TLDR
- Mobility work and stretching work are complimentary but different things
- Stretching to increase flexibility and stretching for recovery are also fundamentally different things
- You should be doing 1-3 minutes of mobility work daily, period
- You don’t necessarily need to be stretching
Description
In order for this to make sense we need to understand the difference between ‘mobility’ and ‘stretching’ and everything in-between. Out of all the training concepts (strength, cardio, mobility, etc) this is probably the most misunderstood by the general population.
The simplest, and a fairly well agreed upon, way of defining this is:
- Mobility describes your active range of motion (ROM), mobility work is the means of maintaining or increasing this
- Flexibility describes your passive range of motion (ROM), static stretching is means of maintaining or increasing this
For example, let’s say you’re seated down doing a one-legged seated hamstring stretch. However much you can bend forward to stretch your hamstrings is your active ROM. Now you grab a hold of something with both hands and pull yourself further into the stretch. Perhaps you can move another two inches forward. That’s your passive ROM.
A passive ROM is almost always going to be a tad longer than your active ROM. But it’s a potential problem when the difference is too great. As a general benchmark, think 85% as the minimum figure you want for your active range of motion.
Going back a step, we also need to ask ourselves what our goal is. If you’re reading this, you’re not a professional gymnast, contortionist or someone who’s profession it is to be pliable (which also has a health trade-off by the way, just like any other sport taken to the extreme).
Now everyone’s exact goal will be different, but in broad strokes we can assume you want to be able to go through training the fundamental movement patterns and muscle groups without limitations. This is not the same thing as wanting maximal range of motion. We want a tad more than what’s necessary, but not excessively so.
Flexibility
Where does this leave static stretching? By static stretching we’re referring to all manner of prolonged holds, typically for 1-2 minutes, with or without active ‘pulses’. You may see the terms static stretching, PNF stretching, and PAILS/RAILS, among others.
As a broad rule of thumb the more advanced you are with training experience, the more you need to think about stretching.
Most beginners generally don’t need to stretch. Sure, if you have a specific problem area, you may need specific stretching work (see the sample options provided below, for instance). But often times, every unit of time you spent holding a static stretch may have been better spent on a combination of resistance training and mobility work.
If you’re an advanced lifter (with intentional training of well over five years), then you do need to be thinking about problem areas more actively.
The below routines are a simple starting point to work on key areas; both active and passive range of motion will need to be maintained to allow training injury free.
It should also be called out that static stretching is not active recovery work. Stretching to create tissue adaptations is challenging stuff. Stretching for recovery purposes should be thought of as a completely different beast (see Bonus recovery).
Mobility
In other words, the key for everybody is maintaining the active ROM of our joints first and foremost. This is done through mobility work, not flexibility work.
Mobility work is taking your joint through its full range of motion. For most joints, that generally means joint circles. The key note here is joint circles done well, without mindfulness it is just wasted time.
Below is the basis of a series of mobility drills that works all the main joints from top to bottom.
Prescription
For beginners
- 3 mins of mobility daily
For intermediates
- 3 mins of mobility daily
- 1x20mins of stretching IF you need it
For advanced
- 3 mins of mobility daily
- 2×20 mins of stretching IF you need it
10 mobility drills
- Neck circle
- Spine circle
- Shoulder circle
- Scapula circle
- Elbow line with rotation
- Wrist circle
- Hip circle
- Knee line with rotation
- Ankle circle
- Toe movement
There are 10 key mobility drills listed from top to bottom. That’s the suggested order to do it in to maintain consistency.
Neck circle
Draw a circle with the neck through the six cardinal points, moving clockwise:
- Bring the head down (flexion)
- Turn the head right (rotation)
- Bend the head to the right (lateral flexion)
- Bring the head back (extension)
- Turn the head left (rotation)
- Bend the head to the left (lateral flexion)
- Repeat counter clockwise.
That’s one rep.
Notes on form:
- Keep tension in the shoulder blades and maintain neutral, avoid movement of the upper back
Spine circle
Draw a circle with the spine through the six cardinal points, moving clockwise:
- Bring the torso down (flexion)
- Turn the torso right (rotation)
- Bend the torso to the right (lateral flexion)
- Bring the torso back (extension)
- Turn the torso left (rotation)
- Bend the torso to the left (lateral flexion)
- Repeat counter clockwise.
That’s one rep.
Notes on form:
- Isolate the spinal movement here, avoid movement of the neck
- Maintain neutral hips throughout
- Keep the knees locked out
Shoulder circle
Draw a circle with a straight arm, moving clockwise:
- Start with the palm up (supinated), bring the arm toward the body (internal rotation)
- Raise the arm over your head until you reach a stopping point (flexion)
- Rotate the hand (supinated to pronated) as you continue to move the arm behind your torso until you reach a stopping point
- Reverse the motion
That’s one rep.
Repeat with the other shoulder.
Notes on form:
- Keep the elbow locked out the entire way, there’s going to be a tendency to bend the arm near the top
- Keep the torso still, resist the rotation to assist with the movement
Scapula circle
Draw a circle with the scapula through the four cardinal points, moving clockwise:
- Move the shoulders upwards (elevation)
- Move the shoulders forwards (protraction)
- Move the shoulders downwards (depression)
- Move the shoulders backwards (retraction)
- Reverse the motion
That’s one rep.
Notes on form:
- Keep the elbows fully locked out
- Keep the torso completely still
Elbow line with rotation
Go through a complete elbow bend:
- With the palms up (supinated) and elbow locked out (extension), bring the hands up to a natural stopping point
- Rotate the hand to palms down (pronated), then bring the hands down until the elbow is locked out
- Repeat the motion in the reverse, pronated up and supinated down
That’s one rep.
