The 5 Minute Mobility Workout That Will Improve Overall Health

Increase strength, quality of life, body composition and overall health with this 5 minute mobility workout.

When your lower back hurts after a long day at work do you tend to ignore it, hoping it will go away on its own? Most of us do. Poor mobility isn’t something many people pay attention to, even though it can really limit every day movement and quality of life. Improving mobility enables you to increases overall strength, range of motion, pain-free functional movement and improves general health.

So how do you relax your body and increase mobility in just 5 minutes? With the right movement, attention and consistency of course.

What is Mobility?

Mobility isn’t a new topic but brands like Onnit and near global recognition of the benefits of yoga are bringing it into the spotlight with increasing frequency. Mobility has been used in therapist rooms for as long as therapists have been in therapists rooms but now it’s starting to pop up in every workout from CrossFit to body building. And for good reason.

Mobility, though similar to flexibility, is not just stretching your muscles. That’s flexibility: passive and tension reducing (eventually). While flexibility can pretty much be summed up in the example of reaching for your toes, mobility is a bit more involved. It’s about being able to move your muscles and joints in a greater range of motion – in a controlled manner and without pain. We’re talking coordinated, often total body movements with the goal increasing muscle activation and control.

Why Does Mobility Matter?

Mobility matters because it improves your ability to move freely, without pain, in a wider range of motion. From that wider range of motion you can start to increase your ability to produce power, build strength and power, and reduce your risk of injury.

Think about it this way…

If you have limited mobility in your hip/knee/ankle complex, your ability to squat or lunge deeply, or properly for that matter, is lessened. Why does THAT matter? That matters because it limits your ability to engage your muscles the way you should be engaging them which can lead to a) stalled progress b) poor performance or c) injury. Neither is a great outcome for anyone trying to improve overall health or body composition.

Who Should Care About Improving Mobility?

In a word: everyone.

Whether you are a trained/training athlete, a weekend warrior, a body builder, or simply trying to stay healthy and injury free you should care about mobility. Whether your goal is to lose weight, to increase athletic performance, to get stronger or get rid of the aches and pains that plague every day functionality, you should be working mobility into your day.

It’s not something you want to be reactive about. Don’t wait until you’ve sustained an injury. Don’t wait until your back hurts after an 8 hour car drive. Make mobility a practice now.

When to Incorporate Mobility into Your Routine

Mobility makes sense any time you can fit it in. I have clients who rely on 5 minutes of movement in the morning to wake up and put them in the right mental state to conquer the day. I have clients who use mobility as a way to wind down after a long day at work. Personally, I use mobility to book end my workouts.

Healthy adults should do mobility work at least 2-3 times per week. Try to hit every major muscle group and joint – ankles, knees, hips, legs, chest, back, shoulders, neck – at least once. This particular 5 minute mobility workout uses compound exercises and continuous flow to make sure there’s movement across your whole body.

The easiest way that I’ve found to make sure I hit my mobility goals is to schedule it in. I use my planner to set up daily focuses – and stretching/mobility is almost always included.

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