Been getting into some considerable weight in my BBB and i feel like i need to get in some extra mobility and stretching into my routine. I do Agile 8 before every workout already, but i believe i need more.
Had a look at some Tom Morrison articles here on T Nation and tried out a few of the stretches he recommends and all i can say is OMG … i can’t pass on any of them lol … tried the following and was like wow …
Any tips and recommendations on what to add to my routine are appreciated! Thanks!
I have found yoga makes a world of difference. Before the shelter-in-place, I would go once a week and the consistency has meant that I have gradually become more and more mobile. Doing a bit of near-daily work like agile 8, and a dedicated weekly session of yoga will serve you well.
Do the ulitmate mobility drill. In a month it has made a huge difference for me. I could only get down to mid-shin and my squat was “wobbly” and would tilt to the right, I was having a bit of low back pain and my hips felt tight while running. Now I can pass it and I feel so much limber and looser and the “wooble” is significantly reduced. The first time I did it I was so sore in my necks and traps. It has worked wonders for me.
Adopt a test-retest strategy.
When it’s time to work on mobility, assess joint range of motion, including:
Those are probably the most useful ROMs for lifting weights, run through a test for each of them, then target 3-4 limitations to get after with your mobility work
Is there a link to this ultimate mobility drill ?
The link is in the original post
The Ultimate Mobility Test for Lifters
Ah right sorry! Found this one too … going to give this a try on a daily basis as well …
FWIW, having a daily mobility routine defeats the purpose. We train our mobility to identify restricted ranges, if all we ever do is the same list of mobilisations we will inevitably leave something behind.
Don’t do mobility because you feel like you should, do mobility because you’ve found specific indications for it
Gave that test a go. I reckon an old giraffe could get closer to that end position than I did…
Interesting thought. Never considered that. So, when Wendler (just an example) says to do Agile 8 (or whatever) before each workout, would you disagree? I think in his writings he says do a little bit each day and you’ll feel better when you’re older. Or something, haha.
Do you think just some general stretching daily can help or no? Just curious on your thoughts.
I don’t think it’s a bad decision at all, but I don’t think it’s the best decision. It absolutely will help someone’s hips and lower back feel nice and greasy but what about ankles? Shoulders? Thoracic Spine? Neck? What if someone’s got a hip internal rotation limitation? What if your hips are hypermobile?
The Agile 8 is really good at doing its job, as most well-structured mobility routines are, but sometimes you just need a different job to get the best outcomes possible.
The drawback is it is definitely much more complicated to have to learn ROM tests, how to interpret them, and when to use certain mobilisations over another, but I think it’s a very useful skill to have. Jordan Shallow and Starret both manage to interpret ROM limitations from “real” exercises, which I think is even more difficult but also extremely useful.
I must be missing something. The video is about test-retest? You start of with some markers, do a mobility routine, and retest. If your mobility in the screens improved then it was worth doing and maybe continue doing the routine until you stop experiencing a pronounced discrepancy pre- and post the routine?
Full confession, I didn’t watch the video. Yes, any mobility routine that involves test-retest is better (in my opinion) than one that doesn’t.
I just watched the test he talks about and I think it’s pretty good, but personally I’d be sure to test shoulder rotation too
My suggestion would be to add this “test” & treat it as part of your warm-up/mobility training. If your completing agile 8 before every workout then maybe perform 5-10 reps of this afterwards.
Personally, I perform agile 8 before every strength workout followed by some standing gastrocnemius/soleus stretches as I feel that’s a mobility issue I need to work on. Ok top of that, I try to fit in some yoga sessions and additional stretches as outlined in the original 531 book.
One day I was looking for the agile 8 and came across the limber 11. He has added a few stretches. The frog stretches really work to loosen my groin and hip. I was doing it 4 to 5 times a week and saw a lot of improvement. Then down to just squat and deadlift days. Then not at all. Guess what, I’m stiff as a board again. Time to start back.