Have you noticed that as you get older you need to spend more time and effort on mobility?
Long gone are the days when you could skip the warm-up, recover in a few hours, train 3x a day and never get hurt.
But you don’t have to lose mobility or range of motion as you age. Some of the stiff, old feeling we experience as we age comes from not moving as much as you did when you were young.
Also the fact that gravity has had more time to work on you.
The constant downward force of gravity on your system causes us to twist and compensate to maintain our head level with the horizon.
The more time gravity has had to work on you, the more you have to undo its effects.
Add to that the stress from training, lifting, and daily life, and it compounds to the point you feel like the tin man trying to tie your shoes.
Mobility work is the much-needed oil we need to keep the machine operating at full capacity well into old age.
These are five mobility methods you can use to restore and maintain full range of motion, while also improving tissue quality, and creating space for bones to move.
End Range Joint Conditioning
This method of mobility was introduced to me by Steve Maxwell back around 2010. He simply called it “Joint Mobility,” and it involves actively taking each major joint in your body though its full range of motion.
You create millimeters of more motion by using your muscles to actively increase the range. By using your own strength to achieve this new range you are also creating strength in the end range.
You do this by performing reps of mobility drills around a joint. Think of wrist rolls and neck circles. These would be examples of Steve’s joint mobility drills.
Steve always touted the benefits of this type of work not only increasing ROM, but also washing the joints in synovial fluid, which acts like the joints’ blood supply.
Blood does’t reach your joints, instead synovial fluid bathes the joints, bringing in lubrication and nutrients, while removing impurities.
I later saw this style of mobility being used in “Functional Range Conditioning.” Dr Andreo Spina created a method to condition the joints, building strength and mobility in the end range.
I now use a combination of both styles, however, I find this method most useful for improving individual joint health and resilience, which is vital for a sports that attacks joints, but less as a solution for long term pain or dysfunction.
Self Myofascial Release
SMFR is essentially self massage. Think of rolling on a foam roller or lacrosse ball. This method was popularized by Mobility WOD, now Ready State, creator, Kelly Starrett.
The idea behind SMFR is to loosen tight muscle and fascia, which responds to pressure. You can “unglue” matted down and knotted muscle to help those surfaces better glide on one another. This pressure also pushes blood, water, and fluid out of the area, brining new fluid in when it’s released.
Although the research is foggy on foam rolling, I have felt benefits from it myself, including more range of motion, decreased pain, and deeper relaxation.
I no longer use SMFR before training, but rather in the morning when I wake up and before bed to relax.
Again, I don’t see SFMR as a long term solution to chronic pain or dysfunction, however, it can help set the stage for other modalities to provide long term benefits.
Banded Distraction
This form of mobility work was also popularized by Kelley Starrett, and uses exercise bands to create traction within joints for more space and range.
You will often see physical therapists use distraction techniques to create space within joints and this method was created so you can do it by yourself.
The biggest benefits I’ve experienced with banded distractions are with the hip and shoulder joints, however, I’ve heard many grapplers getting relief in the wrists, elbows, and ankles with this technique.
Any time you create space within a joint, things are going to have more room to move relative to one another. So again, this method can help provide relief from compression, and get things moving, however I still see banded distraction as a short term method.
Postural Breathing Drills
I was turned on to Postural Restoration drills in early 2022, and they have been a game-changer for my mobility and overall pain. The idea behind them is to bias certain postural positions while using deep, diaphragmatic breathing to reeducate the nervous system to relax into them. You are shutting off overactive muscles and waking up dormant ones.
When you first start using these types of drills they don’t seem like they would do anything, as relaxing and very minimal effort is key to their success.
When you work with a PRI practitioner you always start with assessments to see how much range of motion you have a major joints like the hip and shoulder. When these drills are done correctly you will be amazed at home much range of motion you can gain with just the breath alone.
These types of mobility drills lead to long lasting changes that affect the system at the neurological level. I was able to relieve years of chronic lower back pain with this method, and continue to use it for pain-free performance benefits.
Loaded Mobility
The final form of mobility work is loaded mobility, which involves using weight to increase range of motion while also strengthening the new found range with resistance.
The simplest way to illustrate loaded mobility is with the squat. Have you ever held a weight in a Goblet Squat for example, hung out in the bottom position for a bit, and earned more range of motion for your working sets? That’s loaded mobility.
Loaded mobility uses sub maximal weights to load muscles, fascia, tendons, and ligaments at the end range. You can do oscillations in the end range, or simply perform reps to build range of motion and strength simultaneously.
Other examples of loaded mobility include the Turkish Get Up, Cossack Squats, Windmills, and Dumbbell Pull Overs, to name a few.
These exercises have an incredible way of building functional resilience for sport and life.
I have experience profound, long-term benefits from doing loaded mobility drills consistently. I like to pair loaded mobility after some of the methods above for even more benefits.
Takeaway
Mobility work is an absolute must as a grappler, but also for anyone interested in living a long, pain-free life with full access to the body’s movement abilities.
Mobility work should be done daily. It can be done in the morning to activate the body for the day ahead, at the day’s end for relaxation and recovery, before a training session for activation and injury prevention, or on recovery days.
End Range Conditioning – creates range of motion and joint resilience through active mobilization drills. Perform 3x / week or before training with reps of 15-30 per joint
Self Myofascial Release – releases restrictions via pressure to promote tissue quality and range of motion. Perform daily before bed for 10 – 20 mins.
Banded Distraction – creates space in joints via traction to allow for more range of motion. Perform 3x/ week or before training with 2 mins per joint.
Postural Breathing Drills – creates range of motion via breath to relax and retrain the nervous system. Perform daily, choose 3 positions, 5 breaths per position, morning and evening.
Loaded Mobility – creates range of motion and strength in end range through loading the joints. Perform 3x/week or before training with 2 sets of 5-10 reps per position.
