Mobility Conundrums

One thing that I think people get really confused about is how much “mobility” or “flexibility” training they need, or rather, how necessary it is to constantly have in their programs.

One thing I’ve realized over the years is that there is no one sized fits all equation for people. I know a lot of people hate answers like this, especially paired with vague explanations (or none at all). So let’s elaborate on the spectrum of mobility and flexibility:

For some people, the answer will be none/next to none. Who are these people? These are people whose daily “non exercise” or sport pursuits generally accomplish a lot of this. They would also be those who enjoy and ADEQUATELY find their mobility satisfactory within a sport like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. They are also people who may have a very adequate and regular yoga practice, or simply move in very dynamic ways daily. These are all people who I would not necessarily advise to be additionally programming mobility and flexibility training into their programs.

Now ask yourself a question— is this you? My guess is a lot of people reading this would say no. If you’re someone who played high school football, intramural sports in college, stayed active in the weightroom and only took a yoga class when you met your significant other— then you are probably not on this end of the spectrum. You may need some help in the mobility department.

How much?

That depends.

How impaired are you in your sport? Are you struggling to get through warm-ups at a jiu jitsu class because your hips are so tight that you can’t sit up straight in butterfly guard? Well then maybe you need some work and regular work in this department.

How much dynamic movement do you get in life in general? If you’re a work-from-home person and you generally are just lifting at home or in the gym, then you should develop some daily/semi-frequent practice that moves you dynamically. There’s nothing worse than a relatively fit and capable person who pulls lat trying to open a window. If this statement hit home, you may want to figure out some full R.O.M., dynamic movement in your day.

Lastly, let’s talk about people who simply don’t need excessive mobility, but probably should have some. Take a basketball player over 6’5” with extremely long femurs and forearms. Does this person need to be squatting like an Olympic weightlifter to be successful? Are you perhaps asking the wrong question of yourself or that athlete? Maybe the problem isn’t mobility, but the opposite: incomplete athletic qualities that you want to explain away with tight hips. Maybe those tight hips make their other abilities exceptional. Dig deeper.

Try not to explain away or look at the world through a straw. Mobility and feeling “tight” is often where people get stuck (excuse the pun), but it doesn’t have to be mobility. Sometimes we get too obsessed with max strength when the answer is somewhere else.

This is what I want you to get out of training: I want you to ask better questions and help you identify where you are in order to get you to your potential.