Running quickly and lifting weights are only two aspects of being fit and healthy. Also, it’s crucial to be able to move freely both in and out of the gym. This is why including mobility exercises in your program might be beneficial. The Roze Team wanted to share exercises that can be done anywhere.
Laura Miranda, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist and trainer in New York City and the creator of the Pursuit fitness training program, says that mobility is the ability to reach and control a certain range of motion. If you want to be pain-free over time and be able to do daily tasks, you need to learn how to move through full arcs of motion. In fact, a 2014 study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science discovered that people who had strokes could better engage in daily chores after practicing range-of-motion exercises.
Range of Motion Exercises
To help close the gap between the range, you should have and the range you really have, Miranda built this flow. By holding each stance for two to three seconds and concentrating on your complete body, from your neck and shoulders to your hips and hamstrings, you progress from one pose to the next in the practice. Breathe deeply in and out during each pose, and keep your spine neutral by engaging your core at every turn. Each move’s end range should be difficult but not uncomfortable. If you notice that your breath or form is impaired, adapt.
Do this as a warm-up before doing heavy lifting or high-intensity interval training. It gets the blood flowing and gets the muscles ready for more work. For a much-needed stretch in the middle of the workday, you can also perform the exercises. Miranda said that moving gently, moving well, and feeling good are the most important parts of doing them.
Do each exercise, holding it for two to three seconds (or one full breath) at a time. Next, carry out two or three repetitions before swapping sides or assuming the next stance. Hold the top position for 10 seconds on your last rep to get the most strength and stability gains.
Mobility for the Hip Flexors and Lower Back with a Reverse Lunge and Side Bend
Begin by putting your feet together. (A) Step the right leg back into a reverse lunge with the pelvis tucked forward and both knees bent. The right glute, squeeze it. (B) Raise your right arm overhead before bending your left torso and raising your left arm across your body (on the last rep, hold here for 10 seconds). Twice repeat, then switch sides.
Mobility for the Hamstrings, Lower Back, Ankles, Shoulder, and Neck in the Squat to Forward Fold
Starting from a standing position with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, stoop to hold onto toes or ankles. (A) Lower yourself into a deep squat while maintaining a raised chest and tight hamstrings. Use your elbows to push on the knees at the bottom to tighten your hamstring and butt (on the last rep, hold here for 10 seconds). (B) Keeping your toes or ankles in contact with the ground, tuck your head down, elevate your butt, and straighten your legs as much as you can. Repeat the motion twice more.
Mobility for the Hip Flexors, Midback, Neck, and Shoulders with a Low Lunge with Rotation
Start in a plank position with your spine straight from your neck to your hips and your shoulders over your wrists. Put your left foot out in front of your left hand. Maintain your right leg extended, knee up, and glute tight. (A) Put left hand behind head and slowly rotate to the left with elbow extended toward the sky. Use your right hand to press down on the ground. (B) Turn left elbow inside and down to right elbow (during the last rep, hold for 10 seconds). Put your left hand back down and return your left foot on the plank after that. After two repetitions, switch sides.
Hips and Glutes Mobility: Shin Box to Forward Step
(A) Sit on the floor with your left leg out to the side and your right leg bent at roughly a 90-degree angle with your shin in front of you. Move forward at the hips while maintaining a neutral spine position with the torso looking directly forward. (B) Contract your glutes to lift your hips off the floor. Move forward with the left foot into a half-kneeling stance, bear weight on the right knee, extend the right hip flexor forward, and tighten the right glute (during the last rep, hold for 10 seconds). Lower your hips to the ground as you return to your starting posture on the left foot. After two repetitions, switch sides.
Inner Thighs’ Lateral Lunge to Plank Walkout Mobility
Stand with your core tight and your feet 6 to 10 inches wider than your hips apart. (A) By keeping your back straight and your right hip hinged, bend your right knee. Return to the beginning position and repeat on the opposite side. (B) Reach forward from a standing stance until your palms contact the ground while maintaining a straight back (on the last rep, hold here for 10 seconds). Walk palms out to a wide-leg plank posture with the spine straight from the neck to the hips, shoulders over wrists, and knees bent. Once the head is tucked, move your hands back to your feet. a second time.
Broad Squat for Hips with Internal Rotation Mobility
(A) Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Using the core, stack shoulders over hips. Arms outstretched in front of you, crouch down. (B) Rotate the right leg without moving the left leg, pivoting the foot, knee, and hip inside (hold for 10 seconds on the last rep), and contract the left glute to further internal rotate the right hip. To squat, rotate your right leg back, then stand up. After completing the workout on both sides, switch.
Leg-Only Deadlift Hamstrings, Lower Back, and Glutes to Knee Drive Mobility
Engage the glute as you rise up straight on the left leg. (A) With your body in a straight line, hinge at the hips, lower your torso to the ground, and extend your right leg behind you (during the last rep, hold for 10 seconds). (B) Next, squeeze your right knee toward your chest while driving through the left glute to stand back up. While you do this, engage your abs and feel a stretch in the left glute. After two repetitions, switch sides.
The Roze Review
The ability to accomplish and maintain a proper range of motion is called mobility. In areas like your knees or neck, where full arcs of motion aren’t possible, you may feel pain or find your range of motion is restricted. Physical therapist and trainer Laura Miranda developed a seven-step flow that includes two to three-second positions that target every part of the body, from the neck to the hamstrings, to help you achieve maximum mobility. Do the exercise routine as a warm-up before doing heavy lifting or high-intensity interval training, or do it whenever you need a stretch throughout the day. The Roze Team members understand the need to perform stretching exercises and the importance of maintaining mobility.