release specialists, some chiropractors, and osteopaths
can provide manual hands on techniques for some areas that are known to be
difficult to release on your own: like the hip flexors, damn those things are
hard to stretch and roll out
Tip 2: Do some
reading
If money is an issue for you, there are a lot of resources
on the interwebs that can help you with beginning to target your restricted
areas. For example, a simple search term of “myofacial release” can do wonders
The trick is, is navigating what is good information, and
not-so-good information on the net.
Tip 3: Do NOT over do
it!
Mobility comes with time (like everything good in this world). Unfortunately, as humans we tend
to adopt the “all or none” mentality, especially when it comes to health and
fitness, instead of the “one step at a time” mentality. I’m hoping to see a
change in this mentality as the industry progresses and demands more education
of it’s professionals, but that’s a rant for another day.
Lets go back to our door analogy, but instead of stiff
hinges, lets say the door is attached to the frame with tight rubber bands. Now
obviously body tissues have much different properties in terms of self healing
then a rubber band, but if you want to “Stretch out” that rubber band, doing it
super quick with a lot of force is not going to be very effective (you could
actually break the rubber band).
Instead, applying gentle pressure, gradually, within a force
range that the band can handle is the most effective. There is also a point (as
there is with any structure) where if there is TOO much flexibility/give then
the other structures are at an increased risk of injury. We often see injuries
in athletes like gymnasts because they have “too much” flexibility.
So what are you suppose to take from this tip? Well if
you’re overwhelmed and feel like you don’t know where to start, I highly
recommend returning to tip 1.
Tip 4: Stay hydrated
and eat well
What does this have to do with mobility training, well
pretty much everything. If you are looking to improve your range of motion and
adapt your tissues to be more elastic, being hydrated and having the right
amount of nutrients is super important.
This is NOT my area of expertise (yet?) but I know enough
that if you are dehydrated your tissues are more “brittle” (for lack of a
better term), and you are more likely to become injured if the tissues are
stressed too far.
Tip 5: If all else fails….
If the first four tips aren't doing it for you, I would recommend joining a mobility based fitness class led by an educated and highly qualified professional.
Some common exercise class formats that can enhance overall mobility are….
1. Yoga: Yin, Hatha, hot yoga..etc. I would stay away from power yoga type classes for enhancing mobility if you are starting out and are very stiff/restricted
2. Pilates: Especially the reformer based classes, and try pick classes that focus on whole body rather than just core work
3. Tai Chi
4. Functional movement/mobility based classes: Look at what certifications the instructors of these classes have first
Give yourself a solid 1-3 months of regular gentle practice to start to see mad gains bro. Again, gaining/regaining mobility is a marathon, not a race!
I think I’ll leave it there!
So I hope this helps shed some light on the topic of
mobility training!
MERRY CHRISTMAS/FESTIVUS/HAPPY HANUKKAH etc…
And of course…
Stay strong
~Byn
