6 Best Mobility Exercises for Athletes

Mobility exercises are an important part of most athletes' training. These workouts are responsible for the range of motion in the joints. Needless to say, they can build or break an athlete's performance.

There are two important ways mobility exercises help athletes: they increase the range of motion and decrease the risk of injury due to poor form. In many sports, inability to move around quickly can impact performance. Tight hips cut down on the length of your stride and make running less effective. When you squat, stiff ankles can make you less stable.

When the range of motion of joints is limited, the chances of getting injured increases manifold. When your mobility is limited, you are more likely to do exercises wrongly, increasing your chances of getting injured.

Mobility Exercises for Athletes

Check out these six best mobility exercises for athletes.

1) Pigeon Pose

This mobility exercise stretches the hip flexors and expands the pelvic and gluteal muscles, enhancing hip mobility.

Lengthening the hip flexors helps prevent forward pelvic tilt during exercises, such as running, cycling, and sitting. Maintaining good pelvic alignment aids in posture improvement and injury prevention.

Here's how you do this exercise:

Start off in the plank position.
Bring your right knee up to your right hand, and place it on the floor. The position of your right foot should be near your left hand.
Keep your core tight, and drop your hips to the floor.
If you are flexible enough, lower your rib cage by getting up on your elbows or extending your arms.
Do the same thing on the other side (left foot, right hand).

2) 90/90 Stretch

The 90/90 stretch makes the glutes, psoas, hip flexors, piriformis, hip adductors, and hip abductors longer.

This mobility exercise focuses on bending the hips forward, and turning the hips inward and outward. For daily activities, like walking and bending, as well as sports like running and lifting weights, you need to be able to move and turn your hips.

Here's how you do this exercise:

Start by sitting on the floor with your left leg bent in front of you at a 90-degree angle. The floor should be under your left shin and knee.
Place your right leg behind you at a 90-degree angle with your shin on the floor. Your right knee should be at the same level as your hip.
Keep your shoulders and core engaged as you tilt your torso towards your left knee. At the same time, push your pelvis to the floor.
Do the same thing on the other side.

3) Toes to Wall

For the perfect squat, you need flexible ankles, which is something many of us don't have.

If the ankles don't move well, the chest can fall forward. By pushing your toes against the wall, you can increase the bending of your ankles and, as a result, the mobility of your ankles.

Here's how you do this mobility exercise:

Keep your face upright against a wall.
You can stretch the back of your ankles by putting your toes on the surface.
Move your hips forward to flex your ankles.
If you can, pull your upper body forward, or have someone push your upper back to make the position more flexible.
Keep this position for a while before changing sides.

4) Wall Extension

Shoulder mobility is what wall extensions are all about. When your shoulders don't move well, you can't move as well, which impacts performance. Wall extensions help open the shoulder joint and get the muscles around it ready to lift.

Here's how you do this mobility exercise:

Put your hips and back against a wall while you stand or sit. Make sure there is no space between your back and the wall.
Put your arms at a 90-degree angle against the wall.
Slide your arms up till they are fully extended. Keep your arms, back, and hips against the wall.
Do 8–10 controlled slow reps.

5) Scorpion Stretch

The scorpion helps loosen up tight spots in the hips and lower back and makes it easier to turn the spine.

When your spine can't move as much as it should, you're more likely to get injured during exercise or while doing everyday activities. Think about how you turn when you pull a sled or open a car door.

Here's how you do this mobility exercise:

Start by lying on the floor and putting your arms out to the side.
Pull down and back on your shoulder blades.
Lift your right leg, and move it across your body till your foot is near your left knee. Keep your arms and shoulders on the ground.
Slowly move the leg back to where it started.
Do 8–10 controlled slow reps.

6) Child's Pose with Arm Lift

The child's pose is an important part of many yoga classes. This pose helps stretch the back and hip muscles. To improve thoracic extension, the extra arm lift works the muscles in the middle and upper back.

Here's how you do this mobility exercise:

Start by kneeling on the floor, with your toes together and knees hip-width apart.
Lower your chest to the floor as you stretch your arms out.
Lift your left arm off the floor while keeping your shoulders in a straight line.
During the lift, turn the shoulders outward.
Make sure your torso doesn't turn. Hold for three seconds, and slowly lower the arm back to the floor.
Do 8–10 controlled slow reps on each side.

Takeaway

The aforementioned mobility exercises should be a part of every athlete's training. They can help you maintain your range of motion and prevent the muscles from locking out.

Edited by Bhargav