This is the perfect time to start training mobility exercises.

Whether you're doing foam rolls during warm-ups during a workout or cervical circles when you feel a little tense, you've probably already done some mobility work. But most people do not make mobility exercises a priority in their fitness programme. This is an ideal time to make mobility the centre of attention, especially since many of us spend more time at home than ever before. Before we begin, fitness professionals will argue about the benefits of investing in mobility training - from better training to fewer injuries - as well as some exercises that will help you get started at home.

MOBILITY IS NOT FLEXIBILITY

It is easy to confuse mobility with flexibility, but both are fundamentally different. "Mobility is the ability to actively move and control your joints," explains Grayson Wickham, DPT, a certified power training and air conditioning specialist and founder of the Move Vault. "Flexibility is about how passively you can move a joint. The key difference between them is active motion."

For example, whether you can touch your toes standing or not depends on your flexibility. How deep you can enter a deep stall when in good shape depends on your flexibility. In contrast to stretching, when you usually have to stand still, the job associated with mobility is to move your body.

WHY MOBILITY IS IMPORTANT

For good or bad, we spend most of our time in positions for which our body is not built. "Most people today spend a lot of time sitting, looking at their computers in bad posture, looking at their phones and living from their seats," Wickham explains. "This sometimes leads to muscle tension and joint problems - or poor mobility - in our bodies. (If you read this article on the computer or on the phone, you need regular mobility exercises.)

It can help to think of moving exercises as a daily service, Wickham said. Like everything you have - your home, your car, your pets - your body needs care. "The most important thing you have that needs to be preserved is that it takes you from point A to point B every minute of your life: "your body."

MOBILE BENEFITS

There are several key benefits to conducting these maintenance work.

1. Reducing the risk of injury

"Poor mobility can lead to compensation in other parts of the body, which can and usually causes pain and injury," Wickham said. By improving your mobility, you reduce the risk of injury - either by leaning down to lift something heavy or by making knees bend during training.

2. Get a better ride.

"If you can't move your body properly and can't reach a certain position, your performance is significantly reduced," explains Wickham. For example, if you don't have enough movement in your hips and ankles to bend your knee, you won't be able to take full advantage of the exercise. Or hip flexors can be tense and painful, so you are unlikely to get the best results while running.

3. Less pain

"When you no longer have tense muscles and joints, the body mostly fixes itself," Wickham says. "If you get stuck, you'll probably find that the chewing pain you've been dealing with for years is gone." "If you stop coping with these low-level pains, tense muscles and cramped joints, everything in life will be better."

WHY NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO START

Mobility offers these advantages at any time. But now that many people work from home, spend less free time away from home and/or have to cope with increased stress, it makes sense to work on mobility - for various reasons.

More seating means stiffer joints. "With the current quarantine situation, it's critical to start the mobility practice now," Wickham says. More time at home means more sitting, which means you're more likely to be stiff and stiffer than usual. If you're not sure if you can benefit from it, Wickham recommends you ask yourself: How is your neck, upper back and lower back feeling at the moment? If you are experiencing pain in any of these areas, the work associated with mobility is likely to be beneficial.

In a short period of time, you can see great benefits. "Mobility is like hot sauce: it's a bit of a long way to go," says Chris Ryan, a certified power training and conditioning specialist, a certified physiotherapist. Just a few minutes may start to change something. "The next time you're on the conference call, try a deep squat; wait a minute or two to relax your ankles and hips," Ryan recommends. Another option: "Circles around the neck and spinning the ankles while working on the laptop will do a lot of good for the neck spine and ankles," Ryan said. "The same goes for the wrists: take a 30-second break from typing to turn the wrists and bend/stretch your fingers.

It's a flexible time. Unlike most workouts, you can spread the work related to mobility all day long to get the most out of it. "Install a pop-up reminder on your computer every 30-60 minutes to work an important area of your body for just 1-2 minutes," Ryan recommends. You can do mobility exercises almost any time of the day, from waiting for coffee to brewing to watching TV.

You don't need any equipment to get started. "You can do a lot of effective mobility without any equipment," Wickham said. However, there are a few details that might be useful. A foam roller or lacrosse ball can be useful for loosening muscles and fascia before moving on to other exercises. A PVC pipe, dowel or broom handle may also be useful.

MOBILE SAMPLING EXERCISES

Every joint and every area of the body can benefit from work related to mobility, Wickham said. But there are three key areas where most people suffer from flexion of the hip, upper back and chest. Try these three exercises to improve mobility in these areas.

Half knee hip flexors and active stretching

The purpose of this active stretching is to reduce the hip flexors while you stretch them.

Movement: Start at half knee position (with one knee on the floor and the other leg on the floor in front of you, the knees are 90 degrees bent). To increase pulling, move the back knee away from the front leg. Then move the body and front knee forward in the centre of the front foot until you feel a stretch in the front of the hind thigh. Then move your back hip forward as if you were trying to pull your knee to the floor. Stay in the extended position and pull the back cheeks of the hind leg together. You should feel an increase in stretching at the front of the hip. Return to the original position. It's a repetition.

Aim for 10 repetitions on each side and keep the core busy at all times to avoid bending the lower back.

Deep knee bend with the rotation of the T-spine

According to Ryan, this exercise is a great way to relax the hips, ankles and lat.

Movement: Sit deep on squat, elbows pushing your knees out. Align one hand right in front of the body. Keeping the active core, rotate the upper body to reach the extended arm to the ceiling, following the hand with your eyes. Return your hand to the center.

Rotate it 10 times on one side, then repeat on the other side.

Fascial release Shoulder/ chest opening

For this exercise, you need a lacrosse or a tennis ball.

Movement: Start by lying on your stomach, one hand to the side, palm down. Put the ball on the main chest muscle, which is located all over the front of your chest. Roll the ball diagonally in 2-3" sections from side to side When you find a narrow and sensitive spot, stop and let the ball dive deeper into the muscle tissue.

To increase muscle tension in the chest while rolling on the ball, return the opposite leg to the other leg. Say it again on the other side.