More Mobility, Less Fragility

 4/25/2025 #17

"Aging is inevitable, but how you age is up to you"


Fit Tip: Track Your Workouts

Strength is the best metric of an effective workout. But how do you know if you are getting stronger if you never track your workouts or have any kind of written plan? If you are not looking back at what weight and reps you used last time you did a certain exercise, how do you know what you should attempt this time? In order to be able to effectively apply progressive overload (gradually increasing demands on body to adapt and improve strength) you ought to track your workouts. What gets measured gets managed. There a lots of ways to do this on your phone, but good ol' fashioned notepad and pen works too. I use Google sheets for myself and my clients to track workouts and think it works great. 


What is Mobility?

I often talk about mobility, but what is that exactly? It is not stretchiness or flexibility. It is the ability to move well. Mobility is strength within movement. When you can do a movement well, you own that movement. You might often perform a lunge, but to be able to lunge deeply and almost effortlessly without any wobble or pain: that is good mobility. There are a lot of basic human movements that we are losing in our modern life. We sit too much and as a result our bodies are poor at squatting. In other countries, people sit in a deep squat to rest or eat. 

In previous newsletters, we have tested our mobility in different ways. Three main areas to focus on are: hips, shoulders, and rotation. Below I will provide some ways to assess your own mobility:

To test mobility in the hips requires thoroughly evaluating your squat. Have someone experienced check your squat form. One way to self-evaluate your squat is to use a broomstick or PVC pipe. Grip the pole behind your back with one hand holding on behind your neck and the other gripping the pole by the curve of your low back. The pole should make contact at the back of the head (without cranking your head up), upper back, and tailbone. While holding the pole you are checking to see if your elbow and shoulder can remain back, not drifting far in front of your body. Squat down while holding the pipe as your physical feedback; are you able to maintain those contact points while squatting below parallel? 

We have tested our shoulder mobility as part of a previous challenge-of-the-week using the shoulder wall test. This mobility test is both a test and an exercise and is failed by many. Don't feel bad, just keep practicing. 

I like to use the windmill exercise as a test of one's rotational mobility. Here is one video demonstration: Windmill Rotation Test

The windmill is also a favorite exercise of mine to keep in my... rotation. It has everything! There is an element of overhead shoulder stability, core work, and a hip hinge. Here is another video that shows how to add weight into the exercise and explains it in more detail: Kettlebell windmill

The good news is that you don't need to include special mobility tests and drills forever in order to gain or maintain proper mobility. Simply performing strength training exercises with good form and full range of motion will keep you moving well. Here are some practical exercises that double as mobility training: any type of lunge done deeply and with control, one arm triceps overhead press, barbell squat with your hands close to your shoulders, one arm shoulder press, cable crossbody swings. 


Challenge: Mobility Review

Perform each of the mobility tests listed above. Figure out which area you need the most work in and include some type of mobility work for that area during each of your workouts over the next week.

Win the weekend!


Brad


Durable Dad Training

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