Mobility Often Determines Strength

I love being strong, and always encourage others to become stronger.  However, I would be remiss if I did not remind you that strength is predicated on mobility and coordination.  You can not SAFELY swing a kettlebell correctly unless your hips and shoulders are flexible enough to do so, and you certainly can't do it if your coordination sucks!  If you were tight around the hips, and tried to explosively swing a heavy kettlebell, you could very well end up on the ground with a lower back injury.  So to prevent this from happening to me, I practice mobility drills on a daily basis. 



As you can see, they are very easy to do.  In fact, those of you who come to kettlebell classes regularly will notice I use some of them as our warmup to kettlebell training.  So, figure out where you have the most tension around your body, and start with a few mobility drills that loosen up those areas.  Perform them everyday.  And like everything else, once things improve, find ways to make those drills more difficult and interesting.



Many of you will need to focus on mobility work around your neck, shoulders, and hips.  This is especially true if you sit at a desk most of the day.  So how about trying some mobility drills to break up the monotony at work.  My guess is, you'll magically feel better!  And then when you get home to do some kettlebell training, throw in some more mobility work as part of your warmup and cooldown.