Your secret to boost physical strength and performance

The saying ‘move it or lose it’ should be the official slogan for mobility. Beyond your twenties, the ability to move freely and easily through a joint’s full range of motion begins to decline... unless you do something about it. "Your muscles and tendons have less pliability after the age of 30, which means less fluidity in your movements and your joints," says Candace Young, PT and staff physical therapist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. But nowadays, greasing up your joints is about more than just rehabilitation and recovery; it’s actually tied to strength gains.

If you’re thinking mobility is old news, you’d be right. But it’s on everyone’s minds right now—with Google Trends data confirming an uptick in interest in the concept during the past two years. (Experts suspect that all the extra sitting time resulted in stiff joints, hence the hunt for relief.) While mobility research is still centred on how it plays into injury recovery, the science is starting to catch up when it comes to mobility and overall fitness—and that’s the area experts are eager to help everyday exercisers understand better.  

Shout it from the rooftops: the ability to move your limbs freely is the secret sauce for staving off physical decline and improving performance for the long haul. "Mobility is dynamic and essential to maximising your quality of life," says Amy Hutson, PT at SSM Health Physical Therapy. In addition to injury prevention, you get posture perks and faster recovery. It primes your body for activity and offers a boost on goals. And, the biggie: it significantly helps to improve strength, says trainer India McPeak. "By improving hip and ankle mobility, for example, you can achieve a deeper squat with proper form, which will ultimately result in your ability to lift both heavier and longer."

No matter your starting point, you can transform your movability. "A lot of people feel like they’re either mobile or not—and that’s not the case," says Young. The optimal timing is up to you, from first thing to before bedtime. But with regular practice—ideally daily or at least three dedicated sessions a week—you’ll feel serious improvements within two or three weeks.

Body shop

Your daily habits, posture, and collective activities add up to your current mobility, or lack thereof. ‘Being stationary or working a desk job greatly impacts these areas,’ says Hutson. Here are the six zones to zero in on for optimal operation and then check your TLC plan.

Ankle

These joints can move in multiple planes, but we often don’t allow them to. "Keeping your ankles mobile is a huge factor that often gets overlooked," says Young. "If you lose that mobility, it changes your walking pattern drastically." It can also lead to painful issues such as plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis, or difficulty with direction changes on the fly in sports such as tennis. 

Hips

Prolonged sitting, lying, and even standing tightens your lower back and hips, says Young. "You need to be able to extend your hips appropriately for walking to reduce strain," says Hutson. Running, too, can limit lateral (sideways) motion in the hips because you’re always moving in a straight(ish) line, says Young. Tight hips also act as an obstacle to strength gains.

Lower Back

Chair time strikes again for the lower back, with aches from a flexed spine. Lower-back muscles try to compensate for deficits above and below, causing stiffness, says Hutson. "As you go through life, your vertebral discs lose some of the fluid that helps to keep them mobile," says Young. This means you have to actively combat the degenerative changes that occur as well.

Cervical Spine

Common front-and-centre activities are not doing this neck area any favours. "People can develop a forward head posture from looking down at devices," says Hutson. Even chopping vegetables or doing dishes contributes. "We’re usually working on activities in front of the body, which tends to create more of a rounded shoulder posture and a rounded upper back," says Young. 

Thoracic Spine

Your T-spine, or mid-back, stiffens whenever you’re in one position for too long. This also affects how your shoulder blades travel along your ribcage, says Hutson, so you’re not able to fully reach above comfortably. If you’re someone who regularly deals with back and spinal stiffness issues, you’re more likely to be missing rotational movement in the torso.

Shoulder

A sticky shoulder is more about what you’re not doing. For example, if you’ve been throwing right-handed for years, the odds are you’re not extending both of your arms to their full capacity. "It’s the joint in your arms that helps you reach the top shelf," says Young. And in the gym, it can mean muscling through an overhead press using your lower back instead. Ouch.

Train the Trifecta

It’s easy to confuse the ‘-ility’ terms. Mobility, stability and flexibility are related, yes—and you can’t excel at one without also working on the others. Allow us to clarify so you can shine in all three.

Mobility 

Feels like full, free and smooth movement in your joints. Any time you perform an active movement and push your range of motion counts in this realm, such as leg swings before a run or arm circles in a warm-up.

Flexibility 

Deep static muscle stretches. Settle into a hamstring stretch or hold your favourite yoga pose and you’re right on target.  

Stability 

When you hold strong and steady in a position that challenges your centre of gravity. Think: a plank, maintaining a hip bridge or balancing on one foot. 

Revamp Your Range

These four moves cover all your bases. "The best exercises for you will be the ones that target anywhere you have weaknesses or you’re lacking mobility," notes McPeak—so feel free to up the reps and sets for specific moves your body craves. Ideally, complete the circuit two to three times to keep your body limber and pain-free.

Spiderman lunge with T-spine rotation

Focus: Upper back, T-spine, hips.

How to: Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders. Bend your right knee up towards your armpit and place your foot outside your right hand. Keep your left leg straight and push your hips down. Lift your right hand to the ceiling and rotate your torso, opening your chest and shoulders. Hold for 2 to 3 secs. Return to the starting position and switch legs. Do 6 reps on each side.

Prone swimmer

Focus: Upper back, shoulders

How to: Start lying on your stomach with both arms outstretched. Raise your arms towards the ceiling, keeping your elbows straight, and circle back around as far as you can until your hands land behind your back. Reverse the arm circle motion back to the start and rest your arms on the floor briefly. Do 8 reps. 

Cat-cow

Focus: Upper back, lower back, T-spine

How to: Start on your hands and knees with your hands shoulder-width apart and knees directly below your hips. Inhale, arch your back and look up to the sky in the ‘cow’ position. Hold for 2 to 3 secs. Exhale as your pull your belly button to your spine and curve your lower back. Hold this ‘cat’ position for 2 to 3 secs. Do 8 reps.

Cossack squat

Focus: Hips, ankles

How to: Start standing with your feet much wider than hip-width apart and your arms clasped in front of you. Sit your hips back and lunge to the right, bending your right knee and keeping your left leg straight. Lunge as low as you can while keeping proper form. Hold for 1 to 2 secs. Do 12 reps in total, alternating sides each time.