Mobility

Today there is no fitness trainer in the World that does not mention mobility. Even the weightlifters are doing mobility exercises to improve their squats, increase the weight and thereby get a better definition and looks. So, if we do not see it that does not mean we should not be working it. The goal of each trainer is to ensure that his clients correctly adopt prescribed patterns of movements and thus become more functional in everyday life and at the same time improve their exercises performance and thus prevent injuries. To achieve all this it is necessary to perform mobility exercises. According to the definition given by Bill Hartman, mobility is the ability to perform the desired movement, and stability is the ability to prevent unwanted movement. Mobility and stability come together and the basic precondition for performing any mobility exercise is that there is stability in the adjacent wrist.
Optimally developed mobility allows full range of motion in all the ranges without restriction and compensation, while, on the other hand, poor mobility leads to muscle dysfunction and thus regions that need to be stable become mobile.
Table 1 below shows the “wrist joint” approach, whereby the primary function of the joints is described in the following way:

Table 1: The joints with their primary role

If we are guided by this principle, things look quite simple, however, each wrist must be to some extent mobile and stable, depending on its structure and the function it performs. The most common problems are related to the lack of mobility in the hips, which can cause pain in the lumbar spine (which may also become too mobile) and in the knees, while the lack of mobility in the thoracic spine cause problem in the shoulders. We can conclude that the locomotor system functions as a whole where the dysfunction of one region affects the dysfunction of the other.
In order to tailor exercises to a client and his needs and to determine whether there is reduced mobility or stability in certain joints, possibly compensatory patterns of movement, we need to conduct certain tests to determine the functionality of the client. One of the tests is Functional Movement Screen – FMS.

By using FMS we can estimate the quality of motion. The test gives us basic information on the client’s status and guidelines for further work.

Mobility, which is closely related to stabilization and flexibility, is something we need to include in each training and dedicated it some time, because in this way we create good foundations for development of other motor skills.

Do it 4 U & your body will reward U!