A few years ago, I injured my back deadlifting by trying to adjust my mid-lift grip; stupid, I know.
And alongside a long time out not training, and years of niggling pain and frustrations, I’m happy it happened.
My form is so much better on lifts, and I saw better progression.
Getting strong on lifts in the gym, more focus and intent in session so that I didn’t injure myself again, and when training clients in the gym – being extra vigilant with their form.
It’s also made me get more serious about flexibility and core.
It used to be a few stretches after a session, and job done.
Now I see how important it is to my gym performance and body shape goals, longevity, and health.
After my bad back injury, I went into hermit mode and researched for the best back specialist out there.
And that’s when I stumbled upon Dr Stuart McGill’s work on core training.
Dr. Stuart McGill is a renowned professor of spine biomechanics who has spent over 30 years studying the spine and lower back pain.
He developed the “Big Three” exercises aimed at building core strength and reducing lower back pain; give them a quick google.
These exercises have been used by many athletes and fitness enthusiasts to improve their core strength and prevent injuries.
Athletes and ordinary population people who have blown backs and disks yet have returned back to training and being healthy again.
I started doing them and found a big correlation in tweaking my back less often.
As someone who used to be more of a trainer in the gym but now spends most of their time behind a laptop running Transformation HQ, I realised the significance of improving my core strength and flexibility for my lower back even more so.
This was when I decided to incorporate yoga into my routine with the help of Jackie.
Defo check her next availability on the zoom sessions as they have further improved my core strength and flexibility.
We’ve progressed and moved the program through the 8 weeks, and I hadn’t realised how much work I needed to do.
It got me thinking about what exercises I would stick in my routine forever and what exercises I would recommend to anyone wanting to do the basics.
If you love hitting the gym or engaging in any form of training, then this will take your game up a level.
Not only does it help you perform exercises more efficiently, but it also helps with better posture and preventing injuries.
Let’s start with the basic mobility routine, which consists of six exercises, taking up only about 10 minutes.
The first exercise is the two-minute deep squat, which helps lengthen your spine and hip flexors and strengthen your hip extensors and glutes.
Next up, we have internal and external hip rotations that help loosen up your hips, enabling them to move more freely during other exercises.
Ankle stretches are next on the list, which can increase your feet and ankle’s range of motion, reducing tension throughout your body.
Dead hangs and dead bugs are perfect for improving your shoulder stability and core strength, followed by internal and external shoulder rotations for improved mobility and posture correction.
A quick youtube or google will open many demos if you need to know what they look like, 1-2 mins on each are enough.
Now, here’s why mobility training is as essential as working out any other muscle group in your body, if not more.
Mobility training helps increase your range of motion, reducing the risk of injuries caused by overtraining or incorrect form during workouts.
It also helps maintain good posture, so you don’t strain your muscles unnecessarily by slouching or overextending during workouts or other activities.
Plus, when you can move in multiple directions, you can prevent muscular imbalances caused by favouring one side over the other while exercising or playing sports.
So, adding a few mobility exercises into your weekly workout routine can benefit you in many ways, such as improving your range of motion while increasing core strength and stability.
Remember, you don’t have to spend hours doing it; 10 minutes is enough to make a significant difference in preventing injuries and improving posture inside and outside the gym.
And always keep in mind that mobility training is as important, if not more important, than bicep curls & glute bridges, so pay attention to it!
Try this simple routine and see how much better you feel after incorporating it into your weekly training sessions.
Ryan