7 Mobility Exercises

Mobility is the ability of your joints to move freely and smoothly. It allows you to move your muscles effortlessly through their full range of motion. Including mobility exercises in your routine will make you more agile and mobile.

Here are 7 key mobility exercises that you can include in your warm-up routine.

Frog Pose to Deep Squat

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width and your toes pointed out.

2. Descend to a deep squat position.

3. Move your weight forward to place your hands on the floor in front of you.

4. Spread your knees wider apart as you bring your chest down to the floor.

5. Hold for two seconds and then push back to the deep squat position.

Chest & Shoulder Opener

1. Lie on your back on the floor with a light dumbbell in your left hand held above your chest. Your right arm should be resting on the floor above your head.

2. Bend the left leg, so the foot is alongside the right knee.

3. Roll onto the right shoulder, and allow the left knee to fall to the floor.

4. Extend the left leg to the floor and slowly roll your hips forward and back to the original position.

Hitchhiker

1. Get down on the floor in a tabletop position on your hands and knees.

2. Form a fist with your left hand with the thumb pointing up.

3. Lift your left arm up and out to full extension in line with your shoulder.

4. Hold for 5 seconds.

Hip Opener

1. Kneel on the floor on your left knee so that the right foot is planted alongside the left knee. Place your hands on your hips.

2. Now shift your weight back as you lean from the hips over the right foot. At the same time lift your right toes off the floor.

3. Hold for 5 seconds then relax.

Shoulder Circles

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.

2. Perform ten forward arm circles without bending the elbow and without shifting the hip position.

3. Reverse direction to do ten backward arm circles.

4. Repeat on the other arm.

Hip Circles

1. Lie on your back on the floor with your legs extended.

2. Bend your left knee to bring it up to your chest until the knee is pointed at the ceiling.

3. Draw circles with the upward-facing knee. Do this twenty times, and make the circles progressively larger.

4. Repeat on the other leg.

Child’s Pose to Downward Facing Dog

1. Kneel on the floor and drop your hips. Allow your upper body to fall over your knees and your head to fall between your arms.

2. Hold for three deep breaths.

3. Move into tabletop position by shifting your weight so that your shoulders are over your wrists and your hips are over your knees. Flip your toes under and push your feet into the floor. Extend your arms to allow the hips to rise, the chest to push through and the legs to straighten out.

4. In this new position, your body should form a triangle.

5. Hold for three breaths.

6. Reverse your movements to transition back to the child's pose.

Wrap Up

These mobility exercises can be done as a routine as soon as you get out of bed to get you mobile for the day ahead. You can also add some of them to your warm-up routine to prepare for the workout ahead.