General Mobility Program

The following is an example of a mobility training unit that could form part of an athlete's training session (Reynolds 1995)^[1].

From a standing position with your arms hanging loosely at your sides, flex, extend, and rotate each of the following joints:

Overhead/Down and back - Swing both arms continuously to an overhead position and then forward, down, and backwards. 6 to 10 repetitions.
Side/Front Crossover - Swing both arms out to your sides and then cross them in front of your chest. 6 to 10 repetitions.

Flexion/Extension - Tuck your chin into your chest, and then lift your chin upward as far as possible. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions.
Lateral Flexion - lower your left ear toward your left shoulder and then your right ear to your right shoulder. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions.
Rotation - Turn your chin laterally toward your left shoulder and then rotate it toward your right shoulder. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions.

Flexion/Extension - Slump shoulders, tuck your chin toward your chest, and drop your chest forward slightly. Then pull your shoulders back, raise your chin, and lift your chest while arching your back slightly. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions.
Lateral Flexion - With your arms at your sides, bend sideways at the waist to your left, and then bend sideways to your right. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions.
Rotation - With your hands in front of your chest and elbows out to the sides, twist at your waist to the left, and then back to the right. Perform 6 to 10 repetitions.

Circles - With your hands on your hips and feet spread wider than your shoulders, make circles with your hips in a clockwise direction for 10 to 12 repetitions. Then repeat in a counterclockwise direction.
Twists - Extend your arms to your sides, twist your torso, and hips to the left, shifting your weight to the left foot. Then twist your torso to the right while shifting your weight to the right foot. Perform 10 to 12 reps on each side.

Flexion/Extension - With your weight on your left leg and your right hand on a support for balance, swing your right leg forward and backward for 10 to 12 repetitions. Repeat with the left leg for 10 to 2 repetitions.
Cross Body flexion/Abduction - Leaning slightly forward with your hands on a wall and your weight on your left leg, swing your right leg to the left in front of your body, pointing your toes upwards as your foot reaches its furthest point of motion. Then swing the right leg back to the right as far as comfortable, again pointing your toes up as your foot reaches its final point of the movement. 10 to 12 repetitions on each leg.

Double leg bounce - Leaning forward with your hands on the wall and your weight on your toes, raise and lower both heels rapidly (bounce). Each time lift your heels one to two inches from the ground while maintaining ground contact with the ball of your feet. Perform 12 to 16 repetitions.
Single leg bounce - leaning forward with your hands on a wall and all your weight on your left foot, raise the right knee forward while pushing the left heel towards the ground. Then lower the right foot to the floor while raising the left heel one or two inches. Repeat in a rapid, bouncy fashion. Perform 12 to 16 repetitions on each leg.

Joint rotations 3 to 4 minutes
Warm-up jog 5 to 6 minutes
Upper body mobility 2 to 3 minutes
Fast jogging 2 × 50 metres with 20 metres recovery
Lower body mobility 3 to 4 minutes
Fast striding 2 × 50 metres with 50 metres recovery
Acceleration runs 2 × 40 metres increasing speed throughout with 50 metres recovery

If you are a Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Athletics Coach or do any type of bodywork, then consider certification in Stretching and Flexibility provided by The Stretching Institute.

REYNOLDS, W. (1995) These pre-workout exercises can give a valuable boost to competitive performance. Peak Performance, 53, p. 1-3

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (1997) General Mobility Program [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/mobprog.htm [Accessed