*Disclaimer always consult your health care professional i.e. GP or Physio if you are unsure of exercising.*
Mobility is medicine I heard that saying a few years ago. On the same weekend, I heard someone say I don’t need a gym my bodies the gym. Both sayings very true and the older I’ve gotten the more prevalent they have become.
As I always say I am an innovator and not an inventor. I take what others teach me and make it my own.
I was first introduced to mobility training by Rannoch Donald then in more detail by Steve Cotter during my kettlebell training with the IKFF.
Not long after that, I enjoyed a weekend with Mike Mahler learning a great amount from him also.
A few years after that in 20011 I attended Martin Rooney’s Training for Warrior’s certification and he blew our minds.
All these experiences combined inspired us to improve our own training practices and innovate our programs and products.
In this blog, I share a selection of videos that when practised will improve your joint mobility and overall flexibility, recovery, strength, endurance and overall conditioning. There is something for all levels below.
Most of my new clients are in their 40’s are very successful business people and also very stiff due to sitting in chairs most of the day with rounded shoulders at a computer screen.
They have spent the majority of their 20’s – 40’s in industry carving out careers and by the time they come to me they need to be mobilised.
Here I share the recipe in parts of how I get my clients moving and encouraging their bodies to become more agile and flexible.
We believe that mobility, stretching, and soft tissue repair, along with a regular sports massage, is essential for muscle restoration, flexibility, mobility and general all-around awesomeness.
Below you will find some useful links to refer to in order to assist you throughout the warm up and cool down processes.
Joint Mobility
This is the first stage of the warm-up process and prepares the body for exercise by focusing on all key muscle groups.
SMR Self Massage
This is essential a self-massage and is crucial for soft tissue repair and addressing trigger points within the muscles.
Cardio Variations
Next, it is important to get the temperature up by carrying out some form of light cardio. Our preferred methods of this are step-ups or jumping jacks.
Skipping
For the more advanced skipping is a great exercise for raising heart rate and also an awesome conditioning tool. If you would like to learn to skip? Everything you need is in the Art of Skipping Blog
Stretching your ankles and calves
Calf stretches should immediately follow the initial mobility warm-up routine and grid rolling as they have the tendency to become excessively tight.
Rear foot elevated hip stretches
Tight hips can lead to lower back pain and this exercise improves hip mobility and also focuses on activating the muscles in the lower back, glutes and legs.
Hip Thrusts
This exercise activates the glutes, lower body and core and is great for improving hip mobility.
Bird dog
This exercise is essential for kinetic linkage, balance, coordination and core activation. The bird dog is an awesome exercise for all-around preparation.
Assisted push-up
This during the warm-up can be done assisted on the knees or in full. We prefer assisted as this allows the muscles to warm up correctly without putting too much time under tension on the arms, chest and shoulders. Aim to suck the belly button in when doing this exercise to further activate the core.
Elbow tucks
This exercise is for the hip, lower back, upper thorax and arm mobility. You will feel this in many muscles but the main ones can be the forearm, bicep, upper back, lower back, hip and thigh.
Squat-to-stand
I do these before and after training to improve my general all-around flexibility and mobility in the whole posterior chain, lower back, glutes and muscles in the legs.
Band pull apart
This activates and stretches the upper back, shoulders and chest.
Broom handle 180 rotations
This will work towards gradually improving shoulder mobility. Don’t force the movement, just go as far as you can and keep practicing until you can go the full 180.
For the beginner exerciser, a selection of these movements have been put together in a circuit for you to practice. Do each exercise for between 8 to 12 reps (10 is a good number). Complete every exercise back to back with minimal rest. Once completed have a rest for 1 to 3 minutes, until fully recovered, then complete another full circuit between 3 to 5 times.
For the more experienced, you can give the following routine a go:
Rep scheme – 20-15-10-5-5-10-15-20
Exercises
Squat into Push Up into Crunch into Skydiver into Burpee. Here is a demonstration of each exercise in the video below.
For the super advanced
video demo below
Work for time 0:30 0n 0:30 off 0:40 0n 0:20 off or 1:00 on 0:20 off.
1 Squat Jumps
2 Squats
3 lunge jumps
4 Reverse Lunge
5 Push Ups
6 Sprint Starts
7 Skydiver
8 Burpee
9 Travelling Hand Walk Out
10 Jumping Jacks
Cooldown
After resting for a few minutes immediately after training and taking on some water, you can carry out this routine as it works in stretching off all the muscle groups that are used during exercise and will allow you to recover correctly whilst improving mobility, flexibility and posture.
Advanced dynamic stretching flow drill
Once you have mastered all of the above, you can progress to an exercise flow drill like the one shown in the video below, which will take your dynamic flexibility to a whole new level.
During some of these instructional videos, there may be a requirement for some equipment.
I trust these will assist you in becoming more mobilised.
However, if you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Yours in health, happiness and “Strength for Life”
Davie McConnachie
Davie McConnachie is Scotland’s leading health and wellness coach, multi-award-winning gym owner, motivational speaker and the founder of DMC Fitness, a fitness education facility known as the premier choice for 1-2-1 personal training. He has inspired thousands of people to fall in love with fitness – his true purpose and mission in life.
Diving into the world of fitness and wellness has helped Davie to deal with his own trauma and inner demons. He, overcame many dark times using his own unique methods to continue his cycle of healing.