Exercises for mobility is currently the most frequently searched term on sports-related portals! No wonder - we need the mobility of our tissues and joints not only in everyday life, but also during sports. The most common talk is about the mobility of the hips, knees and spine, but in our body all muscle parts and joints should move properly. What does mobility actually mean? You will find the answer with us.

Motor mobilityinterests almost everyone. After all, we all move more or less and none of us has a perfectly built body. Unfortunately, everyone suffers from some compensation, overload or lack of full mobility. Fortunately, mobility training comes to the rescue!

More and more people are abandoning strength-only exercises in favor of functional training, and it is the right decision. It is not the size of the muscles that indicates their function, strength, mobility and efficiency. This is evidenced by good mobility, which includes both full range of motion and strength at every stage of this range, which is used efficiently and without compensation on nearby joints.

Contents:

  1. What is mobility?
  2. Ways to improve mobility:
    • 1. Stretching (stretching)
    • 2. Rolling with a roller or ball
    • 3. Rubber exercises
    • 4. Bodyweight exercises
  3. Exercises for the mobility of the hips, knees and spine
  4. Exercises for mobility - training plan
  5. Exercise for mobility - benefits

What is mobility?

Mobility is the ability of the nervous system to undertake a given movement in a joint or several joints effectively and painlessly. However, the issue of mobility is much more complicated and it is worth breaking it down into the first parts.

Muscle is the most important component of good mobility. Without muscle strength in the maximum range of motion, it is very easy to injure yourself. The second important issue is the range of mobility of a given joint. Joint mobility is influenced not only by genetics, but especially by our current lifestyle.

The mobility of the body is a very important he alth aspect - it protects the body from injuries during sudden and unintentional movements, and also allows us to exercise anysports disciplines without fear of injuries.

When we talk about mobility, stability is also worth mentioning, as they cannot be mutually exclusive. Stability determines the quality of our motor control. It is mainly about passive stability, i.e. efficient ligaments and joint capsules that protect a given joint from damage. On the other hand, active stability is stability in dynamics that ensures proper muscle tone. Mobility and stability must go hand in hand.

At this point, it is worth getting acquainted with the concept of "joint by joint" by Gray Cook and Michael Boyl, which shows which joint tends to be stable and which to mobility. If these functions are disturbed in our body, it will compensate for the work in other joints and deform them:

  • ankle joint - mobility,
  • knee joint - stability,
  • hip joint - mobility,
  • lumbar - stability,
  • thoracic - mobility,
  • costal-scapulo joint - stability,
  • shoulder joint - mobility. "

Of course, this is a general list that indicates the most important goals of the joint's function. In reality, however, things are a little more difficult. For example, the knee joint must be stable, but the structures of the knee joint, in this case the patella, should be mobile.

Mobile joints are responsible for movement, and stable joints for the control of body posture and the coordination of the surrounding tissues and the neuromuscular system. The joints are arranged alternately - above and below a given group, which is responsible for mobility or stability. Lack of mobility in one joint means loss of stability in the closest joint. This creates a chain reaction.

When we want to work on mobility, we must take into account all the factors that affect it: muscles, fascias, joint capsules, ligaments and joints. So let's use all mobilization techniques.

Ways to improve mobility:

There are several ways to improve mobility, but all of them are about exercise - only with their help we are able to develop a strong and supple body. The types of exercises for mobility can be divided into, among others: stretching, roller and ball rolling, exercises with rubber and exercises with your own body weight (without equipment).

1. Stretching (stretching)

Stretching is a good starting point for the most dull ones. Stretching can be divided into static and dynamic stretching. The first type of stretching will be effective after training and the second type before training to warm up joints and muscles.

Static stretchingit consists in assuming a given position and staying in it for a certain amount of time without any movements. Usually it is 20-40 seconds. Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, involves making deeper pulsating movements.

It is worth knowing that stretching is not a universal way to improve mobility and, if used inappropriately, it can only aggravate the defect in our body and lead to an injury. A tense muscle does not always require stretching. Sometimes the muscle is also tensed for defense purposes, so that a given part of our body - colloquially speaking - does not "fall into pieces". Therefore, in such a case, it is worth exercising this muscle in its full range of motion, and not stretching.

The neck is a good example. Today, almost all of us freeze over the phone, laptop or book. This position stretches the neck muscles to the limit, and at the same time our neck is usually extremely painful and tense from this position. In this case, stretching it can lead to serious injuries. The solution will be to strengthen the muscles and possible stretching, but the antagonists who are contracted in this position.

Another questionable issue of stretching is the fact that without the fixation of a given movement pattern by the nervous and muscular systems, the position we have obtained will not stay for long and will not gain strength in a given range of movement.

For example: if we strive for splits and the only thing we do is passionately stretch our abductors, there is no chance that this position will be permanent, and our muscles will be safe and strong in a given range. A much better way to achieve permanent mobility is to exercise through the full range of motion of the joint.

Similarly, for example, we can attach a rubber band to the ladders and our foot, sit in your legs (but not to the maximum) and perform leg adduction and abduction, constantly deepening this position from training to training.

Of course, as always in sports, there are no universal solutions and there will certainly be cases where stretching will be the most important method on the way to mobility. If we want to achieve mobility through stretching without consulting a movement therapist or a good trainer, the best and safest choice is yoga, which not only stretches but also strengthens and, above all, consolidates the correct patterns.

Tensile method

PNF method - this is a stretching method that uses proprioceptive neuromuscular priming and stretches shortened parts of the muscles. PNF uses movements that are natural for humans, running in three planes and similar to everyday activities.

