Your pre-workout exercises have a huge impact on your body and your performance. And stretching alone doesn’t do a good enough job of preparing your body for the strenuous activity of a workout.
Kick-off your session with some effective mobility training and enjoy a whole range of amazing benefits.
So what exactly is mobility training? It is often thought of as a series of static, pre-workout hamstring stretches and arm circles. While this is in essence mobility work, it is far from effective mobility training. Effective mobility training involves dynamic movements that help you prepare for the specific movement patterns you will be training over the course of your workout session. Good pre-workout mobility training increases your range of motion and helps improve muscle elasticity. It also helps with blood flow around your target group of muscles. And if you do it right, here’s how you stand to benefit:
1. Enhance movement and performance during a workout
For maximum muscle growth, you need to do full reps. That means you need to do a complete motion of a rep before moving on to the next one. The problem is, many of us have such poor mobility (especially when doing exercises like squats) that we only end up doing partial reps. Mobility exercises help to fix this. Over time, they allow you to take your movement patterns through the full range of motion. Thanks to this, you have increased wear & tear of muscles and, therefore, increased muscle growth.
2. Prevent joint pain
A lot of us are naturally stiff and lacking in flexibility. It’s just how our bodies are built. And for others, it’s a result of a sedentary lifestyle. Whatever the case may be, the good news is that mobility and flexibility are things that can be worked upon. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You can fix these issues fairly quickly if you are consistent with mobility training. Effective mobility training will help lubricate your joints, and over time, allow you to move more freely and effortlessly, during your workout sessions and otherwise.
3. Reduce chances of injury
When you work out, you are essentially pushing your body to its limits. So there is always a chance of injury. But there are ways to prepare the body for the stress of a workout – and that’s where mobility training comes in. When done right, mobility training can help increase how mobile your joints and muscles feel, thereby reducing the chances of injury. Meanwhile, poor mobility can drastically deplete your performance, while also increasing the risk of injury.
4. Prepare the body and mind for strenuous activity
Effective mobility training prepares your heart, lungs, muscles and joints for the more strenuous lifts and movements of your workout. It also activates your mind, making it focus on and be completely in sync with your muscles as they contract & expand during the actual exercise. This has a hugely positive impact on your performance. Beginning your workout with mobility training also gives you a chance to prepare yourself mentally for the actual exercise ahead – to clear your mind and focus, and to encourage and psyche yourself to perform your best.
5. Affects how your body moves, looks and feels
Mobility training basically takes you through all the movements that your body is going to experience in the workout, thereby improving your body’s mechanics, enhancing your overall performance and making your workouts more effective. But it also improves how you feel about your body and the workout. The more limber you feel, the better you will move during your workout.
So now you know why it’s important to incorporate the right kind of dynamic stretching into your pre-workout routine – to make your workout more effective, avoid injuries and focus better. If you are not sure what these mobility routines look like, don’t worry! Here are some intermediate to advanced level mobility warm-ups to get you going right away!
And if you want a complete personalized mobility warm-up routine that fits your workouts, get a personalized MSF Workout Plan/MSF Transformation Plan for a comprehensive pre-workout mobility guide (with videos) absolutely FREE! Get yours now.