Our bodies are designed to move, which is why having a solid mobility routine is essential for keeping our muscles and joints healthy. Mobility exercises can help you maintain flexibility in your body, prevent injury, and improve performance. That’s why we've created our favourite 10 movement full body mobility routine. This routine will take no more than 10 minutes of your day, but it packs a ton of benefits!
Let's go through each exercise so that you can easily add this into your daily routine:
Foam Roll Quadriceps: Start lying on your stomach with the foam roller placed just below your hips. Roll forward until the roller reaches just above your knees and back again for 30 seconds on each leg. Ideally working in 1-2 inch movements - this will allow you to pin point specific regions that may need more work than other spots.
Foam Roll Adductors: Start lying on your side with the foam roller placed just below your hips. Roll down towards your knee, pausing for a few seconds on any tight spots and then come back up again for 30 seconds on each leg.
Glute Bridge: Lay on your back with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart and close to your glutes. Lift your hips off the ground until they are in line with your shoulders and knees. Hold for 5-10 seconds before returning to starting position - complete 10 reps of this exercise.
Hip Flexor Stretch: Begin by kneeling down on one knee while keeping the other foot firmly planted on the ground, as if you were about to do a lunge. Make sure your front knee is at a 90-degree angle and your back leg is extended straight behind you. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your hip - hold for 30 seconds before switching sides.
Shoulder Mobility: Begin by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart and arms outstretched in front of you, palms facing down. Lifting one arm up and over, bring it across your body while rotating the opposite shoulder down and away from that same side. Hold for 3-5 seconds before returning to starting position - complete 10 reps of this exercise on each side.
Wall Angels: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and slightly bend your knees while keeping your back flat against the wall. Place your hands on the wall near chest level, palms facing down and elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Push your arms up towards the ceiling as if you’re doing a shoulder press - hold for 5 seconds before returning to starting position - complete 10 reps of this exercise.
Standing Piriformis Stretch: Start by standing tall with one foot slightly in front of the other and crossing that same leg over so that it’s resting just above the knee of your opposite leg. With both hands behind you, rotate away from the crossed leg until you feel a slight stretch in the glute area - hold for 20-30 seconds before switching sides.
Cat/Cow: Begin in a quadruped position on the floor with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and knees directly below your hips. Slowly round your back, tucking in your tailbone while contracting your abdominal muscles - this is the cat position. Then, arching your spine towards the ceiling while pushing through your palms and allowing your elbows to straighten, relax into the cow position. Repeat 10 times for each posture.
Ankle Mobilization: Start by sitting on the floor with one heel placed on a foam roller or tennis ball. Move that same foot in circles both clockwise and counterclockwise for 30 seconds before switching feet - complete 2 sets of this exercise.
Child’s Pose: Start in a kneeling position on the floor with your feet and knees hip-width apart, toes pointed back behind you. Place your palms flat on the ground in front of you before slowly lowering your torso down towards the floor - hold for 30 seconds before returning to starting position.
We hope that this mobility routine helps you feel good and helps keep your body healthy! Remember that taking care of yourself is a priority and these exercises can help you do just that! Plus, it only takes 10 minutes out of your day - so why not give it a try? Let us know how it goes!
Do you still have aches and pains that just won't go away? Book a Personal Training session with one of our expert Coaches. No only will your Coach develop a mobility routine that is safe and effective for you, they'll walk you through it!