Mobility Training South Austin: Enhancing Your Movement Potential

For the last year and a half (while Motive Training ATX was being built), I worked in a local gym in South Austin. The gym is excellent, but most members focus on powerlifting, strength training, strongman training, or Olympic lifting. Rarely do I see gym-goers spend time stretching or working on their mobility, which is not surprising to me in the slightest. Is it unfortunate? Absolutely. Mobility training should not be overlooked when it comes to getting stronger or improving one’s health. However, most people neglect to learn how to move before they load their joints.

By incorporating mobility training into your workout regimen, you can enhance your functional movement, improve your athletic performance, and reduce the risk of injury. And if you’re looking for a place to do that in South Austin, we have you covered.

An Introduction to Mobility Training

Mobility training is the practice of improving the body’s range of motion through a series of exercises. It goes beyond the traditional notion of static stretching, encompassing a broad spectrum of techniques to enhance flexibility, mobility, and strength. Activities such as dynamic stretching, eccentrics, positional isometrics, and loaded stretching form part of mobility training, working towards a common goal of improved movement and greater range of motion.

The Critical Role of Mobility

Incorporating mobility training into your fitness routine might seem challenging due to time constraints or other factors. However, the benefits it offers make it a worthwhile addition. Here’s why mobility plays a pivotal role in our overall fitness:

Optimize Performance and Minimize Injury Risk

Good mobility can significantly enhance your performance regardless of your fitness activity, whether gym workouts or sports. For instance, in weightlifting, adequate mobility allows you to get into optimal positions and execute movements flawlessly, enabling you to lift heavier weights safely. With better range of motion, you can move faster, jump higher, and push harder in any activity. Furthermore, good mobility can reduce the risk of injuries by ensuring that the targeted muscles undertake the load, preventing weaker muscles from compensating and leading to potential injuries.

Counteract Sedentary Lifestyle Effects

Even the most active individuals often sit for extended periods in modern times. Long hours of sitting can result in mobility issues, causing a poor range of motion in joints and muscle tightness. Mobility exercises can help counteract these adverse effects, promoting healthier movement patterns.

Enhance Functional Movement

Mobility exercises can also improve your everyday functional movement–actions that we often take for granted, like sitting, walking, or lifting groceries. As mobility naturally decreases with age, it becomes even more essential for older adults to focus on mobility training.

The Road to Improved Mobility

There’s a multitude of ways to enhance mobility, and the ideal choice depends on your specific needs and fitness goals. Here are some categories and examples of mobility exercises:

Eccentrics

Eccentrics refer to putting a muscle through length under load. There’s a ton of research on the benefits of eccentric training (1), mainly when we apply it under the Functional Range Conditioning lens.

Loaded Stretching

Loadest stretching means putting a joint into a lengthened position and loading it isometrically. For instance, we might set up a client to stretch their glutes in a pigeon pose and then load that tissue isometrically, as we instruct in this video.

Positional Isometrics

Positional isometrics aren’t necessarily stretches. They are isometrically loaded positions that you may struggle to get into. For instance, if you’re having trouble getting your hamstrings to fire because your quads are tight, we may employ passive range holds or similar methodologies.