Flexibility is the capacity of a muscle to lengthen, while mobility is the ability of a joint to move freely throughout a range of motion.
Flexibility and Mobility
These two concepts are markedly important not only in fitness or athletics performance, but also for the most common endeavors on daily activities. Flexibility is the capacity of a muscle to lengthen, while mobility is the ability of a joint to move freely throughout a range of motion. The lacking or limitation of these two aspects may end up in limitation and/or poor execution concerning athletics or fitness performance.
Some people are more flexible and enjoy a wider range of motion than others, which enables them to perform at a greater efficient movement patterns and reduce the probabilities of injuries in the near future. Long hours of sitting, repetitive movements, or lack of movement will eventually be overcome in poor biomechanics and biokinetics. If you don't suffer from a genetic condition or trauma which interferes with your efficient physical performance, there are no excuses to avoid exercise. So, enhancing and /or preserving our musculoskeletal system at its best is a must to do. The physical body is like an interconnected gear-like system that will perform much better and longer if properly treated.
Most of the time, flexibility is trained through passives stretching exercises, whereas mobility is more actively trained. Mobility allows the muscles, tendons, and nervous system to interactively work and function. At doing so, you may work on the flexibility and some range of strength as well. Mobility training offers the body the possibility to enhance the joints’ range of motion, an aspect that is not addressed with a static kind of flexibility postures, and we avoid certain areas of our body to get rusty. Mobility training minimizes the risk of injuries and provides a higher muscle/joint/nervous system coordination.
Mobility and/or flexibility exercises can be performed at some extent in our daily routine as warm up or as a cool off after the main workout. It is very useful to have a selection of this kind of exercise that can be done on the days off working as active recovery routines. Some of these exercises might be also useful as prehab or rehab in case of injuries or soreness derived from recent trainings. As many other ways of exercise flexibility /mobility should be customized as well since every individual is unique and differs among others on their needs, goals and most likely injuries history.
