Pre-Hab: Boosting Your Mobility As a Warfighter, you’re at higher risk of experiencing musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs). These injuries often diminish health and performance, threatening your readiness. Integrating exercises that promote mobility into your workout plan is a great way to protect yourself from MSKIs and their impact on your service. Good mobility also supports your ability to perform daily life activities and job duties more effectively. What is Mobility? Mobility is the ability to move your joints through their full range of motion. The better your mobility, the more freely you’re able to move. Having good mobility can make movement more comfortable and efficient, allowing you to perform daily life activities and job duties with less effort. It also prevents muscular imbalances, which contribute to MSKIs and other physical limitations that affect your operational performance. How Does Mobility Impact Readiness? With mobility training as part of your routine, you may notice job duties and everyday tasks seem easier. Good mobility allows your muscles to function properly, which decreases fatigue and helps keep you fit for full duty. Healthy, mobile joints improve posture and stability, reducing your risk of falls and other injuries. You may also experience less stiffness and pain since staying mobile can help ease muscle tension. As you age, mobility allows you to sustain necessary activities that help preserve your quality of life. Mobility also contributes to your mission capabilities as a Warfighter. For example, working on a flight deck requires quick movements and long periods of crouching that wouldn’t be possible without good mobility. If you often lift and carry heavy items, having good mobility allows you to move more easily with less risk of getting hurt. Without proper mobility, you’re more likely to experience injury that results in lost duty days and impacts your deployability. How Do I Improve Mobility? Dynamic exercises that increase blood flow and warm up your joints are best for improving mobility, especially when performed at the beginning of your workout. Integrating this type of movement as a warm-up helps physically and mentally prepare your body for exercise. As the gold standard, these exercises enhance your athletic performance and reduce your risk of injury. There are a variety of dynamic exercises to consider adding into your workout plan. It’s recommended that your warm-up includes activities that match the movement patterns in your workout. For instance, you may plan to perform calf raises or heel and toe walks prior to running. Make sure your chosen movements target multiple joints and incorporate agility, power and balance. For best results, aim to spend 10-15 minutes warming up before each exercise session. Lower BodySpineShoulders < Prev Next > < Prev Next > < Prev Next > Ankle Circles Banded Side Steps Hip Flexor Lunge Downward Facing Dog Thread the Needle Cat-Cow Stretch Torso Twists Chin Tuck Arm Swings Shoulder Rolls In general, maintaining your mobility requires staying active. Even small changes to your routine can boost your mobility. If your job requires you to sit for long periods of time, try shifting your body position every so often to reduce tension. Taking periodic movement breaks also prevents stiffness in your muscles and joints. Consider working mobility exercises into natural breaks in your day, such as after completing a task or eating a meal. You may find a short morning and/or evening routine is beneficial too. Spending just a few minutes on these movements throughout the day helps you stay consistent with your practice over time. Mobility makes movement possible, which means just about everything you do relies on it. Protect your health and readiness by prioritizing mobility in your routine. Whether completed as a warm-up or their own training session, mobility exercises can make a big difference in your performance. If you need help getting started, visit your local Armed Forces Wellness Center. Additional ResourcesHealthline - “10 Shoulder Mobility Exercises and Stretches”Hinge Health - “Mobility vs flexibility: key differences and exercises”Sople D & Wilcox III RB - “Dynamic Warm-Ups Play Pivotal Role in Athletic Performance and Injury Prevention”Yale Medicine - “5 Mobility Exercises to Prevent Running Injuries”ReferencesHealthline - “12 Stretch and Strength Moves for Ankle Mobility”Healthline - “14 Exercises for Strengthening and Increasing Mobility in the Hips”Hinge Health - “6 Thoracic Mobility Exercises for Back Flexibility and Pain Relief”
