It is with some regularity that members come to me at the gym (some are not yet barbell lifters but they want to be) and usually they divide comfortably into two groups. One group is made up of people who want regular coaching. The other group are already happy with their training, but want to ensure their mechanics are sound. It is the lifting skills that they covet. “I really want to improve my _______ and I just know that my form’s not good.” We start by getting a gauge on what things look like with their current state of efficiency, but it’s only too often that before we can solve the lifting mechanics inefficiencies, some glaring mobility problems need to be solved. It’s not that a sense of disappointed occurs, but the plan was to look at someone’s squat, dead lift or pressing technique and we ended up working on mobility for 40min. It’s a realization from early on for the member/ client that things have to be done in order and we cannot progress if we’re unable to unlock the full scope of the lift. Mobility is a facet of fitness, just as coordination or strength is. A person comes in thinking coordination is the main issue, and it is, but mobility and strength have to be seriously addressed too. I wonder how long it will be before the question I get asked is, ‘I really want to improve my _______ and I know that my mobility is just not good.” Members need to stop associating mobility with rehabilitation and recovery modalities, and understand that mobility is the horse that comes before the training cart. Graham (Pictured) now understands the relationship between tricep extensibility and his being able to maintain lumbar extension at the bottom of the front squat or clean.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 23:00:01 +0000
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