Movement Prep and Mobility
Continuing our strength training series this week, we will dive deep into movement prep and mobility. Both of these things make YOU a better athlete, no matter your chosen sport.
Are you a novice weight lifter looking to find a program you LOVE?
Are you an experienced weight lifter looking to take your program to the next level?
Are you a runner trying to avoid injury?
Is your main goal in your workouts to stay mobile and injury free?
THIS will cover everything you need 
So let’s get moving!
What is Movement Prep?
In the grand plan of lifting, movement prep is the process by which we prepare the body for the movements ahead. It’s a shortened way of saying inhibition and activation.
Inhibition works to inhibit overactive muscles.
FOR EXAMPLE: If squats are on deck for your program today and your quads are very overactive, you may be at risk for injury if you don’t take the time to inhibit the quads.
NOTE: there is hardly ever just one muscle group that needs to be inhibited.
Below are 3 variations of foam rolling, which is one of the most effective ways to inhibit overactive muscles.
You can also active stretching as a form of inhibition, but foam rolling has been shown to be more effective.
Movement prep also consists of your warm up movements for a specific lift.
FOR EXAMPLE: Training the bench press would include a movement prep block of pull ups and possibly push-ups. These movements pump blood to the muscles you will need for both power and stabilization in your bench press. Remember, when warming up for a specific movement, your warm up should never wear you out.
Treat your movement prep work like one of the most important components of your strength training session. This particular work will set the tone for the workout AND help you to really listen to the cues from your body. That being said, revisit this VIDEO about biofeedback testing to learn how to stay safe while chasing your gains.
MOBILITY
Mobility if the ability of a joint to maintain tension throughout a specific range of motion. With mobility work, we strive to increase that range of motion without compromising the joint itself. This creates an environment for greater strength gains with a decreased injury risk.
FOR EXAMPLE: The squat requires far more mobility than most people realize. Most people also don’t realize that mobility is NOT the same as flexibility. Just because you CAN get your squat below parallel doesn’t mean it’s safe for you if the tension isn’t in the hip joints.
The squat needs strong mobility in the hips, knees, ankles AND trunk. If you lack mobility in any of these areas, the squat can often be a painful movement to accomplish and have you feeling “potty syndrome” the following day—-wherein it hurts to sit and stand.
One of my favorite resources for mobility is active mobilization and you can see an example of that right here:
The length of your movement prep and mobility work will depend on several factors:
- Your training block.
- Your current level of fitness.
- Your age (I know we hate to admit it, but the older we get the LONGER we need for warm ups).
- Your specific lifts.
If you’re in a deload block (I promise we will cover this in detail later), then your prep work probably won’t take as long. If, however, you’re coming up on a testing block at the end of an accumulation phase….you can bank that you’ll need a few extra minutes of prep time.
If you’re JUST starting out, you may need a little more prep and warm up time to connect the mind to the muscles and really get a feel for your body.
Age is more about how you feel, but often as the body ages we need a little extra time to ready ourselves for strength work. This can also be a factor if you have sustained a few injuries over the years OR lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle.
Your lift will dictate your warm up. For example, on deadlift days I can expect to prepare for 20+ minutes. Deadlifts are by far my heaviest and most taxing lift and often I will pair them with squats as well.
So, what is the NEXT STEP?
Knowing your own body and how to set it up for success in a lift will help you avoid injury AND allow you to feel and BE stronger 6-8 weeks from RIGHT NOW.
As always, just a reminder that PROGRAMMING is exactly what I do. So if you’re looking for a comprehensive program built to suit YOU, CONTACT ME and let’s talk!
Thanks for hanging out with me and enjoying the SCIENCE OF LIFTING. Friday’s workout will be a SWEET total upper body workout that you will NOT want to miss. See you in the gym!
xoxo, Michelle
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