When you first start CrossFit, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll notice some areas of weakness in your health and fitness. That’s perfectly normal—and it’s actually a great thing! Finding and addressing those weaknesses is exactly what we want to do. Whether it’s your mobility, strength, cardio, balance, or speed, identifying these areas helps make you a more well-rounded, fitter, and healthier person—not just in the gym, but in life outside of it.
Today, let’s focus on mobility.
Mobility vs. Flexibility: What’s the Difference?
Before diving into mobility, it’s important to understand the difference between mobility and flexibility. While both are crucial for overall movement, they are not the same:
- Flexibility refers to your ability to move your muscles when they are relaxed. In yoga, for example, you might try to relax certain muscles to increase your range of motion.
- Mobility, on the other hand, is your range of motion while your muscles are under tension. It’s about how deep you can squat while keeping your glutes engaged or how high you can raise your arm while maintaining chest muscle activation. Mobility is an active range of motion, whereas flexibility is more passive.
You need both flexibility and mobility to move well and perform at your best.
Moving Well = Improving Mobility
There are plenty of mobility programs out there, and yes, spending just 10 minutes a day on mobility work can make a big difference. But here’s the thing—if you focus on moving well and don’t let your ego get the best of you, your regular CrossFit movements can actually serve as your mobility work. You won’t necessarily need extra time for mobility exercises if you take the time to perform the movements that feel tight, and do them with good technique.
The key is always to focus on doing your movements as well as you can. The more you practice with proper form, the more your mobility will improve naturally over time.
Understanding Mobility Restrictions
To effectively address mobility restrictions, it’s helpful to understand why they exist in the first place. Why does a particular movement pattern feel tight, or why does one side of your body struggle with overhead movements?
A useful question to ask is: “What is my body trying to protect?”
From my experience, many people who struggle to squat deeply often have lower back tightness or pain that might appear during workouts—or maybe even as a daily discomfort. This tightness is your body’s way of protecting itself from moving into a range it doesn’t yet feel safe in.
Your body has a protective mechanism called the Golgi tendon, which surrounds every muscle and prevents your muscles from overstretching and tearing. When you’re restricted in movement, your body is essentially trying to protect you from a range where it feels there isn’t enough strength to move safely.
How Your Body Remembers
Think about a fighter who gets knocked out in a boxing or UFC match. They look as though they get folded into a pretzel as they hit the ground, like they’ve broken every bone in their body. But once they regain consciousness, they’re often fine (aside from the knockout, of course!). As soon as they wake up they’re body remembers everything about their previous movement patterns and tightness they have in their bodies.
Your body stores movement patterns from previous sports, past injuries, and even from the stress you carry on a daily basis. Over time, these patterns shape the way you move, and in turn, influence your mobility.
Correcting Mobility: A Practical Approach
So how do you improve your mobility? The answer is simple: find the movements that are restricted and do them more, but do them with good technique.
For example, if you struggle to squat to full depth while keeping your glutes engaged, try squatting more—but with a focus on making sure your glutes stay active throughout the movement. Don’t just relax into the bottom position. Remember, mobility is an active range of motion, not a passive one.
You can also identify the muscles that are struggling to engage and strengthen them. If your body has avoided a certain movement for a long time, some muscles may become weak or underused, which leads to imbalances and a limited range of motion. By strengthening these muscles, you’ll begin to correct these imbalances and improve your mobility.
For example, if you can’t squat to full depth, try doing a glute bridge to engage your hamstrings and glutes. From there, you might try Romanian deadlifts, again focusing on activating the lower glutes and hamstrings.
Active vs. Passive Stretching
While stretching is important and can help improve your range of motion, remember that there’s a difference between active and passive stretching. Active stretching, where you engage muscles while stretching, tends to give better results for mobility. Passive stretching, like holding a static stretch, is helpful too but doesn’t always lead to functional improvements in movement.
By focusing on the muscles and movements that are restricted, and strengthening them through active practice, you can significantly improve your mobility over time. Keep moving well, and your mobility will follow!
Ready to Improve Your Mobility?
At CrossFit Structure, we’re committed to helping you move better, feel stronger, and reach your fitness goals. If you’re ready to take your mobility to the next level, come join us in a class or book a one-on-one session with one of our experienced coaches. Together, we’ll identify any movement restrictions and create a plan to help you move with confidence, both in and out of the gym.
Get started today by booking your No Sweat Intro! Let’s work together to build a stronger, more mobile you!