Mobility and Flexibility
- Kinofit Team
- Dec 19, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 11
As we age and lead an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, a decline in mobility and flexibility becomes imminent. Tasks that once felt effortless like bending down to pick up trashes or reaching for something on the higher end of the shelf can inadvertently become more challenging.
The good news? It is possible to regain the agility that we have lost with the right approach.
Flexibility vs Mobility
Technically, flexibility refers to the ability of a joint to articulate through its structural ROM in response to muscle activity. The term is very much related to extensibility which describes the mechanical ability of muscle and connective tissue to lengthen and shorten as joint motion is occurring.
Mobility on the other hand refers to the combination of flexibility and extensibility that enables a joint or group of joints to move through a complete, controlled range of motion (ROM) which collectively involves strength, coordination and stability. Together they ensure your body moves efficiently, whether you are exercising playing sports or performing everyday tasks.
Typically, mobility exercises feature slow, controlled movements through a complete ROM help the nervous system learn how to control motion through the degrees of freedom allowed by each individual joint.
Why Do We Lose Mobility and Flexibility?
Aging : Our muscles naturally lose elasticity over time and contribute to the decline in joint range of motion.
Sedentary Lifestyle: Prolonged sitting and lack of movement causes muscle stiffness and joint immobility.
Injuries & Poor Posture: Injuries and improper alignment may inhibit ROM.
Losing mobility and flexibility does not necessarily have to be a permanent part of our life. With the right fitness program, trainers and goals, it is possible to reclaim your range of motion again and eventually to execute efficient, coordinated movement with precision, style and grace.
Movement Enhances Mobility
The human body functions most efficiently when performing movement patterns that coordinate movement among a series of muscles and joints as opposed to isolation exercises that treat the body as a collection of individual parts.
Mobility exercises should be based on how the body is designed to move by using the primary movement patterns to take joints through their complete ROM. Teaching clients exercise programs based on these movement patterns subsequently helps improve their mobility and coordination, which are two important factors that are often overlooked in exercise programs.
Mobility in Our Daily Lives
Many of the chores and tasks performed throughout the course of normal daily life can be considered as athletic activities despite the fact that they are often often omitted from traditional exercise programs.
It’s worth noting that all muscles and joints are required to work together to carry or move an object from one place to another through gravity, not simply against it.
Programming specific exercises to enhance mobility could help clients to perform a wide range of daily activities more effectively. The primary goal of restoring flexibility and mobility should be centralised around the frequent movement patterns often enough so that they become reflexive. This means that the client can flawlessly execute the movements without any conscious thought.
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