Best outdoor mobility exercises
Try these mobility exercises to help your flexibility and improve your movement
Our top three mobility exercises
Flexibility and mobility are key components of physical health, so understanding the differences between them can help you improve your physique and reduce your risk of injury later in life.
In this article we’ll talk through:
- Differences between flexibility and mobility
- The benefits of outdoor workouts
- Our top three mobility exercises
What’s the difference between flexibility and mobility?
Although both relate to the motion of your body, flexibility and mobility are two different things.
Mobility
Mobility is ‘the ability to move around or walk around freely. Footnote [1] Having strong mobility can help boost your performance, reduce the risk of injury and improve your overall quality of movement. You don’t have to be a star athlete to want good mobility, as it can help you down the line too.
Flexibility
Flexibility, on the other hand is ‘the ability to bend or to be bent easily without breaking’. Footnote [2] It helps increase your range of motion, reduce muscle tension and could help improve athletic performance.
What are the benefits of outdoor workouts?
There are two big benefits to exercising outdoors:
Our top three mobility exercises
World's greatest stretch
The ‘World’s greatest stretch’ is a full-body stretch that targets multiple muscle groups. It could help to improve hip, hamstring, and thoracic spine mobility. With this stretch, start in a lunge position. Then reach one arm towards the ceiling and rotate your torso.
90/90 hip switch
The ‘90/90 hip switch’ works by targeting internal and external rotation in your hips. It could help with your flexibility and can reduce lower back pain. Start by sitting with both legs bent at 90 degrees, and switch sides by rotating your hips back and forth.
Cat cows
‘Cat cows’ are a spinal mobility exercise that involves flexing and extending. Its aim is to improve spinal flexibility and remove tension in your back. Give it a go by getting on all fours with your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees directly below your hips. On a deep inhale, curve your lower back and bring your head up, tilting your pelvis up like a cow. Then, on a deep exhale, bring your abdomen in, arch your spine and bring your head and pelvis down like a cat.
When doing stretches, be mindful to breathe through them and stop if it hurts too much.
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