I created this challenge to get as many people to work on their movement and mobility as possible. You will also be in for a chance to win 6 months free in my MVMT Library, so even more of an incentive to move each day.
The challenge is running on instagram and in my MVMT library. You will find a new flow each day ranging from 10-30 minute follow along flows, uploaded to help you in your movement practice.
The flows in the library consist of full body joint C.A.R.S, ankle flows, hips, shoulders, spine and full body. Each flow is different and works on core strength and stability in one way or another.
If you want an example of the flows available in my library, then check out this Hip flow on YouTube. You can also grab yourself 7 days FREE, to get you started.
Why I set up this challenge
Besides having a huge passion for sharing movement, some of you are aware I struggled after having Covid, and this meant my usual form of movement practice had to come to a halt.
More than ever, mobility has been the most important thing for me mentally and physically, as it is the only way I have managed to keep moving. I saw this as a great opportunity to share my practice with you, to connect, and share some ideas to help you in your training or mobility practice. I really hope you find the flows and tutorials helpful to give back to your body, and I would love to hear from you in terms of how you are getting on.
How to take part
Whether you are in the library or on instagram, simply share a photo or video of your mobility session on instagram or facebook from that day. Tag me in the post and I will share your flow and pick a winner at the end of the 30 days! Please share these posts with your friends, family or anyone you think it may also help.
Why Mobilise?
Mobility is the foundation to all movement. Mobility is being able to move from one position to another with strength, stability, flexibility, balance, control and awareness. Working on your mobility will help to improve your daily functionality, injury prevention, strengthen end ranges and improve your overall movement in and out of the gym. There is no use thrashing yourself training, but not working on the foundation. Eventually, this will catch up with you whether that's an injury, your recovery, or how you move in the gym.
What does Mobility mean to me right now?
Without my mobility work I would be feeling extremely tight, and lethargic from having been sat down more than normal, Not to mention discomfort such as back and hip pain. ( Does any of this sound familiar?)
Moving to be kind to your body and moving with intention is very rewarding and can massively help you in your journey toward reaching specific goals too!
By focusing on mobility right now, I can continue to improve and strengthen my range of motion. This means when I am ready to exercise again like I did before, my ranges will feel strong and stable, I will be able to get into more challenging positions with ease, and everything I do in my training will feel more enjoyable as a result. It is a chance for me to work on less efficient links, 'we all have them', and come back stronger.
This does not mean I will stop my mobility work once I am back training. All of the above still applies and mobility work is a consistent staple within my practice.
How often should you mobilise?
You can incorporate mobility into your daily practice, whether that's just 10 minutes of gentle movement each day, or perhaps a more structured practice to help you towards a specific goal. Your goal might be to improve your squat or be able to do a pancake to help in your handstand practice. It might be to be able to perform an overhead squat or press a bar overhead. Having a goal can really help motivate you, give you your why behind your mobility training, and help keep you focused and committed.
Personally, I aim to move daily and 2-3 times per week I work on more specific strength work in my ranges of motion, to build strength and length. Stretching and not building strength in those positions is pointless and opens you up to more potential injury. Where there is no strength, there is no stability! (trust me,I was hyper-mobile and became injured regularly). When we become stronger, our brain doesn't send signals that we are unsafe, meaning the body doesn't tighten up like it does when we are lacking strength/ control.
How to implement it?
There are a number of ways you could implement mobility. I would recommend at the start to move little and often, such as in the morning, dedicate 10 minutes to give back to your body, taking it out of linear positions that we get stuck in all day. The more you take your body into less repetitive movement patterns, the more you will expand your movement capacity.
You can add it to your warm ups before training. This might include movements relative to your upcoming session, working the small frame and building muscle activation to give you a more productive and successful session.
Accessories in your training session - Find ways to implement movements that are simple and effective, and that relate to building more strength, planned around the main movements done in your session. This might be shoulder external rotation work in your pull up session. This will not only build a more solid base for pull ups but help shoulder stability, function and posture.
Recovery day - You can make it your active recovery day but just be aware if this session is focused on strength, it will still quite considerably tax your CNS. You might want to go for a lighter movement day and focus on movements such as C.A.R.S, bar hangs, shoulder and hip rotational work, with the intention of moving your joints functionally.
Movement testing
Personally I always test and retest a position before or after a mobility session, not necessarily every session but over time I pick a few movements to assess where I am at. Photos and videos are a great way to monitor your progress and keep you motivated. If you have a specific movement goal then use this as a test over time to see if you are feeling progress.
I would love to know if you find this blog helpful so please like or comment and if you have any questions on your mobility, the challenge or perhaps some personalised programming, please get in touch.
Thanks for reading :)
G