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So You Have Great Mobility. But Can You Control it?
by Gray Cook ...................................................................................................................................................................... If you are an accomplished athlete, you could be at greater risk for injury because your better-than-average mobility will get you into situations that you may be unable to control with your current strength or stability.
Stability is hard to grade. It is a complex system of control, which is much harder to qualify, quantify, and score than mobility. Stability and mobility are interwoven and always linked, especially in athletics. Therefore, a good mobility score will indicate adequate stability to a degree, but athletics require great stability. (The advanced functional movement screen I refer to in chapter 5 of my book has a more complex grading system and seven screening tests. It is more involved and does require greater stability.)
Although your stability has (probably) not been graded, you can become more aware of your stabilizing abilities if you simply redirect your focus when training.
- Don't just look at your movement; look at your ability to hold a stable position and posture.
- Focus on technique. Extra mobility will sometimes allow sloppy, imprecise technique.
- Use a mirror or training partner to reinforce technique.
- Always compare the left and right sides of the body.
- Always work toward balance.
- Do not go to the end of your range and try to perform a stretch and a weightlifting maneuver at the same time.
A simple example that often causes problems with people who have good mobility is the lunge. In a dumbbell or straight bar lunge, an athlete with great or even good mobility may try to go too deep, loading the front leg but also trying to get a hip flexor stretch on the rear leg. This is unnecessary and unsafe. Mobility is already good; more strength is needed. This athlete already has range of motion; she needs to control it. She does not need to go up against her end range, because it is adequate.
It's OK to train near the end range, just not all the way to the end range. Joints can be damaged and muscles can be strained. By stopping your movement before end range (if you have normal or excessive range of motion), you will build better body awareness and. protection for muscles and joints.
Achieving total athleticism means moving away from strengths and confronting weaknesses. In some cases, strengths can be weaknesses. Perhaps strength has been gained, but within a shortened or limited range. This can hurt your power, speed, and agility. It can damage body awareness, make you less efficient, and hurt your endurance and efficiency. It can also prevent you from learning new techniques and advancing in skill because of limited movement patterns.
Take time to execute lifts, working toward the end range. A gentle stretch is OK, but learn to relax. The stretch is not coming from tight muscles; it is coming from muscles that have been used inappropriately. Strive for perfect technique on every repetition and every set. Keep the spine tall and long. Relax the extremities. Hold the shoulders back and the head upright. Breathe deep and slow, move under control, and feel what is happening.
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