Movements are carried out along the oblique axes of movement thatmake it possible to activate the largest number of muscles belonging to the same muscle chain. This method stimulates the elongated and synergistic muscles within the same joint. It involves stretching a muscle and a resistance movement on that muscle; it should be up to about 8 seconds in isometry. Cycles of tension-relaxation can be used from 5 to 8 cycles for a given muscle group.

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2. Rolling with a roller or ball

Roller / roller replaces the hands of a physiotherapist and is the best independent way to remove tense tissues and improve mobility.
Roller is in other words a foam roller designed for body massage. Rolling is moving on the roller at certain points on the body.

We most often roll large muscle groups, such as the muscles of the legs, back or buttocks. Thanks to other rolling equipment, we can also reach harder-to-reach places in our body. It is for this purpose that an auto-massage ball has been developed. We can successfully use the ball to roll out the muscles of the chest, shoulders, neck and calves.

Rolling reduces the DOMS effect after training and allows for better blood supply and oxygenation of the muscles. Research shows that massage with a roller can help our body reduce cortisol - the stress hormone. Massaging with a roller allows you to release unnecessary metabolic products and free them from toxins, because, among others, improves lymph flow. Roller is also an effective support in the fight against cellulite, because it breaks down adipose tissue (but does not eliminate it directly!) And smoothes and firms the body. Roller, thanks to its he alth-promoting properties, improves the mobility of muscles, tendons and ligaments.

There are many types and types of rollers. The main breakdown is:

  • smooth rollers, which are used for loosening
  • rollers with protrusions - to stimulate the body before training.

3. Rubber exercises

Training with resistance bands is a great way to increase mobility. Exercises with rubbers use the translational movements of our joints to work. In order for this to happen, it is necessary to use an external force, because our body cannot generate this type of force on its own. This is primarily about

  • compression - pressing the surface of the joints,
  • traction, i.e. pulling the articular surfaces away from each other
  • translation: shift these surfaces relative to each other.

Of course, all the above-mentioned movements are limited by the straining ligaments.

Exercises with rubber are so effective that they allow us to increase the space between the joints,strengthening them and at the same time improving the range of movement - i.e. mobility. Moreover, the rubbers allow the contracted ligaments to stretch, which increases their length. This in turn removes the movement restrictions in our body!

4. Bodyweight exercises

This is simply functional training. It consists in exercising those parts of the body that are for some reason weakened, contracted or painful. Functional training focuses on improving movement patterns and increasing mobility, and therefore strength and efficiency.

Exercises for the mobility of the hips, knees and spine

The squat- the squat is a universal exercise. It uses the natural patterns of human movement. During the squat, almost the entire body works, and the most important joints: ankle, knee and hip joints. The squat is an exercise with unlimited progression: we can do it by going deeper and deeper, with more weight, on one leg, on unstable ground, changing the spacing of the feet, on time - in isometry, etc.

Deadlift- this is nothing more than practicing the correct forward bend pattern. An excellent exercise for activating the ischio-shin group and gluteal muscles. It trains the strength and mobility of the hip joint. Deadlifts should be in everyone's training plan - after all, we all bend down and lift the weight off the ground.

Dog with his head down- is an exercise that primarily cares for the mobility of the ankle joint, hips, spine and shoulder girdle. The head down dog can be performed pre-training in the form of arousal and post-training to actively stretch the muscles. It is also an almost therapeutic exercise - it eliminates stress, tension, increases spaces in the joints and makes the tissues more flexible and stronger.

Dog with his head up- this is the opposite of the above exercise, but the same - it brings satisfactory training effects. A dog with its head up improves the mobility of the spine, hips and shoulders. It perfectly opens the front chain of our body and stretches what is usually tense, i.e. the abdomen, chest and hips.

Torso rotation in a lunge- this exercise mobilizes the upper spine, knees, hips and shoulder joint. Moreover, it also exercises the strength and endurance of the muscles and makes the fascia more flexible. It consists in rotating the torso in a lunge position with a support on one hand.

From squatting to bending- this is an excellent exercise for those who have poor mobility in the posterior thigh. A much simpler version of exercises such as deadlifts or squats. It consists in entering the slope position from the squat position.

Superman- that's greatan exercise that improves the mobility of the shoulder girdle. It is great for those who have trouble pushing over the head or carrying objects above the breastbone. In the superman, our task is to make semi-circles with the upper limbs lying on the stomach, constantly monitoring the tension of the abdomen and buttocks.

Table- this position is recommended primarily to those who sit a lot. It opens the chest, mobilizes the shoulder girdle and has an excellent effect on the hips. Moreover, the table is a demanding exercise that increases the strength of the buttocks, legs and shoulders. It consists in raising the hips with the back support on the wrists and feet.

Exercises for mobility - training plan

Mobility training should be performed regularly, otherwise it will not be effective.

The pause between each series should be about 20 seconds. If you feel the need to do so, you can modify the duration or the number of repetitions of the exercise. The sequence of exercises can be any. Do training a maximum of twice a week, preferably once a week. Add other forms of mobility work to your training - rolling, massage, rubbers or stretching.

ExerciseNumber of repetitions / duration x series
Przysiad10 x 3 series
Deadlift8 x 3 series
Dog Head Down1 minute x 2
Dog with head up30 seconds x 3
Torso rotation in a lunge5 repetitions per side x 3
From squatting to a slope6 x 3
Superman10 x 3
Table20 seconds x 4

Exercise for mobility - benefits

There are many benefits of mobility. The most important of them are:

  • avoiding the risk of injury
  • elimination of injuries and overloads
  • blood supply and oxygenation of muscle tissues
  • more effective work of joints and muscles
  • get full ranges of motion
  • greater strength in statics and dynamics
  • pain reduction
  • improvement of joint mobility
  • greater flexibility and flexibility
  • stretching the contracted structures
  • leveling disproportions in the work of individual groups
  • economization of work

Category:

ABC of exercises