If you take a walk through any gym\u2019s stretching area you\u2019ll see that most everyone uses the words \u201cflexibility\u201d and \u201cmobility\u201d to mean the same thing. The thought is that if you stretch enough, you\u2019ll stay limber, mobile and always ready to move.<\/p>\n
Mobility is dynamic or active. For example, if you talk about mobility you\u2019re referring to the ability to get your thumb to exactly the same spot on your wrist without the assistance of the other hand.<\/p>\n
Prior to a workout<\/a>, a focus on improving mobility will increase the ability of your nervous system to activate those muscles for movement. Mobility is responsible for improving the contraction of the muscle fibres by the nerves which activate them while \u2013 at the same time – lengthening the muscles as well as the surrounding connective tissues, in other words, the fascia. This intensifies the blood<\/a> flow to the affected muscles, boosts joint range of motion, and ironically, decreases tension! Mobility training encompasses the entire body moving as one unit, enhancing coordination for precise and controlled movement.<\/p>\n Mobility is a massive part of taking care of our entire system of movement. Fitness and working out can be an exercise culture, but we should be thinking of it more as a culture of movement. A common assumption is that if we just exercise or work out, we will automatically have the ability to move better. However, this isn\u2019t necessarily the case. Performing specific exercises repeatedly will most likely improve just those exercises. This improvement will typically not generalise to your whole system, and no single exercise can represent the full spectrum of human movement.<\/p>\n The term \u2018flexibility describes the range of motion that is available to a person. Flexibility is passive and it comes down to the ability of the muscle to stretch.<\/p>\n For instance, you may have the ability to touch your toes while sitting on the ground in a forward fold (that\u2019s your flexibility). You require the flexibility to get into particular positions, such as a deep squat.<\/p>\nWhat Is Flexibility?<\/strong><\/h2>\n