Why You Should Focus On Mobility Training To Feel Your Best In 2021
Becoming more muscular, leaner, or faster demands more than just daily cardio and weight lifting. When it comes to improving your fitness regimen, the missing ingredient is a lack of mobility.
What is Mobility?
While peak mobility is generally associated with yoga, it also plays a key role in weight lifting and high-intensity interval training. Good mobility ensures a proper range of motion to perform a full squat or avoid exercise-related injuries.
Mobility encapsulates flexibility and the ability to move freely without stiffness or tension wreaking havoc on your joints. Both flexibility and a free range of motion work in tandem to improve agility.
Why Mobility Training?
Enhanced mobility helps you not only perform your best but feel your best. Without proper range-of-motion, your performance will undoubtedly suffer. Without regular mobility exercise, you won't be able to engage your muscles properly, increasing the risk of permanent muscle or joint injury.
Mobility and Aging
People in their twenties and younger tend to be less thoughtful and more reckless with their exercise routines. When you're young, it's easy to push your body to the limit and only focus on exercises you enjoy. These routines can include strength and resistance training for the sole purpose of building muscles.
As we get older, the muscles in our body slowly begin to lose elasticity. It's crucial to incorporate mobility training into your daily exercise routine to combat premature aging symptoms like back pain and joint stiffness.
The Benefits of Mobility Training
Mobility training doesn't have to disrupt your favorite exercise routines. Instead, working pilates, yoga, or stretching into your exercises can improve your overall strength and balance. Increased mobility promotes a variety of health benefits such as:
- Improving your range of motion
- Releasing pent-up stress
- Providing your body rest from high-intensity activities
- Reducing your risk of injury
- Adding variety to your workout schedule
- Decreasing signs of premature aging
- Preventing overuse injuries
- Enhancing overall performance in games and sports activities
Examples of Mobility Training
Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching entails active movements where joints and muscles experience a full range of motion. Dynamic stretching helps warm up your body before exercise and can mimic the flow of the activity or sport you're about to perform.
Dynamic Stretching Exercises With Axle
Overhead squats
- Begin using your Axle Barbel as a dowel (a weighted bar)
- Hold the Axle barbell at shoulder width
- Bring the barbel over your head
- Keep your core engaged and elbows extended
- Push your hips back, bend your knees and begin to squat slowly
- Go as deep into the squat as you can while keeping your core tight and elbows locked
- Engage your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core as you drive through your feet and fully extend your knees and hips, returning to the starting position
Dowel pass-throughs
- Place your hands on your Axle bar and start with a wide grip
- Move your arms in a full arc motion over your head from front to back
- The finish position should have the Axle bar touching the small of your back
- Stop if you feel excess discomfort or pain
Hamstring stretch with the Axle band
- Lie on the floor and loop your Axle band around your right foot, gripping the band tightly
- Straighten your right leg
- Keep your left leg bent on the floor
- Pull your right leg towards you until you feel a comfortable stretch through your hamstrings
- Hold for 15 to 30 seconds on each side
Yoga
Almost every yoga pose promotes some degree of strength, flexibility, and balance. Yoga can relax your body and help you develop a strong core. We also include yoga exercises in our Axle routines.
Keep your body limber and fit with a quick mobility exercise before and after each of your workouts.
For more mobility inspiration, download the Axle Live app on Apple or Android for mobility exercises on demand.