I know, I got you with the title - we all love a little Bob Ross. So, where is the connection between the afroed artist and mobility? The devil (queue the wackahwackahwackah of a defenseless paint brush) lies in the details. Much like a Ross masterpiece, proper mobility requires the dedication to learning a pallete of techniques including controlled breathing, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (woof), banded distractions, soft tissue roll outs, and many others.
What is mobility?
Often in my local CrossFit box I hear, “My hamstrings are so tight”, “I need to stretch tonight, my back is killing me”, “I’m so stiff”, “I hope coach doesn’t program burpees today” (alright maybe that one was me). I have one beef to pick with the above exclamations, mobility isn’t referenced! Some forms of stretching are great, but stretching as a whole is only one color on our proverbial pallete. Stretching, as most practice it, is putting your body into a position that passively pulls on the tissues. An example of this is sitting on the floor and reaching toward your toes. However, good mobility should build to two goals; 1.) being able to have full range of motion of the body and, 2.) having the ability to control your body through those ranges.
The way I see it, mobility is far more applicable to our daily lives. How often do we passively go through any movement? Maybe if we’re just laying on the couch reaching for the remote, but otherwise our bodies are constantly in motion, and our brain is always active and learning how to control our movements. When you’re sitting on the floor, reaching toward your toes, all you’re doing is pulling on the hamstring muscle. The muscle is only one part of your physiological system that needs to be considered when addressing range of motion restrictions. Mobility takes this into account and uses a ‘systems’ approach to improve range of motion. It works on not only the soft tissue but the joints, sliding surfaces, and motor control to help restore the range of motion that we need in our daily lives. You really don’t own any position until you have the ability to control it.
What can you do about it?
You’ve been stretching your tight hamstrings for years because you think it’s what you need; tight muscle = stretching. But, have you seen any results? Maybe some, but nothing long term otherwise you wouldn’t still be stretching them. It’s possible your hamstrings are tight, but maybe it’s a restriction in the hip joint, maybe it’s a neural dynamic issue, maybe you haven’t taught your body how to move into that position, or maybe poor exercise form is signaling your body to tense up. Our bodies are very good at compensating and adapting. A lot of the time, if we fix a faulty movement pattern and improve our position, we start to clear up a lot of the pain or tightness. Our body starts to adapt to these new positions resulting in changes in the joints and tissues. Focusing on one element of mobility won’t completely solve all of your problems, consistency in all elements will yield the best results.
Let’s bring it back to Bob - as the camera zooms in on his wrist flicking in every direction, only pausing to swirl another color together, it’s easy to forget what the whole picture looks like. Without warning, the frame flows back out, an entire forest of ‘happy little trees’ emerges - it’s amazing! Every stroke, color, technique, and brush serves a specific purpose in building the overall image. Change takes time. Mobility isn’t a “quick fix”; it takes dedication, care, and consistency - sort of like raising baby squirrels on the set of a weekly PBS painting show. Focus on honing those proper mobility techniques if you’re serious about performing at your best. Not sure where to start? Fill out our contact card to get in touch.
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