Many people will tell you the answer to this question is to join a Yoga class. To some degree they are right as there are many poses that demand these two skillsets, however, not all Yoga classes provide this and not all of the exercises will relate to functional movement. Holding a pose for set period of time is great, but the timing is not what you would encounter in a real-life situation that often moves fast and requires instantaneous reflexes. There are many people who come to see me for help who possess great flexibility but lack joint stability and control of movements. On the flip side of this are others who have incredible stiffness but lack mobility. Finding ways to improve both of these essential skills is critical for improving their movement efficiency so they can achieve their goals with health and fitness. In this article, I will share with you a workout I have used successfully with many people in the past. Not all of the exercises may relate to your specific needs so you can easily add or subtract exercises as you feel necessary.
While I am big believer in strength training and regularly say it is the hidden answer to many of the movement and muscular problems people suffer with today, I do recognize that many people improve their strength at the expense of their flexibility. This is never a good idea. At first everything appears to be fine but over time the lack of mobility that creeps into various muscles and joints becomes a problem. On the other side of this equations is that there are many people stretching too often and too aggressively believing more is flexibility is better. This potentially exposes their joints to instability and weakness that also can lead to problems over time. Finding a balance between stability and mobility is essential to ensure you remain efficient and injury free with your movement.
Before I go on it is important to understand the difference between mobility and flexibility.
In simple terms FLEXIBILITY is the capacity of a single joint or muscle to move through its full range of motion. Stretching is specific to a particular movement or joints and is often held for long periods of time or used as a PNF contract relax method.
Whereas MOBILITY refers to freedom of movement. It is not limited to a single joint but a combination of joints and is more movement based as opposed to holding one particular muscle with increased length for a period of time.
For the person who is lacking flexibility they could try to spend considerable time with a stretching program. However, this presents two problems. Firstly, it does not guarantee you will change the way they move for the brain will go straight back to the movement skills it had before if you have not spent time incorporating your flexibility gains into a functional movement. Secondly, the joints may not be stable enough to move with load or speed with this newfound mobility. This is why you must always combine a stretching program with functional movements so that the brain understands how to use this new found flexibility with good joint control.
On the opposite side of flexibility is STABILITY and as I mentioned earlier this problem is seen with people who lack strength and gravitate to activities that require more flexibility. The simple solution would be to strengthen them, but this must be done carefully for it may not improve the stabilizers that are compromised.
Always remember greater amounts of mobility will require greater amounts of stability.
This is why it is important that you do not confuse stability with strength. In the book Movement by Gray Cook he explains this very well as shown in the quote below.
“People assume stability and strength are synonymous, when in fact they are not. It takes far less effort to stabilize a joint than it does to move a joint, especially under load. In effect gaining more strength should give us more effective stability. However, the motor program to move and the motor program to resist movement are two completely different pieces of software. They are different programs altogether.
Random muscle building exercises will not significantly affect stabilization because proprioception and alignment are of greater importance than the mere development of tension.
The secret to stabilizing is timing, and the broad term is motor control. The stabilizers are smaller and weaker than their prime movers. The only chance they have to exert influence is to fire first, because they cannot produce more overall tension.” - Gray Cook
Certain strength exercises will be easier to control but may lead to more stiffness and discourage the body to improve its flexibility. By selecting exercises that force the body to find the missing range of motion but at the same time maintain joint stability and some degree of good stiffness you can do two things at once.
Now that you have a greater understanding of flexibility and stability let’s get started with a look at some of my favourite exercises. This first one is a very simple exercise, yet very effective if executed correctly.
1. Kneeling Forward Ball Roll
This exercise is mainly known for its emphasis on core stability as it concentrates heavily on the abdominal stabilizers to prevent the back from excessive extension. While there is no doubting it achieves this goal, the intensity of the strengthening is very minimal making it a great choice for a beginner learning how to brace the core correctly or someone suffering with back pain. If you make a mistake with this exercise there is no disastrous consequence you will suffer.
However, due to the fact it does not require much strength it also means it has little effect on changing bigger movements where poor stability does come at a price. For example, a weak core in a deadlift can lead to a serious back injury. This is where the ab-wheel roll out is often used for it demands a higher amount of strength.
