Is Stretching Relevant? Mobility & Flexibility Explained

We’ve been on a roll lately. You’ve learned about supplements, strength movements, intra-abdominal pressure, etc. It’s time to learn the five W’s about Mobility and Flexibility! This is a longer one; grab your morning coffee and read through some science and practicality of training mobility and flexibility.

Who: Everyone

Mobility is a prerequisite for life. However, especially in the United States, we are surrounded by convenience, luxury, and quick fixes. An entire field of engineering called ergonomics that didn’t exist prior to the industrial revolution was designed to address the long-duration, high repetition movements like sitting, computer work, writing, etc. 

If we succumb to the standard 9-5 day with low-variability, high-repetition movement we find ourselves becoming more restricted with every week that goes by. The brain is always searching for ways to keep the body more “efficient”; it chooses to restrict our body from positions that we do not enter into on a daily basis. If you don’t put your arm behind your back every day, your body will think you don’t need to do that ever again. Subsequently, mobility and flexibility decrease. 

If you aren’t doing exercises to improve both mobility and flexibility, you are not getting the most out of your training program. These exercises are for everyone! Luckily, we do lots of mobility here at Method.

What: Mobility vs Flexibility Definitions

So, what are the differences? Flexibility and mobility are often used interchangeably, but in reality they are two sides of the same coin:

Flexibility is the passive range of motion that a joint can move through. For example, how far would your friend be able to lift your leg if you were laying flat on your back? 90 degrees? 60 degrees? Less? The hips, hamstrings, and calves all contribute to flexibility in this position. 

Mobility, on the other hand, is the active range of motion about a joint. If you were laying on your back, how far could you raise your leg by yourself? This is a combination of strength and flexibility that defines your control of your body. Flexibility is nice, but mobility is the way you express movement through space. Doing the splits is great, but if you can’t get out of the splits without grunting, using 16 other limbs and a chair, then what is it actually doing for you? 

We work primarily on mobility during our sessions because flexibility is something that requires TIME. Sitting in a singular stretching position for 2-5 minutes can be time-consuming in a session so we often avoid it unless we absolutely have to address it.

Where: At the gym, but ideally at home too

Mobility is what we train in here when we are looking to push you into deeper squats and stronger overhead positions! We are always seeking to regain our innate human ability. We do various types of mobility work in the form of static (long form) and dynamic (faster, higher repetition) stretching. However, coming in 2-3 times per week, we often want to prioritize improvements in strength, endurance, muscle mass, and other properties of fitness. You can easily work on flexibility at home with some simple stretches before bed or after waking up! You can do a few stretches for the hips and shoulders while sitting at your desk at work, or throughout the day. See the table below for the demonstrations!

If you do this type of work at home, you will notice immediate changes in flexibility which will allow us to capitalize on new ranges of motion for strength work. The more we can get done here in our hour that utilizes our specialized equipment, the better!

When: 2-3 times per week minimum

Current recommendations for flexibility and mobility are to do them 2-3 times per week, but there really isn’t a cap on it. These properties are use it or lose it, so the more often you enter funky positions, the more likely you are to keep it and not be impeded by a lack of ability.

Current timing recommendations are to hold stretches for 60+ seconds for flexibility exercises. This is long enough for the body to turn off reflexive contractions of the stretching muscle, and create internal mechanical changes. 2 minutes and beyond is where we see true changes in physiology, not just neurological mechanisms.

Mobility exercises take various forms, and often involve muscular contractions, so the recommendations vary depending on the exercise. However, a good rule of thumb is 3-5 repetitions for 1-2 sets of each mobility exercise. Each rep is often 5-10 seconds of active contractions. 

Why: Gainz

Do you want to hit your goals or what?!

At the end of the day, mobility & flexibility interact with strength, endurance, and overall movement ability to create a singular functional body. We need to be doing this kind of work for longevity, general health and wellness, and to improve in the gym. Strength exercise requires the supplement of flexibility & mobility to prevent getting too tight from soreness, muscle knots, and general pattern repetition. 

If you have any questions on how to properly execute a stretch, or a good place to start a training program you can do on your own, please let your trainer or myself know! We can help you maximize every stretch!