And if youre not flexible, you have to do some stretches.
But in recent years, the termmobilityhas become more popular, and it doesnt mean exactly the same thing.
Mobility work involves more than stretching.
You might do more dynamic stretches than static ones if youre working on your mobility.
And thats because flexibility is part of mobility, but its not the same thing.
Its roughly equivalent to your passive range of motion.
Mobility, by contrast, is how faryoucan move a joint.
If she can bring her foot high up off the ground, shes got great mobility.
Why mobility matters
Most things in life require mobility, not just flexibility.
But theres more going on than just flexibility.
A few other things that can affect your mobility:
The structure of your joints.
The exact position of muscles and their attachment points is not always the same from person to person.
Your bodys structure determines the range of motion that is possible, even before considering flexibility.
Even though we sometimes think of strength and mobility as opposites, getting stronger can sometimes help mobility.
Sometimes we may just not be strong enough to move our body into a certain position.
Whether youre warmed up or not.
For example, we have some suggestionshere for improving your ankle mobility for squats.
The first one isnt a stretch at all; its a tip to use heeled shoes or plates.
Our other tips include stretches and the use of a foam roller.
For this reason, its often done as part of a warmup.
Dynamic stretches can also help with mobility, and they work well as part of a warmup.
Static stretches have a place in a mobility routine, too.
Even though flexibility is only one part of mobility, its an important part!
