December 14, 2023, 10:13 am | Read time: 4 minutes
If you’re looking for more flexibility and a greater range of motion for your sports activities, you’re in the right place. Former professional athlete Micha Østergaard demonstrates six exercises to improve mobility in the shoulders, chest, back, hips, and knees. Easy to do at home!
Whether you’re into strength training or endurance, how’s your flexibility? If you find it hard to answer, try doing a clean, deep squat. If you’re lacking mobility in your legs, knees, and hips, you’re in the right place. Repetitive and frequent movements, as well as excessive intensity, can lead to overuse of connective tissue, tendons, and muscle attachments. Among athletes, swimmers display remarkable flexibility. Just think of the sweeping arm stroke (shoulder joint!), body rotation, and associated neck flexibility. That’s why at FITBOOK, former professional swimmer Micha Østergaard, a true mobility expert, shows which exercises can improve your flexibility and increase your range of motion. No equipment is needed for her mobility training.
Overview
What to Consider When Performing Mobility Exercises
The exercises in the video above are not designed for speed but to significantly improve mobility in the shoulders, chest, back, hips, and knees. Therefore, the expert’s tip: Perform them calmly and controlled, without any momentum.
How Often Should Each Exercise Be Repeated?
Former Olympic swimmer Østergaard recommends repeating all exercises 10 to 15 times. For exercise 4, perform 10 to 15 circles in each direction.
Burn Fat Effectively with Personal Trainer Argi’s HIIT Workout
Conquer Yourself–’Crossfit Challenge’ for Home
Home Mobility Training with Micha Østergaard – The Exercises
Exercise 1: For the first exercise in mobility training, kneel on one leg with the other extended–similar to a side lunge. Then place one hand on the ground. Extend the other arm and thread it under the other–stretch as far as possible, letting the shoulder touch the ground. Pay attention to core tension during execution.
Exercise 2: Sit on the ground with your hands supported behind you. Then, under core tension, alternately lower both knees parallel to one side and then the other. If you can’t go all the way down, don’t worry–just stop where your body says ‘stop.’
Exercise 3: For the third mobility exercise, sit in a straddle position on the ground with a straight back. Then clasp your hands behind your head, push your elbows back as far as possible, and rotate your upper body alternately to both sides. How far can you go?
Find more home workouts from FITBOOK here
Exercise 4: The starting position for this exercise is a deep squat from a wide stance, with your buttocks almost touching the ground (also called a sumo squat). Both feet, including the heels, should touch the ground, with toes pointing straight ahead. Keep your gaze forward. Now draw small circles with your knees. Ideally, this should be done with maximum activation of the core and back muscles! Perform the exercise clockwise and counterclockwise.
Exercise 5: For this exercise, assume the same starting position as the previous exercise. Now tap the ground in front of your body with your knees alternately. Try to keep your upper body as still as possible.
Exercise 6: For the last exercise in this small mobility training, start in the plank position, specifically the version on your hands, not the classic forearm plank. Now place one foot forward outside next to the hand (on the same side). Then bring the second foot forward next to the other hand. The end position is essentially a maximum deep squat, with hands remaining on the ground. Just as if you were about to leap like a frog. Step your feet back one at a time into the plank. Keep your back straight forward, chest out.
Also interesting: Stretching in Strength Training – When and for Whom It Makes Sense
Difference Between Mobility Training and Stretching
When doing strength training, the smallest units in the muscle contract with each contraction. Stretching pulls these units apart again, slightly reducing muscle tension. Mobility training is an active form of stretching. Under muscular control, joints are moved beyond their range of motion to achieve new movement scope. This, in turn, helps with the clean execution of a squat.