Notes on form:
- Make sure you go through maximal rotation of the hand
Wrist circle
Draw a circle with the hand through the four cardinal points, moving clockwise:
- With the palms up (supinated), fingers straight, and elbows by your side, move the hands right
- Move the hands down (wrist extension)
- Move the hands left
- Move the hands up (wrist flexion)
- Reverse the motion
That’s one rep.
Notes on form:
- Keep the wrists fixed in place
- Keep the fingers straight on wrist flexion (or as close as possible)
Hip circle
Draw a circle with the hip with a bent knee, moving clockwise:
- With a bent knee at a 90 degree angle, rotate the foot upwards (external rotation)
- Without shifting the knee angle, move the knee up (flexion)
- Turn the knee outwards (abduction)
- Rotate the foot backwards (internal rotation)
- Move the knee back until you reach a stopping point (extension)
- Reverse the motion
That’s one rep.
Repeat with the other leg.
Notes on form:
- Hold onto a stable support with the opposing hand; this isn’t a balance drill
- Keep the opposing knee locked out, there’ll be a tendency to bend there
- On hip flexion, avoid shifting the torso to ease the movement
- On internal rotation, keep the hips neutral, think of the hips as car headlights facing forwards
- On extension, avoid arching the lower back to ease with the movement
Knee line with rotation
Go through a complete knee bend:
- With the knee fully bent and toes pointed straight, move the foot until the knee is near extension (but not locked out)
- Rotate the foot so the toes are pointed at a diagonal, then bring the foot all the way back
- Repeat the motion with the foot rotated outwards and the reverse
That’s one rep.
Notes on form:
- Don’t fully lock out the knee throughout the motion (the one difference with the elbow movement)
Ankle circle
Draw a circle with the foot through the four cardinal points, moving clockwise:
- Point the toes upwards
- Point the toes sideways to the right
- Point the toes downwards
- Point the toes sideways to the left
- Reverse the motion
That’s one rep.
Notes on form:
- Keep the knee locked out
- No shift in the hips
Toe movement
Go through several movements with the toes, both feet at a time.
- Lift the big toe up by itself (flexion), four toes remain on ground
- Lift the small four toes up together (flexion), big toe remains on ground
- Spread the toes as wide as possible (abduction)
- Squeeze the toes as narrow as possible (adduction)
- Bonus – lift all 5 toes, then move each toe to the ground, starting on the pinky toe
Programming
This mobility drill sequence can and should be done every day.
The exact amount of work depends on you.
- A ‘perfect’ rep might take 10 seconds or even more 20 seconds.
- if you’re rushed on a particular day it might be a 3 second rep instead.
- You might do 5 perfect reps of a particular joint is feeling tight.
- Or you might do 1 quick rep if the joint is moving well.
- You might split the 10 drills throughout the day (but keep it in the same order).
Stretching routines
Shoulders and wrists
Spine
- Cat cow for 10 reps
- Lumbar restricted cat cow for 10 reps
- Thoracic restricted cat cow for 10 reps
- Seated spinal flexion stretch for 2 mins with 20 sec max effort
- Cobra spinal extension stretch for 2 mins with 20 sec max effort
- Seated spinal lateral flexion for 10 reps and 10 sec hold
- Repeat on other side
- Seated spinal rotation stretch for 10 reps and 10 sec hold
- Repeat on other side
Hips
- 90 90 front leg ER lean for 2 mins with a 20 sec max effort
- 90 90 back leg IR bend for 2 mins with a 20 sec max effort
- 90 90 back leg lift off for 5 reps with a 5 count each rep
- 90 90 back knee lift off for 10 reps
- 90 90 back knee lift off extension for 5 reps
- Straddle leg circle
- 90 90 front leg lean (ER)
- 90 90 back leg bend (IR)
- 90 90 back leg lift off
- 90 90 back knee lift off
- 90 90 back knee lift off extension
Ankles and knees
- With the non-dominant leg, in a standing position big toe raise for 10 reps with a 2 count at the top
- Standing little toes raise for 10 reps with a 2 count at the top
- Standing all toes raise, lowering one at a time, for 10 reps
- Repeat with the dominant leg
- With the non-dominant leg, seated ankle inversion for 10 reps and 10 sec hold
- Ankle eversion for 10 reps and 10 sec hold
- Seated tibia stretch for 2 min hold and 20 sec max effort
- Standing bent knee calf stretch for 2 min hold and 20 sec max effort
- Standing straight knee calf stretch for 20 sec max effort
- Repeat with the dominant leg
- With the non-dominant leg, seated knee inversion for 10 reps and 10 sec hold
- Seated knee eversion for 10 reps and 10 sec hold
- Standing hamstring stretch for 1 min and 20 sec max effort
- Repeat with the dominant leg
- Seated pancake hamstring stretch for 1 min and 20 sec max effort
- With the non-dominant leg, standing quadricep stretch for 1 min and 20 sec max effort
- Repeat with the dominant leg
- Seated quadricep stretch for 1 min and 20 sec max effort
Advanced
We’re going to specifically call out toes and spine here as two areas that deserve particular attention.
Most people can’t move their toes, that’s a problem.
Continued daily practice, several minutes a day, liberally using your hands and other surfaces as assistance, is the best way to start.
Segmentation of the spine is also important for long term health.
The basic cat cow is the easiest and frankly best way of improving this.