What are the best functional testing techniques to improve mobility and flexibility?

1 What is mobility and flexibility?

Mobility and flexibility are two related but distinct aspects of your physical fitness. Mobility refers to the ability of your joints to move freely and smoothly through their full range of motion, without pain or restriction. Flexibility refers to the length and elasticity of your muscles and connective tissues, which affect how far you can stretch or bend them. Both mobility and flexibility are important for functional movement, as they allow you to perform various tasks and exercises with ease, efficiency, and safety.

2 Why is functional testing important?

Functional testing is important because it gives you a baseline of your current mobility and flexibility levels, and reveals any potential problems or limitations that may hinder your functional training goals. For example, if you have poor hip mobility, you may struggle with squats, lunges, or jumps, and also put more stress on your lower back and knees. If you have tight hamstrings, you may have difficulty with deadlifts, running, or kicking, and also increase your chance of pulling a muscle. By performing functional tests, you can identify these issues and address them with appropriate corrective exercises.

3 How to perform functional tests?

There are numerous functional tests that you can use to evaluate your mobility and flexibility in different body parts and movements. The overhead squat test is a popular and effective option, as it assesses ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder mobility, as well as core stability and posture. To perform it, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms overhead. Squat down as low as you can while keeping your heels on the ground, knees aligned with toes, arms straight, and chest up. If you experience any difficulty or compensation in any of these areas, you may need to work on improving them. Additionally, the sit and reach test measures hamstring and lower back flexibility. To perform it, sit on the floor with your legs extended and feet together. Reach forward with both hands and try to touch your toes or beyond. If you can't reach them or feel any discomfort in your lower back, consider stretching your hamstrings and improving spinal mobility. Lastly, the shoulder mobility test assesses shoulder range of motion and stability. Stand with your back against a wall and arms at sides. Raise one arm overhead and bend elbow to touch wall behind you. Reach other arm behind back to try to touch opposite hand. If you can't touch them or feel any pain or tightness in shoulders, you may need to loosen up shoulder muscles and joints.

4 How to use functional tests in your training?

Functional tests are a great way to evaluate your mobility and flexibility, as well as guide your training and track progress. They can be used as a warm-up, a cool-down, or a standalone workout depending on your goals and needs. For instance, you can use functional tests before a main workout to activate muscles and joints, and prevent injuries. Additionally, you can use them after a main workout to relax muscles and joints, enhance recovery, and improve flexibility. You can also use them as a separate workout to focus on improving mobility and flexibility, and correcting any imbalances or weaknesses. To do this, you can do a circuit of functional tests and corrective exercises such as mobility flows, resistance bands, or stability balls to target specific areas of improvement and challenge functional movement patterns.

5 What are the benefits of functional testing?

Functional testing can offer many benefits for your functional training and overall health and wellness. For example, you can improve your performance by enhancing your ability to perform tasks with more power, speed, agility, and endurance. Additionally, you can reduce the risk of injury by identifying and addressing any mobility and flexibility issues. Moreover, you can increase your quality of life by maintaining or improving your mobility and flexibility. This can help you improve your daily function, enjoy a wider range of activities, enhance your posture, balance, and coordination, and prevent or delay the effects of aging and degeneration on your body.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?