Exercise doesn’t make you out of breath or wipe your forehead. Mobility training is a great way to build a stronger, more flexible body without spiking your heart rate.
It doesn’t require much equipment, so you can do it at home, in the gym, or in the park if the weather permits. The only gear I can really recommend is a yoga mat.
A short stretching session from the mobility app Flexibilityperformance director of Cody Mooney It takes less than 10 minutes. Use 4 movements to improve mobility, relieve muscle soreness and increase joint elasticity throughout the body.
Check out how to perform the four movements below and learn from Mooney himself how each can help you build a healthier body.
1. Low Dragon Pose
(Image credit: Flexibility)
- On all fours, step your right foot forward between your hands.
- Slide your left knee back until you feel a full extension in your left hip.
- Gently press into the floor with your front foot.
- Hold this position for 60 to 120 seconds as you sink and stretch.
- Once you’ve done this, repeat on the other side of your body (step forward with your left foot instead of your right).
Why you should do this pose: “Low Dragon Pose helps open up your hips and groin and provides a targeted stretch for your hip flexors and quadriceps,” says Mooney.
2. Child pose
(Image credit: Flexibility)
- Kneel on the floor with your knees hip-width apart.
- Bring your toes closer together, keeping your knees apart.
- Lower your chest to the floor and extend your arms along the ground in front of you.
- Hold this position for 30-60 seconds.
Why you should do this pose: This is a resting pose that allows you to sit back and relax to relax your body (and mind). According to Mooney, it puts you in an elongated posture that helps release tension from head to toe.
3. Pigeon pose
(Image credit: Flexibility)
- Starting on all fours, move your right knee forward and move your lower leg as close to vertical as possible to your body (see diagram above).
- Slide your left foot back until your leg is almost straight.
- Keep your hips straight and your chest tilted toward the floor.
- If your knees feel uncomfortable in this position, you can bring your back leg closer to your body.
- Spend 60-120 seconds in this pose.
- During this time, try gently tilting your chest toward the ground for 10 seconds at a time to release tension and take a few breaths between each movement.
Why you should do this pose: “If you suffer from tight hip joints (a common result of sitting at a desk all day), the pigeon pose is the stretch for you. It releases the muscles in your hips and lower back, allowing them to relax in these areas. It releases tension and strengthens muscles,” says Mooney. your flexibility.
4. Sumo squat
(Image credit: Flexibility)
- Start in a standing position with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat as low as possible.
- Keep your chest facing forward instead of slumping toward the ground.
- Here you can put your hands together and tuck your elbows into your knees, or (like Mooney in the picture above) you can extend them overhead for an extra challenge.
- Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds.
Why you should do this pose: “This pose activates muscle groups throughout the lower body, including quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, calves, and lower back muscles,” Mooney explains. It’s also harder than it looks, so take your time warming up before holding for 1 minute.
If you enjoy this slower-paced session (and the many benefits mobility training offers), you may want to try similar activities such as yoga or Pilates.
These 8 Anti-Aging Yoga Moves or 1-Month Pilates Plan for Beginners are great places to start if you want to try any of these practices.
Or, if you liked Mooney’s mobility sessions and want to do more of the same, this 10-minute routine, also from Pliability, can help you start healing the damage from sitting at your desk all day.
