Do you consider yourself flexible or mobile?

The terms flexibility and mobility are often used interchangeably but look a little closer and you’ll discover they’re very different indeed.

Flexibility is defined as “the ability of a muscle or muscle groups to lengthen passively through a range of motion”whilst Mobility is the “ability of a joint to move actively through a range of motion”

So what’s the difference?

The first distinction is that flexibility is talking about muscles and mobility is describing joints in motion. 

The techniques to improve flexibility vary from long static holds to more dynamic stretches and even myofascial release (rolling) all with the aim of decreasing the feedback of muscle tone.

Examples include: touching your toes, hamstring stretches or leg swings that you usually see athletes completing pre competition.

For Improving mobility the process involves a specific movement under a certain amount of load  to take the chosen joint to its potential end range.

Examples include: deep squats, ankle glides with a resistance band or a typical spine cat stretch you usually see in Yoga.

Like most things a healthy approach to both techniques is usually the best way forward and then its just a matter of finding the correct technique or movement for you and your specific needs.

For more information on COACH London membership packages please contact our Membership Team on 0207 315 4260 or email us at Info@coachlondon.uk