Mobility is relative too

Mobility

To be mobile, flexible, free to move, is to realize just how fit you are. Many spend their entire training session on mobility these days. We must maintain our ability to move over the intended Range of Motion (ROM) at each articulation (joint). Strength is the key to full mobility. Most people get tight weak. Strength athletes get tight strong. Neither is comfortable. Both can be improved with proper strength training.



Each joint is designed for a specific role. The elbow is designed to allow placement of the thumb. The arm is small when compared to the rest of the body. The power realized through our arms originates at the hips. Ask any boxer, 80% of a punch comes from the hips. Weightlifters say “keep it on the hips”. Strong arms are great until we lose the ROM. Try shaving your face with tight arms. It sucks!

If the nervous system is uncertain of our abilities in a position it prevents the movement. It would be dangerous. Some work the entire ROM and others cut the movement down to a fraction so they can lift heavier weights. The squat is a real problem for many. Get deep even if you sacrifice poundage in the short-term. The gains from squatting deeply with heavy weights will far out-weigh any bruise to ones ego from doing the movement properly. It may take time but training is time intensive. During the day we must travel the ROM as a practice. Lawyers, do not squat in court it will look weird. If one drops their writing instrument squat to get it so the pattern is natural. I use the squat as an example but these tips apply equally to all fundamental movements. Use good posture and you will be healthier.

Let’s say an athlete is having difficulty touching the bar to the chest on a bench press. Should we reclassify the movement as bad for the shoulders? No! This is one of the best movements to make the shoulders stronger. Stronger is healthier. The rotator cuff musculature needs to be coordinated. The upper, and middle, back musculature must be up to the task also. Arm strength is great for shoulder health. Work everything in a properly distributed volume. Coordination is important for mobility. The ratio of strength at each joint will wreak havoc, on a training program, if unbalanced.

If we sit at a desk all day the body helps certain muscles get tight and others get weak (rectus-femoris and ilio-psoas vs. gluteus for example). In training we go into this position, free of the desk, and the positioning is strengthened. If we do not seek this position we become weaker and the body prevents attainment of this dangerously weak position. We must improve posture while seated. Sitting is terrible posture-wise.


If we train a movement for maximum strength we once again get help from the systems and build tension in working muscles. We must free ourselves from the weight and continue training this position with and without added weight. Weightlifters use recovery workouts. A lower intensity following a higher intensity workout allows free movement by communicating with a lower activation pattern. If we only use the higher activation pattern we get tight strong. This makes for longer warm-ups and this is not time efficient. Many very strong athletes cut their potential by thinking they have few weaknesses. Strong people get tight weak too. Not all muscles develop at the same pace. Have a coach analyze the breakdown of your form and you will see greater results and a healthier future.

Get stronger in the positions which are challenged and the ROM increases. We must operate in positions where we are not so strong. For those of you with small children watch as they move. This is the original design. We should all move this way. I plan training to move like a very strong four-year over the entire lifespan.


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