The Importance of Mobility Training…for Pretty Much EVERYTHING

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