Now, before you think why bother using this exercise, there is something unique to this movement that you are only able to achieve due to its low intensity. The unique skill that is enhanced is mobility and full range of motion with the shoulder, thoracic spine, and hips. These areas are common places of stiffness seen with neck and shoulder injuries and also those with extension related back pain like SIJ dysfunction.
This can be a great exercise to work on both the missing range of motion while simultaneously controlling it with the small stabilizer muscles. A very under-rated exercise and one I use regularly to help people improve their ability to control extension of the spine but also the mobility of their shoulders.
While many people favour using the ab wheel roll-out which is very similar I prefer to use this gentler version to ensure the person works through a full range of motion. Many people lack the strength to extend all the way with an ab wheel so all it tends to do is stiffen them up and limit their ability to extend as opposed to improving it.
Here is a quick summary of the areas this exercise targets.
Flexibility restrictions
- Hip
- Lats
- Thoracic
Stability deficits
- Core
2. Hip Switch & Hurdle Drill
I have included two exercises together in this section for they share the same objective and are often used in combination.
While these exercises are usually labelled as a hip mobility drills I would argue they are more of a stability focused drill. As opposed to the static holding stretch of the glutes or the 90 90 hip stretch that I often use to improve hip flexibility, these two exercises have a very unique moving component. The need for strength is minimal but the need for stability is substantial.
It is the moving components of these exercises that demands stability of the core to prevent you falling backwards and putting your hands on the ground. The reason they are usually labelled more of a mobility drill is that they require significant range of motion from the hips in order to complete the exercise. Often it is the stiffness in the glutes or the adductors that prevent you from stabilizing the core and these exercises try to assist the body in releasing this stiffness. Your core may be perfectly strong and stable, but it will have to sacrifice any stability in order to move due to the lack of flexibility usually from the glutes and hamstrings.
However, sometimes the person does have the flexibility but lack the control and this is where these exercises can be very useful and expose the lack of stability.
Mobility restrictions
- Glutes
- TFL
- Adductors
Stability deficits
- Core
You can read more about this and several others I use that are very similar to this in the article – 10 hip mobility exercises to improve functional movement
3. Inline Lunge
This exercise has a stronger focus on stability than mobility, however, it is often the stiffness with the hips and quadriceps that interfere with the ability to recruit the core.
This is one of those exercises that is much harder than it looks, and for older adults it is even a bit scary! The best part about this exercise is its high demand of reflex stability. This is a classic example of where you do not need much strength to complete this but you do need to have incredible reflexes and stability to prevent falling over.
It is impossible to initiate a reflex with conscious thought. For example, if you have to think about contracting your core when you slip you would not have the time and would fall face first. This is the beauty of the stability lunge drill shown above that features 3 levels of difficulty all requiring this reflex stability skill. The three levels are as follows.
1. Hands by your side
2. Hands behind your head
3. Hands behind your head and eyes closed.
Each of these levels will force a greater reflex response from the core and force you to find a way to maintain optimal alignment and stability in order to move. Anyone with hip stiffness created by using the hips as the main driver of their stability will find this almost impossible. Why?
The hips can't remain still and simultaneously move. Something must be sacrificed and it will be your stability so that you can move your leg in front of you. This is such an amazing drill to use with any person who is a risk of falling, as it simulates the falling response but without the risk of serious injury.
Studies show that the reaction time of a 60-year old is on average 25% slower than that of a 20-year old! People who live in extended care have even slower reaction times than those living in the community. (Reference: Bending the Aging Curve by Robert Signorile)
Trust me when I say the fear of falling with this exercise is very much the same thing as a real fall from a standing position. For this reason it is a key exercise I use with older adults for falls prevention and has proven to be very successful.
Mobility restrictions
- Quadriceps
- TFL
Stability deficits
- Core
4. Yoga Push-ups
This exercise takes the Downward Dog pose from Yoga and combines the push-up strength exercise. The main purpose of doing this is to encourage correct scapula movement and engagement of the weakened serratus anterior that is so often a big problem with shoulder and neck injuries. (See article – why serratus anterior is so important to the shoulder) However, there are so many moving parts in this one exercise that it deserves a closer look to appreciate how useful this exercise can be.
This is an excellent way to encourage thoracic extension, shoulder stability, and upward rotation of the scapula without ever needing to move your arms. This is because it is a closed chain exercise with the hands fixed in space and unable to move therefor requiring movement at other joints in order to complete the movement. Closed chain exercises like the push-up provides greater stability for the shoulder allowing more control and improved mobility at the thorax and often becomes a favourite exercise for people with neck pain.
