FITNESS
BY JUSTIN GRINNELL
Simple stretches Movement helps with flexibility and mobility
I
have had the privilege of training thousands of amazing people. And if I had to guess, 90 percent of them have commented on how they want to be more flexible. This is not surprising. The vast majority of my clients have been 35-65-year-old aging athletes, who possibly sit a lot, and may be getting back into exercise for the first time in a while. In the back of my head, I know that if they stay active, move a bit each day and add two to three days of solid workouts into their routine, their flexibility will bump up a bit just from moving more. However, I like to explain to them the difference between flexibility and mobility, and why we must focus on both. Here’s the difference: Mobility is the ability to move a limb through its full range of motion. Through daily activities, injuries, exercise, or sport, a joint range of motion can decrease resulting in what is known as a compromised joint (meaning your joint is vulnerable). Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to temporarily stretch when needed. Or, put simply, flexibility is the ability of a muscle to stretch, mobility is the ability of a joint to move. To help both of these, we will sometimes isolate an area that may need some extra attention. But our primary way to get them to move better and feel better is through patterns of movements, not isolated static stretching. Instead of calling it flexibility or mobility work, I like to refer to these types of exercises as movement improvement work. Once we can establish a base of movement, I like to throw some more challenging and interesting movement exercises into their routine. Here are five exercises that help improve the way you move, while challenging you a little at the same time.
16
www.healthyandfitmagazine.com
Tabletop bridge and reach • Start by sitting on the floor with your feet flat in front of you about shoulder-width apart. • Place your hands behind you just outside shoulder-width apart or where it feels comfortable. • Looking straight ahead, push your heels into the ground and raise your hips as high as possible. • Midway through the movement, reach as high as you can to the sky. • At the top of the movement, hold it, look at your hand and pause for 2-3 seconds.
1
1
2
2
1
