Mobility
Mobility training teaches your joints to move through their full range under your own control. Where a stretching class mostly lengthens the muscles, mobility also builds strength and control in that range, so that you can use it in daily life and in sport. It is taught in groups on mats, with your own body weight and light equipment.
What it is for
Section titled “What it is for”- Freer movement in the neck, shoulders, spine, hips and ankles.
- Strength and control at the end of your range, not only flexibility.
- Better positions in other training — a deeper squat, arms straight overhead, a longer running stride.
- Less stiffness from sitting, and short routines you can repeat at home.
- It sits between Stretching and strength training, and many people use it as a warm-up or on a recovery day.
Equipment
Section titled “Equipment”- Comfortable clothes in which you can squat, kneel and crawl; socks or bare feet.
- A mat. The studio usually has extra tools: foam rollers, massage balls, resistance bands, a light stick and light weights.
- Water.
How a class goes
Section titled “How a class goes”- 45–60 minutes at a calm pace.
- It often starts with slow, controlled circles of each joint in turn, from the neck down to the ankles, keeping the rest of the body still.
- Some trainers add self-massage with a foam roller or a ball to prepare the muscles.
- The main part works in depth on one area, for example the hips or the shoulders: active stretches in which you lift and hold a limb with your own strength, loaded positions such as deep squats, and short, strong tensing of the muscles at the end of your range.
- Some classes include movement on the floor — crawling, rolling, getting up and down from kneeling.
- A first class is not tiring in the usual way, but controlling small, slow movements can be surprisingly hard. Everything is adapted to your range.
Who it suits best
Section titled “Who it suits best”- People who sit a lot and feel stiff.
- Runners, cyclists, martial artists and people who lift weights and want to move better and recover.
- Older adults who want to keep moving easily in everyday life.
- Anybody who finds pure stretching boring, or wants flexibility they can actually use.
- It suits less somebody looking for a hard, sweaty workout. With joint pain, a recent injury or after surgery, ask your doctor or physiotherapist first and tell the trainer; work only in a range that feels free of pain.