Even though it is a primarily an exercise I use for shoulder and neck problems it does provide some amazing mobility changes to the hips and even the ankle as both the hamstrings and calf muscles require incredible flexibility in the downward dog position.
Mobility Restrictions
- Thoracic
- Hip
- Calf
Stability Deficits
- Scapula
- Shoulder
5. Turkish Get-up
This is a beast of an exercise and has featured heavily so many times in articles about the core or shoulder. This is for a very good reason, the exercise improves so many things all at once.
The amazing changes that happen when you perform this exercise are varied for the simple reason it does so many things. If you thought the Yoga push-up was great then this takes things to a whole new level. It is also for this reason that it can be hard to learn, but the effort is well worth it for here is a list of the benefits to your body from the Turkish Get Up.
- Greatly improves shoulder stability and thoracic mobility at the same time!
- Improves overall body stability and integration between upper and lower body
- Promotes reflexive stability of the torso
- Encourages great mobility of the hips and thoracic spine, the two areas most people are lacking
- Improves the body's ability to coordinate and enhance balance from lying to standing
- Develops upper body strength, trunks strength, and glute strength
If you think that is impressive then this will blow you off your chair. In my recent article about core strength and analysing various exercises with EMG measurements, the Turkish Get-up was rated NUMBER ONE out of every exercise for core activation across all four muscles tested. It beat the deadlift, squats, and all abdominal muscle isolation exercises for total core activation!
As you can see this is so much more than just a simple strength exercise.
Mobility restrictions
- Hips
- Thoracic
- Shoulder
Stability deficits
- Core
- Scapula
- Shoulder
You can read more about this exercise in this article – Why the Turkish Get-up is the ultimate core strength exercise
6. Hip Airplane
This exercise is a variation of the single leg Romanian deadlift with the main differences with this versus the standard single leg RDL is the added rotational movement of the hip in the air, and the proprioception demands needed to maintain balance. The RDL and especially the single leg RDL are known as great exercises for lower back pain and hip pain as it works perfectly to realign the femoral head back deep into the hip socket glutes by releasing the hip and strengthening the glutes.
For most people the hardest part is obviously the stability requirement of the stance leg but for others it is the mobility of the hip moving in the air. It is interesting to observe this in many people and see how limited their mobility is in the leg that appears to be doing nothing.
With so many moving parts it can take some time to truly master this movement but the pay-off is fantastic, especially for someone with patella tracking problems.
Due to the rotation of the hip in the air the body would normally begin to rotate inwards at the foot and the hip to follow. Unfortunately, the single leg stance prevents this from happening as you will fall over instantly. Instead, the body senses the loss of stability and begins to counter the rotation with an opposing rotational force to maintain the single leg stance. This torsion effect is what engages the glutes, the muscles of the foot and ankle, and most importantly the VMO muscle of the knee. The VMO plays a pivotal role in providing knee stability and is often very weak with those suffering with knee pain.
The proprioception part comes into it when you take your eyes off the horizon. With the traditional single leg exercises you can keep your eyes fixed on a point ahead which enables you to maintain good balance and control. This version takes that ability away from you and forces your ankle and feet to work twice as hard which is fantastic for improving knee stability.
Mobility restrictions
- Hips
- Calf
Stability deficits
- Glutes
- VMO
- Feet
You can read more about this exercise in this article – 2 exercises to improve patella tracking and hip stability
7. Multi-direction lunge
The lunge in its own right is a great way to mobilize the hips and stabilize the core, however the multi-direction version takes things up a notch or two. I often refer to this exercise as a series of hip stretches that require strength in order to complete them. It is also an assessment exercise I use with sporting athletes on the first day for it mimics many of the movements required in their sport.
The hips are designed to be very mobile, having to withstand both direct loading stresses and large rotational forces with weight-bearing activities. It is especially vulnerable to injury in sports that involve pivoting or twisting movements, such as soccer, football, tennis and golf. Because the muscles around the hip joint attach directly on to the joint capsule, they have a large influence on the range of movement. And why we need explosive rotation in sports and even in some daily activities, these forces place tremendous strain on your ligaments, tendons and muscular structures designed to protect the joint. The failure to adequately control these forces can lead to chronic pain and a lifetime of restricted movement!
