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Some of the biggest health benefits of exercise are increased joint flexibility, improved posture, reduced pain and overall inflammation. But you don't need gut-busting cardio or even a gym membership to get these benefits.
All you need to do is move.
Magnificent Mobility
Mobility is a joint's ability to move through it's natural range of motion. A little different than flexibility, which refers to a muscle's range of motion. Mobility combines flexibility of the muscle with structural integrity of the joint. They work together to create movement.
If your muscles are tight, your mobility will be limited.
If your joint is stiff or damaged, your mobility will be limited.
Every joint has a natural range of motion - some joints more than others. Take the shoulder, for example. The shoulder is the most mobile of all our joints. It has an (almost) 360° range of motion. The hip joint comes in a not-too-distant second place, but with much more restrictions.
Bio-mechanically speaking, a joint has to balance between security, strength, and movement. The more mobile a joint is, the less structurally secure it is. Compare the mobility and range of motion your upper neck has (the ability to turn your head), with the limited range of motion your lower back has (rotate your torso). You can turn and your head more freely than you can rotate your torso. Your neck also doesn't have to support your body weight like your lower back.
It's important to note that a joint doesn't usually operate by itself.
Your shoulders, for example, are not JUST limited to the ball-and-socket joint in your upper arm. Mobility usually requires the coordination of all the surrounding muscles and joints to assist in moving.
For example - raising your arm overhead requires the elbow joint, shoulder joint, upper back muscles, scapular (shoulder blade) muscles, traps, collar bone, and even lower back mobility. If any one of those is lacking then the ability to reach overhead will suffer.
Here's an easy mobility assessment. While laying on your back, can you reach overhead with straight arms and touch the floor?
If you have to bend your elbows or arch your back in order to touch the floor, your shoulder mobility can needs to be improved!
Shoulders are just one small piece of the mobility puzzle. Other common areas include:
Thoracic Spine
Neck
Shoulders
Low Back
Hip Flexors
Glute & Hamstring
Knee
Ankle
Basically if it's a joint that can be moved, we can improve it! But some exercises can hit multiple joints, meaning we can get a quick and efficient mobility workout with just a few exercises.
Here are my top 5 mobility exercises for total body movement and pain reduction.
Total Body Mobility
Morning Star
Start on your back and mobilize your shoulders, hips, low back, glutes, and even your neck. This exercise hits many different spots.
Arched Back Rockers
Great for your low back, spine, and hips. It's also a good warm-up before leg day in the gym. Keep your hands and knees in one place as you rock back and forth. Create an arch in your back and gently rock your hips to your heels.
Dynamic Blackburns
If you have shoulder troubles, this move is for you. The video shows several versions - a single arm and double arm variation. You can do this face down on the floor OR while kneeling.
Deep Lunge Reaches
Great for the hips, thoracic spine, shoulders, neck, and basically everything in between. This one has an added benefit of increasing your heart rate!
Low Squat
The infamous low squat. If you can pull this one off, it means you have great mobility and flexibility in the hips, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and lower back. Try to get into this position every day to stay pain free.
There's Always More
This list is by no means all-inclusive, but it's a great start. I have many more exercises that I recommend in my mobility programs (available soon). But if you can master these 5 moves, you're on your way to being flexible and pain free every day.
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