It all sounds good to develop mobility, but why do it exactly?
There are many reasons that we should work on our joint mobility and they fall into 3 main benefits.
Better Joint Mobility Improves Performance
Whether you're a casual runner, an avid gym-goer, or a competitive athlete, prioritizing joint mobility can significantly improve your performance.
Good ankle mobility improves your ability to squat with good form and allows you to lift heavier weights more safely and easily.
Good hip mobility improves your stride length, which makes you a more efficient runner (i.e. you don't have to work as hard to run the same speed/distance).
On the other hand, poor shoulder mobility makes it harder (and more dangerous) to hit that overhead tennis serve.
In short, if you want to add a few pounds to your squat PR, improve your 5k time, or speed up that serve, mobility training will help you.
Better Joint Mobility Reduces The Risk Of Injury
We can all agree that injuries set us back. So anything we can do to reduce the likelihood of being injured and sideline us from our favorite activities should be a priority.
Studies have shown that after just four weeks, athletes who follow a corrective exercise and mobility program show significant improvements in body position and joint function, enough to eliminate muscle imbalances and reduce the risk of injury.
Increased mobility not only helps you to develop a safer and more stable posture during exercise, but also that increased range of motion gives you more power and control. This can essentially give you more buffer space at your joints' end ranges to go a little further or handle unexpected situations.
Let's think about your ankles.
As you build up your ankle mobility and end-range strength, when you inevitably trip and fall out of alignment, your ankle will be used to it.
If you roll your ankle on an afternoon trail run, it probably won't be a serious injury because you're used to putting load on your ankle in full extension. You will have developed the sensitivity and control to make quick micro adjustments to keep your body safe.
However, if the same ankle is neglected, it will be stiff, weak, and brittle. The limited range of motion and control would then increase the risk of turning a potentially harmless ankle roll into a nasty sprain. If you are not working on improving your ankle mobility, you are not building the strength and coordination needed to adapt to whatever your environment throws at you.
Many professional trainers agree that though injuries still happen, the more diligent you are with your mobility training, the less frequent and less severe they will be.
Better Joint Mobility Means Less Pain, More Ease Of Movement
Last but not least, mobility often means less pain and greater options in movement.
Pain often gets a bad reputation, but it is often just a signal from the body to communicate that something is wrong.
Where does mobility play a role?
Your joints have a series of nerve receptors designed to detect changes in its position. So if something is out of balance and not moving quite right, your body will let you know.
This can be in the form of back pain, knee pain or elbow pain during or after participating in an activity.
The good news is that while you are restoring your normal range of motion with mobility work, the pain signals will start to quiet down. Of course, there are other factors that can cause pain and restoring range of motion is not the cure-all, but it is certainly effective for most cases.
Once the pain is reduced or eliminated and the joint can move freely, you can get back to doing the things you love most in life.
Hiking with your dogs on the weekend? Preparing for your first OCR event? Learning how to do handstands? These are all within reach!
Mobility training is critical component if you want to be a better athlete, reduce joint pain, or simply be more active in your everyday life.