Stiffness of the hips is the body's attempt at restoring the lost stability of this ball and socket joint. You will regularly see a real stiffness with internal rotation of the hip, as the hip flexors and adductors go into overworking mode, and the exact opposite of a weakness with external rotation of the hip due to the glutes becoming lazy and weak.
This is where the multi-direction lunge is so valuable for it not only addresses the stiffness at the hip flexors and adductors but at the same time demands you find stability and strength through the pelvis and glutes. The diagonal lunges in particular are excellent at learning how to really move the hip into internal rotation on the trailing leg, while the stance leg must find external rotation and perfect stability to be able to stay upright and then push backwards.
You can read more about this in the article – Why the multi-direction lunge is so good for your hips
8. Deep Squat & Romanian Deadlift Combo
This last exercise is quite a tricky one to get right and for many people may be too hard, especially if they have knee pain. However, if you are good enough to give it a try it will do wonders for your body in terms of mobility and stabilizing.
Both the squat and the deadlift are great exercises in their own right, but as we discussed earlier sometimes people sacrifice their range of motion in their quest to develop strength. While it is great to be stronger, it is not wise to achieve this at the expense of your mobility. This particular exercise is a great to restore full range of motion to the ankle and hip while simultaneously improving joint stability of the lumbar spine and the knees.
Apart from the obvious muscular benefits the other great benefit of this exercise is the development of the neuromuscular system as you improve your understanding of what makes a squat different to a deadlift. This is where you can truly appreciate the use of the hips in the deadlift action versus the knee loaded focus used in the squat. Sometimes knowing what muscles should be used in different movements enables the person to really “feel” what they should be using and therefor get more out of the exercise. This is one of those cases.
Mobility restrictions
- Ankle
- Knee
- Hips
- Thoracic
Stability deficits
- Lumbar spine
- VMO
- Feet
You can read more about these exercises in the articles below.
Do You Need More Help?
If you currently suffer with knee, back or shoulder injuries you will find our online programs shown below a great resource that take you through all of the assessments and corrective exercises to get you back to full strength and out of pain. You will find a lot of the exercises in the first phases of the rehab programs feature several of the relief exercises discussed in this article.
Summary
There are many other exercises you could find that share similar skills and abilities to these ones we have discussed but I hope this gives you some ideas of how to incorporate exercises that emphasize stability and flexibility. Working on these skills separately I have found to be a good starting point with many people, but over time not very successful in changing movement dysfunction. By incorporating exercises like this you can tap into the motor programs within the nervous system more effectively and as a consequence change multiple joints and muscles all at once!
For more ideas and information on specific topics I may not have covered in detail be sure to check out our INDEX PAGE on the website that has over 300 of our best articles. These are all sorted into categories for quick reference so you can find what you are after more easily. You can also subscribe to our FREE fortnightly newsletter by clicking here.
If you do need specific help with your exercise program please feel free to reach out to me for help and we can set you up with your individualised program.
About The Author
Nick Jack is owner of No Regrets Personal Training and has over 16 years’ experience as a qualified Personal Trainer, Level 2 Rehabilitation trainer, CHEK practitioner, and Level 2 Sports conditioning Coach. Based in Melbourne Australia he specialises in providing solutions to injury and health problems for people of all ages using the latest methods of assessing movement and corrective exercise.
References:
- Movement - By Gray Cook
- Corrective Exercise Solutions - by Evan Osar
- Back Pain Mechanic - by Dr Stuart McGill
- Diagnosis & Treatment Of Movement Impairment Syndromes - By Shirley Sahrman
- Low Back Disorders - by Dr Stuart McGill
- Ultimate Back Fitness & Performance - by Dr Stuart McGill
- Core Stability - by Peak Performance
- Athletic Body in Balance - by Gray Cook
- Anatomy Trains - by Thomas Meyers
- Motor Learning and Performance - By Richard A Schmidt and Timothy D Lee
- Assessment & Treatment Of Muscle Imbalance - By Vladimir Janda
- How To Eat, Move & Be Healthy by Paul Chek
- Scientific Core Conditioning Correspondence Course - By Paul Chek
- Advanced Program Design - By Paul Chek
- Twist Conditioning Sports Strength - By Peter Twist
- Twist Conditioning Sports Movement - By Peter Twist
- Functional Training For Sports - By Mike Boyle