Start Every Workout With Mobility Training
Most everyone is challenged a degree of body dysfunction including weaknesses, imbalances, and mobility limitations. People over 50 who spend most of their day sitting at a desk most likely have some degree of kyphosis, a posture dysfunction with the following characteristics:
Back in a C-shaped posture
Shoulders slumped and rounded forward
Neck and head in a forward lean position instead of stacked over the shoulders
Before starting a strength training program, body dysfunctions should be identified and addressed up front by a qualified fitness trainer to get the full benefit from strength training, and avoid injury.
Mobility and Flexibility Training - What’s the Difference?
A complete training program should include both mobility and flexibility training. Mobility training applies to the joints, and flexibility training applies to the muscles. Mobility training should be performed at the start of every workout to correct and prevent kyphosis, and other mobility dysfunctions that result in pain in the neck, lower back, hips and knees. Building strength on top of immobile joints will lead to injury. Static stretching to improve muscle flexibility is best performed when muscles are warmed up at the end of a workout. One of your main training goals should be to prevent or repair dysfunctions likely resulting from immobile joints.
A Joint-by-Joint Approach to Mobility Training
Your body is comprised of a stack of joints with each one having a specific function and prone to predictable levels of dysfunction. For example, difficulty in squatting is likely related to poor ankle and/or hip mobility. As a result, each joint has specific training needs, and your training should follow a joint by joint approach.
Mobile Joints - Be aware of how your joints are intended to perform. Joints alternate between the need for mobility and stability. Mobile joints are your shoulders, upper (thoracic) spine, hips, and ankles. Mobile joints should be addressed during the warm up phase of your workout with foam rolling, stretching, and mobility exercises (see below).
Stable Joints - Your stable joints are your scapula (shoulder blades), lumbar (lower back), knees, and feet. These stable joints should be addressed during the strength phase of your workout with core work, squats, dead-lifts, upper body pushing and pulling movements.
Lumbar– The lumbar is really a series of joints needing stability and not mobility. Therefore, exercises such as crunches, seated trunk rotations, and the scorpion are ineffective, and can result in injury and pain. The most effective training for the lumbar that I recommend are core stabilization exercises such as static and dynamic planking, and chopping and lifting exercises.
Painful Joints - Dysfunction in one joint will predictably show up as pain in the area above or below the joint. When a mobile joint becomes stiff or immobile, the stable joint that is nearby is forced to compensate, becoming less stable and painful. For example, low back pain is likely a result of tight hips and/or a tight upper spine. Knee pain may be a result of tight hips and/or immobile ankles. Neck and shoulder pain may be a result of a tight upper spine.
Mobility Exercises – To prevent or repair immobile joints, plan to complete mobility exercises as your warm up at the start of every strength training session. Bottom line, if you only have limited time for a workout, you’ll receive the most benefit by focusing on mobility training.
At the start of your workouts I recommend completing one set each of the mobility exercises described below.
Bird Dog
Stability focus: lumbar, core, scapula
Start on the floor on all fours with hands beneath shoulders, knees beneath hips.
Raise opposite arm and leg and hold for 3 secs.
Complete 10-15 reps per side.
Focus on stabilizing your core, keeping your hips level, and the extended leg below hip level.
Here is a Bird Dog example: https://youtu.be/z-0dSVyuNk4
T-Spine Rotation
Mobility focus: Upper spine, hips
Start movement by sitting down on your heels and extending one arm on the floor in front of you.
Place you hand on your ear and rotate your shoulders by pointing your elbow towards the ceiling, then rotating downward toward your opposite knee.
Complete 10-15 reps per side.
Keep sitting on your heels during the movement to avoid twisting your lower back.
Here is a T-Spine Rotation example: https://youtu.be/WYpHhmWNBO8
Floor Slides
Mobility focus: Shoulders
Lie on the floor with knees up, arms placed above your head, back of hands in contact with floor.
Push arms and hands into the floor and slide arms up and down (think touchdown). Keep your lumbar in contact with the floor.
Complete 15-20 reps.
Here is a Floor Slide example: https://youtu.be/DqRvP9PylP4
Leg Swings
Mobility focus: Hips, Ankles
Swing one leg at a time both forward and back as far as you can while keeping your upper body stable.
Do not bend your knees during the swing. Focus movement on your hips.
Complete 10-15 swings per side.
Here is a Leg Swing example: https://youtu.be/5HxFhbDqM48
Open The Gate
Mobility focus: Hips, Ankles
Lift your knee up to hip level, pivot knee 90 degrees to your side, then lower toe to the floor.
After pivot to the side, lift knee to your hip and return knee to forward position, then lower toe to the floor. That counts as one rep.
Complete 10 reps per side.
Here is an Open The Gate example: https://youtu.be/ObONXqtLqCI
Split Squats
Mobility focus: Hips
Split squats are also referred to as static lunges, meaning your feet stay in a static (same) position throughout the movement.
To perform the split squat, assume a split stance position with the feet in line with the shoulders and the feet about 4 feet apart.
Lower the back knee down towards the floor while keeping your weight on the heel of the front foot.
The front leg is the working leg and should be bent to 90 degrees.
Complete 10 reps per side.
Here is a split squat example: https://youtu.be/ah-32ZiOzEw
Foam Rolling - Glutes
Sit on the roller, focusing on the right or left glute.
Cross the leg on the glute side being rolled, and slightly tilt toward same side.
Roll the entire glute muscle in an up and down direction 10 times.
Roll longer over tight and painful areas to reduce the tension.
Repeat on other glute side.
Here is a foam rolling - glutes example: https://youtu.be/kFIEB3q2DkY
Foam Rolling - Quadriceps/IT Band
Lie on your side with the outside of your thigh on top of the roller, and your weight on one forearm.
Pull and push yourself over the roller from just below your hip bone to just above your knee.
Roll the entire quadricep in an up and down direction 10 times.
Roll longer over tight and painful areas to reduce the tension.
Repeat on other quadricep.
Here’s a foam rolling - quads/IT band example: