You're doing squats and all of a sudden, whoosh!
You feel a sharp pain in the knee, lower back, warns you that something is not going well or you have the feeling that, if low a centimeter more, you're going to fall behind as a trunk.
The first thing you think is: "Perhaps it is that I am doing wrong technique" or "I'm getting older".
But, what if the problem does not go away your strength, not your age, nor even the technique itself, but rather that your body has simply forgotten how to move?
If you recently read our article about the squat, you'll know that exercise is king. But in order for the king to shine, you need a right scenario. And that scenario is the disabled.
We're going to discover why you feel like a rusty gate, and, most importantly, how to get started oiling those gears.
Mobility vs. Flexibility: they are Not the same (although we have been tricked)
Before we go further, we need to clear the board. Many people confuse mobility with flexibility.
The flexibility it is the ability of a muscle to stretch. It's what you do when you try to touch the toes without bending the knees. It is, basically, how much "stretch" the rubber.
The disabledinstead, it is the ability of a joint to move actively through its entire range of motion. Is the control you have over that stretch.
Do you see the difference?
You can be very flexible (because your ligaments are loose) but having a mobility null (because you have no strength or control to move that joint safely).
When you train without mobility, something dangerous: compensation.
If your ankle does not move enough so that your knee comes down, your body does not stop. Just look for the easy way out. What and where is it looking for? In the lumbar area or in the knee. And this is where you get the pain.
Your body is a master of the "hack"but these quick fixes to long-term are the ones that take you to a physical therapist.
The guilty invisible: The life at an angle of 90 degrees
If you spend 8 hours a day sitting in a chair, then you're in a car and finally relax on the couch watching a series, you have a problem.
Not that you're lazy, it's that you're designing your body to immobility.
When we spend hours sitting down, our hip flexors are shortened and our ankles become stiffer. The body is very efficient: if you don't use a range of motion, the brain decides that "it is not what you need," and closes it.
It is as if your body were to decide that you no longer need to move the hip more than 20 degrees because, basically, only use it for sitting and getting up.
The result? When you go to the gym and try to do a squat deep, your body is with an invisible wall.
Test your body: The test of mobility homemade
No need to be an expert in anatomy to know where you are failing. I propose two rapid tests that you can do right now at home.
Do you dare to discover where you have the "lock"?
1. The Test of the Ankle (Wall Test)
This is the culprit of the 80% of knee problems in the squat.
- Ponte in front of a wall.
- Place the tip of the foot to about 10-12 inches from the wall.
- You try to bring the knee forward until it touches the wall, without the heel is lifted off of the ground.
The verdict: If your knee does not reach to touch the wall or you have to lift the heel to achieve this, your mobility of the ankle is limited. This forces your body to tilt the torso too far forward in the squat so as not to fall.
2. The Test of the Hip (Deep Squat Hold)
Let's see if your hip is "open" or if it is blocked by the sofa.
- You try to go down to a squat as deeply as you can, keeping your heels glued to the floor.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds.
- Notes: do you Feel that your hips are very tense? Do your knees close in? Do you feel that your low back is rounded excessively?
The verdict: If you can't keep the back neutral, or you feel that your hips, "get in", you have a lack of mobility in the hip. This is what tends to cause those pains annoying in the lumbar area when lifting weight.
How to stop being "rigid" and start to flow
The good news is that the mobility is not something you are born with or not. It is a skill that is trained.
But beware, not solved, by a stretch of 10 seconds prior to a workout. This is like trying to clean an entire house with a toothpick.
To recover your mobility you need to:
- Daily motion: Do not just go to the gym for an hour. You need to "micro-doses" of movement. Get up every hour, it stretches the hip flexors, move the ankles.
- Progressive loading in maximum ranks: The best way to gain mobility is to move weight in the widest possible range. A squat deep and controlled is, in itself, a mobility tool.
- Consistency over intensity: It is better to spend 10 minutes each morning to the mobility to do a two-hour session once a week.
To know where you got the lock is the first step, but to correct it without injury is the real challenge. Do not attempt to force the machine if the gear is oxidized.
Have a personal trainer in Madrid it is the most secure way to do this process. A professional will not only tell you what exercise to do, but that will analyze your biomechanics to follow not compensating for the pain with more pain.
Regain your freedom of movement
At the end of the day, the mobility is not about being able to do yoga postures impossible. It is to train to be a pleasure and not a fight against your own body.
It's about to go down the stairs, play with your kids or to do a squat heavy to be something natural, fluid, and, above all, without pain.
In Empawer, we believe that health is constructed through the motion integral. We do not want you to be a strong person, but stiff; we want you to be an athlete in real life: powerful, agile and free.
We are in the center of Madrid, in the C. of the Duke of Liria, 4ready to help you to unlock your body. Our team personal trainers in Madrid will teach you how to testearte, to correct your faults, and to train with the assurance that your joints are protected.
Tired of feeling rusty? It's time to regain your range of motion.
👉 Click here and contact us to discuss your mobility and begin to train without pain