5 best mobility exercises for all

Do you feel that you are not achieving your fitness goals?

Let’s assume you are flexible enough, and you are an active exerciser, but sometimes you can feel pain and stiffness in your joints, muscles, and other body parts that keep you from lifting heavier and adding more into your workouts. The reason you might not be progressing in the gym is that you are only focusing on flexibility, not on mobility.

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What’s the common difference between flexibility and mobility?

Flexibility helps to strengthen the muscles gently without having any pain on the muscles.

Mobility helps to strengthen the muscle, joints, and whole-body more flexibly. Mobility exercises help you to achieve your fitness purpose and goals.  And there are suitable exercises for all ages who want to strengthen their muscle power more and want to decrease the rigidity of their body’s movement. These exercises include mobility exercises with proper balance and potency.

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Benefits of Mobility Exercises

• Increase the movements of your body without any stiffness
• Help you to get rid of joint pains, muscle aches.

These five exercises will help you to bring back your potential in your day-to-day life and workouts. Make sure you add these exercises to your daily workout schedule and stay consistent with them to see the best results. The best part? These activities are beginner-friendly. They can train your body more effectively and actively, even if you have very little experience with mobility exercises‍

1. Neck Mobility

Neck mobility is one of the vital exercises one should add to their daily workout schedule, this exercise is also known as “neck half-circle”.

• Stand or sit in a relaxed way, then put your hands on your lap.
• Slowly tilt your head until you sense any stretch. Next, roll your head and try to place your chin over the chest. Don’t push too hard; if you feel any numbness, stop immediately and go back to a neutral position with your neck.
• Repeat this process with the other side of the neck.
• Do it smoothly in 3 half circles.

2. Ankle mobility

This exercise helps your body to maintain proper balance. This is the easiest exercise, and it will reduce your ankle joint pain. Plus, better ankle mobility has been shown to help improve your squats. 

• Take your position next to a wall, then put one of your hands on the wall
• Gently lift your heel and try to stand into a tip-toe position
• Then move back onto your heels and lift your toes from the floor.
• Do this process 10 times

3. Wall Slide

This exercise will benefit your shoulders and back; moreover, it is essential for arm movements.

• Sit in front of a wall and place your back against the wall, lift your hands and then bend the elbow, placing them on your shoulders.
• Slowly push your hands against your shoulders/traps, and try to stretch elbows very carefully. You should feel a slight pull in your triceps and shoulders. 
• Go back to your previous position
• Keep yourself attached to the wall in the entire process
• For the first time, do this process for 1 min then increase the process up to 2 min.

4. Cat-Cow exercise

This exercise is also helpful for those who are suffering from back pain.

• Put both your hands and knees on the floor, position your wrists under your shoulder, maintain your pose like a table with a straight spine
• Slowly move into cow-pose while inhaling. To start, put your toes on the floor and your ankles up. push your chest forward and push your abdomen toward the ground like you are forming a “C” shape with your spine.  Lift your sit bones, then allow your neck to move and raise your head carefully, pull your shoulders away from your ears, and try to look straight ahead.
• Then, when you exhale, it's time for the cat-pose. Spread your feet on the floor, and push your spine upward, so it will form a “C” shape in the opposite direction as before. Tuck the tailbone and then put your head down, look at your belly button (if it seems hard, do not force it, and just keep your head down)
• Do this exercise for 1/ 2  min, switching back and forth from cat and cow. Don’t force your spine and neck to move quickly, as this exercise should be done slowly and controlled.

5. Hitchhiker

This exercise is best for shoulder movement, as it helps keep your shoulders loose and mobile. 

• Lie on the floor on your stomach, and place your right hand on the floor under your forehead to help keep your head off the ground 
• Then bend your left arm into a 90-degree angle, and flip it so your fist is now pointing toward your feet. take your fist and place it on your lower back then drop your elbow.
• Now raise your elbow as high as you can, but don’t force it. If you feel pain for the first time, just move it slowly.
• Then get back into the first position then repeat this process with the other arm

Precautions:

If you have joint pain, muscle pain, or any kind of injury, and you are experiencing physical pain while doing your daily workout, ask your doctor or trainer before performing these exercises. 

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References:

Hitchhiker https://marklauren.com/blog/tutorials/hitch-hiker/

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