Most of us are aware that we should devote time to mobility work.
Stretching, soft tissue exercises, and rotating our joints through their entire ranges of motion not only help us avoid injury, but also help us perform better.
It’s critical, yet we can’t seem to find the time to do it.
Dr. Kelly Starrett, in his latest book, Deskbound, lays out the following five times to focus on mobility work:
- Upon Waking Up
It’s a good idea to get your body moving through all of its ranges of motion first thing in the morning. Deep squats, hip hinges, and stretching your arms above are examples of exercises that meet the bill.
2. Throughout the Day
Another wonderful approach is to focus on mobility throughout the day, as long as you commit to it. Nothing will change if you stare at the lacrosse ball on your desk. You must put it to good use. Set a timer or take a few minutes every time you return from the washroom to hit your hot areas.
3. Warming up Before a Workout
Stretching and vigorous foam rolling or ball work before a workout are not recommended. Your mechanics will be harmed, and you’ll be more likely to sustain an injury. Warm-up and promote mobility before a workout with dynamic activities like air squats, jump rope, or push-ups.
4. Cooling Down Post-Workout
The best time to improve your mobility is after a workout. Your body is heated and ready to labor hard. Now is the moment to stretch to the end of your range of motion and foam roll.
5. Before Bed
Foam rolling and ball work can be your greatest friends when it comes to winding down before bed. These mobility exercises are excellent methods to unwind and “turn off your off-switch.”
Why now is a great time to get started?
For a variety of reasons, it makes sense to work on mobility given that many people are working from home, spending less free time outside the house, and/or dealing with higher stress. Mobility work provides these benefits anytime.
1. More sitting means stiffer joints. Spending more time at home means sitting more, which means you’ll have more tightness and stiffness than usual. If you’re not sure if you’ll benefit, ask yourself: How does your neck, upper back, and lower back feel right now? Mobility work is likely to help if you’re experiencing pain in any of these areas.
2. You can see big benefits with little time investment. It only takes a few minutes to notice a difference. “Try executing a deep squat the next time you’re on a conference call; hold for a minute or two to loosen up the ankles and hips.” Another option: “While working on your laptop, doing neck circles and ankle rotations will do a world of good for your cervical spine and ankles.” “The same goes for your wrists: take a 30-second typing break to rotate your wrists and bend/extend your fingers.”
3. There’s flexibility in timing. Unlike other workouts, mobility work can be spaced out throughout the day to reap the maximum advantages. You can set a pop-up reminder on your computer every 30–60 minutes to do one significant part of your body for just 1–2 minutes. Mobility exercises can be done at practically any time during the day, from while you’re waiting for your coffee to while you’re watching TV.
4. You don’t need equipment to get started. “You can do a lot of effective mobility exercises without any equipment at all.” However, there are a few objects that can be useful. Before going on to additional exercises, use a foam roller or lacrosse ball to help loosen muscles and fascia. You may also use a PVC pipe, dowel, or broomstick.
If you want to increase your mobility, it should really start when you wake up and end just before you go to bed. That’s the idea of mobilizing the body. It’s not something you can accomplish in five minutes before you lift. The more you maintain the health of your joints, the better off you’re going to be in the long term in terms of injury prevention, in terms of performance enhancement, in terms of any other parameter you’re measuring. – Dr. Andreo Spina
