What is optimal mobility

Mobility is about being able to reach full range of motion in all joints while maintaining control. Optimal mobility is achieving this range of motion, pain-free allowing you to be a resilient, physically active human. And at a base level, those mobility needs are the same for all of us.

Optimal mobility allows you to take part in the activities that matter to you, without limitations. It's about decreasing your risk of injury and to perform at your highest level with confidence. Whether you're playing with your kids or grandkids, going for a surf, chasing your personal best in a marathon or tying your shoelaces.

Your body adapts to whatever stimulus you give it

Most of us spend a sizeable chunk of the day sitting. Whether it's on the computer, in the car, or on the couch. It’s no wonder that our hips are tight, our neck hurts, and our upper back feels stiff. 

Over time, the body will take away any range of motion it doesn't deem necessary. It’s the classic case of use it or lose it.

But there’s more to it than just feeling stiff and uncomfortable

Having limited mobility means that you’re not getting your joints in the optimal positions to create and absorb force. You’re not building strength as efficiently as you could. You’re forcing the joints to deal with stress in positions that you cannot get into without a compromise. And more likely than not restricting your ability to breathe at capacity.

Performance goes down, and the risk of injury goes up. Not only in sports, but also in day to day life.

Most of us know a parent who tweaked their back while picking up a child

The issue here is not that they’re not strong enough to pick up their kid. After all, they do it all the time. The problem is that they don’t have the mobility to be in the optimal position to do the lifting. And so the body has to compensate for it, often through the low back.

In training, it’s not uncommon to see someone overhead press with limited shoulder mobility. They often end up arching their low back to compensate. This might not be a big deal when it happens occasionally. But over time it can eventually lead to backache.

Then there are the runners with limited hip extension. The poor hip extension limits the end of the stride and the body will have to compensate for it. Again, this often occurs at the expense of the low back.

The benchmarks for optimal mobility

Our optimal mobility standards are the foundation for a well functioning, robust human. These benchmarks are the base for where to build strength and performance.

Certain sports, such as gymnastics, require a greater mobility than our benchmarks. Again, our mobility standards act as a stepping stone for that. That being said, most sports would do just fine with the optimal mobility we’ve defined.

Summary

Optimal mobility allows you to take part in the activities that matter to you, without limitations. It's about decreasing your risk of injury and to perform at your highest level with confidence. 

Having limited mobility means that you’re not getting your joints in the optimal positions to create and absorb force. Performance goes down, and the risk of injury goes up.

Optimal Humans app mobility standards are the foundation for a well functioning, robust human.