Bodyweight exercises for mobility

Your body is one of the best pieces of fitness equipment ever invented if you know how to use it properly. Old-school flexibility exercises have you hold a stretch for a period of time, which can help lengthen the muscle by reducing neural activity (how the CNS activates individual muscle fibers), but does not necessarily train that muscle to shorten and lengthen as its attached joint(s) go through a complete ROM. Mobility exercises using just your body’s own weight can create a variety of joint positions and motions to lengthen various muscles that can help stretch the muscles while also increasing neural activity, which is important for enhancing strength in workouts using external resistance. For the bodyweight exercises, start with 2 sets of each exercise, and as you feel your mobility improve, add 2 reps per week until you reach 20 reps per exercise. Once you reach 20 reps per each side, work up to doing 4 sets of each exercise. Try these bodyweight exercises for mobility from Smarter Workouts.