This week I’m sharing 5 exercises that will help improve your mobility. You’ll notice that most of these exercises involve a strength component. Not all mobility training you do has to involve “traditional” mobility exercises.
#1) Negative Dumbbell RDL’s
This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles, and improves controlled mobility. This is a great example of a loaded ‘’stretch.’’
Coaching Tips:
- Adopt your preferred stance.
- Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your feet, and the base of your big and baby toes.
- Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.
- For the duration of the exercise, the weights should not travel ahead of your body. While the weights are travelling down the front of my body/legs, you may also perform the exercise with the weights traveling down the sides of your legs. This can be more “back friendly.”
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now take 3-5 seconds and hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.
- When you are hinging, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your posterior chain muscles. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the starting position. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.
- Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knees.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and are approaching the top position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate. Do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
#2) Calf Raises
This exercise strengthens the calves (especially the gastrocnemius) and improves ankle controlled mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand on both feet on the edge of a stair or other stable elevated surface. Your knees should be close to fully extended (but not hyperextended).
- Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Your weight should be on your forefeet, and the back half of your feet should not be in contact with the surface. You may lightly support yourself using your hands.
- Press up onto your tiptoes using both legs. Go to your full range. Pause for a count in the top position, and contract your calf muscles.
- Now lower your heels down to your full range. Do so with complete control. To be clear, the range you use should not hurt.
- For the duration of the exercise, be very mindful that you are pressing evenly through your forefeet/all of your toes, and that your feet are not collapsing in or falling out.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#3) Advanced Hip Mobility
This exercise improves hip mobility and hip strength. Do the exercise without the block first.
Coaching Tips:
- Sit on the floor, and put a yoga block or other object so it’s on one side of your body, and ahead of you. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Hinge your hips, bend your knee, and use your glutes to bring your leg backwards. Pause for a count and gain control.
- Then lift your torso, extend your leg, and lift your leg/foot over the yoga block. This position also mimics the bottom position of a pistol squat.
- When you are doing this movement, keep your foot plantarflexed (point it away from you).
- Do not let your foot or leg strike the floor or yoga block, and keep your knee off the floor when you are bringing your leg back. All of this is much easier said than done.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or torso to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#4) Half Kneeling Ankle Rocks + Weight Resistance
This exercise improves ankle mobility, particularly dorsiflexion. While this isn’t a strength exercise, it will have a carryover to many of your lower body strengthening exercises, hence why I’m including it.
Start off doing this exercise using just bodyweight. If this feels good, you may rest a weighted object just above your knee. The weight shouldn’t be too heavy. I’m using a 15 lb kettlebell.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a half kneeling position. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Now slowly shift your bodyweight forward and dorsiflex your ankle.
- Perform the reverse movements and return to the starting position.
- The entire time, your full foot should remain in contact with the floor. Do not allow your heel to leave the floor.
- Perform 100% of the movements with control, and only apply light pressure to the leg with the weight.
- For the duration of the exercise, not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Dumbbell Squat Sways
This exercise strengthens the adductors, improves controlled mobility in the hips, and lumbo-pelvic stability.
Coaching Tips:
- Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning. Your feet will likely be significantly wider than during your regular squatting stance.
- Hold a dumbbell (or weighted object) with both hands. The weight should be in the center of your body.
- Keep your arms rigid and crush them into your armpits. The weight shouldn’t travel ahead of your body.
- Now perform a squat and lower yourself down to a range where you are able to maintain proper form. Maintain this depth for the duration of the exercise.
- While remaining in the squat stance, extend your one knee and press your body laterally, and transfer most of your weight to your opposite leg. You should really feel your adductors working.
- When you reach your end range, your leg should be in a squat position, and your knee should be in line with your toes. As for your other leg, your knee should be fully extended (or close to it).
- On the planted/squatting side, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- On the planted/squatting side, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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