Mobility is King

Hasn't it been frustrating, this lock down malarkey?

I felt your pain. Going from having the ability to spend a lot of time out and about running or cycling to suddenly being told to stay at home.

Everything kind of ground to a halt and everyone was looking for box sets to watch on Netflix or Amazon. A lot of sitting around waiting for things to change. Longing for it all to end so we can get out there again and be freeeeeeeeeee.

Some of us may have been more sedentary for longer periods of time, which is ironically the one thing that leads to many health issues (like obesity and diabetes) that we're being told we need to avoid but hey, we had to beat this thing right?.

Training for those events you were looking forward to is on the back burner and although we could get out and do a bit, it certainly wasn't enough.

One of the biggest dangers was seizing up, restricting our movement and in some ways wasting what we'd already done.

So now the restrictions are lifted and we can get out again, it's going to be a free for all?

What's going to happen to our bodies now we're able to run, cycle and swim again, will we be ready? Are our bodies, after all this sitting around, going to cope with the rigors of a training plan?

Following on from the foam rolling, the next thing to consider is mobility. Now this falls into two areas, pre and post run, it's good to do it at both times, so in some ways it's pre-covery/recovery. In a similar way to prehab/rehab.

You're conditioning the joints and muscles at the same time. Nourishing them with movement.

One thing I have been doing quite a lot of recently is mobility. It can be done

anywhere at any time and definitely at home.

Actively moving those joints around and keeping them mobile will go a long way to making sure that when you do start back up running, cycling or swimming, your body is ready, willing and able to take the pounding.

Just be sure to not suddenly get the EGO OVERRIDE and smash out 10, 15 or 20 miler because you've been locked away and just needed to get out.

IT WILL NOT END WELL!

Mobility is simply taking your joints to their end ranges of motion (R.O.M) repeatedly, without the use of something to push or lever off of. Using levers etc turns it into a stretch or flexibility.

These movements can increase your R.O.M and strengthen joints against injury. They also encourage the lengthening and contraction of the muscles controlling each joint so in many ways help towards your warm up and blood flow.

The synovial fluid in the joints gets warmed up and in doing so helps to lubricate, making movement feel so much easier. 

Consider using the phrase LUBING up instead of mobility. It'll make you smile whilst you're doing it.

Your body is very much like an engine. Fail to lube and things go wrong and become expensive to fix.

I've recently recorded a sequence that I've been using before I run;

I call it 'Ultimate Pre Run Mobility'. See below.

This sequence isn't just for runners. It will make anyone feel epic and ready to take on whatever life throws at them, especially sitting for long periods.

The JDW Fitness YouTube channel has a huge amount of other mobility exercises, dive in and try them out. If you feel you need something more specific, by all means contact me and we'll organise some help for you.

There are regressive exercises if you find some of these too difficult to do. Contact me and let me know if you're struggling and I'll fire over an alternative.

It may look like this is hard and takes ages but do bare with it. As you get used to the moves, it gets quicker for you. I can get through this in less than 10 minutes and I feel ready to run.

Enjoy your lubing!!!