Mobility

I think one of the biggest differences between when I used to lift before, and now, is my increased focus on mobility.  Now that I have more time on my hands, it's been easier to fit in a consistent stretching routine before going to bed.  It lasts about an hour but probably could go a little faster if I tried to. 

Anyways, the reason I wanted to write this blog was to think a little bit more about my mobility work, and ways I might change it.  And the biggest catalyst for me wanting to reflect on my routine was weightlifting. 

I watched this video about static stretching by Quinn Henoch, a physical therapist who works with Juggernaut Training Systems.  I also watched this video and this video, a two part series on basically what is Quinn's stretching philosophy, the way I see it. 

So after watching some of Quinn's videos, I got a sense that these were some of the main points of his mobility philosophy:

• Try to get the athlete as close as possible to the movement they want to do (snatch position, clean position, squat position, etc).  Especially in his videos on fixing snatch and clean positions, he emphasized going "top to bottom"; that is, get the athlete to try the original position first, and if they can't, make it progressively easier for them. 
  When I first heard this point, I was like, I wonder why he would prefer this over focused stretching of each body part?  Especially since he shows ways to screen for specific tightnesses in this video.  But watching the video a few times with more intent, it feels like he's not too concerned about general mobility.  He trusts that people have basic mobility in the parts that matter.  But there are weaknesses that won't allow them to have the same mobility under heavier weights.  So based on this, it seems like his approach is not "have the patient get gymnastics-level flexibility, THEN put them under the bar", but rather "if it seems like they have enough mobility, let's train their strength". 
  
• A big reason why some muscles are tight, is because the body needs them to be.  So what I mean by that is, your body might have some major issues that it's trying to cover up for by overworking certain muscles.  An example I've had is that my back used to get really tight when I walked for a while.  And it was most likely due to my weak core and glutes that the back took up all the pressure of holding my body up.  If I were to stretch my back, it might feel better, but I wouldn't be doing anything for the core problem of the imbalance, which is my weak core and glutes.  So this was what Quinn was talking about in his videos on short vs. tight muscles: that muscles are rarely actually short and need stretching, but actually that they are tight because our body doesn't want to let go and make our imbalances worse. 
  
• Loading mobility drills as soon as possible.  I don't think there's a real surprise here.  As Quinn says in his static stretching video, his focus in mobility drills is making sure the lifter can exert force in their new found range of motion, since that's the real test of mobility.  

Ok, as I list out his basic points, I'm starting to see what he's pushing for.  And I think it all comes down to the last point: mobility is if a person can exert force in their range of motion, not just RoM itself.  From that perspective, it makes sense why Quinn likes mobility work with weights and lift-specific movements.  It's about building strength within mobility.  

So with this in mind, a big question I have now is: What does this mean for my current stretching regimen?  I think the quick answer is loading up my exercises.  I can see already that there are some parts that I can use weights to help mobilize.  

Specifically, my weightlifting movements could use some help from weights.  Overhead squat, clean positions.  I need to find a way to load my current bar then.  I have this bar at the moment that isn't even like a broomstick, it's more of like a curtain holder, the ones that you can set in your bathroom for shower curtains.  Kind of scared to load those up lol.  But I think if I find my ankle weights somewhere and put them on there, then I can load up a bit.  

All in all, I'm glad I did some reflection here.  I was always wondering, why does Quinn push a top to bottom approach in mobility?  But now it makes a little more sense.  If the purpose is to get the person in a position to perform the actual movements as quickly as possible, it makes sense to be able to screen quickly for if they're in the required position.  You can also train the specific muscles needed for stability.  And by loading up the bar, the weight itself can help move the user in the proper position.  So 1. screening, 2. specific strength training, and 3. weighted mobility work.  Makes sense.  Will try to incorporate.