What is Stability and Mobility?
Stability and mobility can be an important key puzzle to generating speed and power through the actuation of the body. Mobility is important to our day-to-day movements and activity. And good stability appropriately lets us leverage our body’s structure. It is important to the longevity of our bodies. And if mobility equals potential energy by creating leverage. Then, stability converts that leverage into kinetic energy. Thus, the better the stability, the more the body can optimize the potential energy. And better mobility will allow the body to access, potentially, more potential energy through a deeper range of mechanical leverage and torque. So, what is mobility? And how do we strengthen our stability?
Mobility is defined as the ability to move freely and easily. And to do so, one must be flexible to reach full ranges of motion and strong enough to deliver force during those ranges of motion. To note, increased mobility can allow for better performance in activities and can help prevent injuries. According to Hinge Health, mobility includes physical stamina, strength, balance, coordination, and range of motion. However, for this blog, I would like to focus primarily on flexibility, range of motion, and stability.
I will be referring to my professor’s notes from Wellness 1600, Health and Fitness.
So:
- Flexibility is the ability of a joint to move through its normal full range of motion.
- Range of motion (ROM): is the full motion possible in a joint
- Passive range of motion: is the total range a joint can be taken through with or without assistance. (i.e. think of stretching and flexibility)
- Active range of motion: is the total range a joint can be taken though using only the muscles actively surrounding that joint.
So, why is this information valuable?
Knowing how my body achieves its ranges of motion will allow me to determine if I should stretch or strengthen the muscle.
Sometimes, our movement and body can feel tight or too weak to engage in the full range of motion. Our body or muscles can feel tight due to several reasons, such as:
- The muscle is chronically too long and weakened
- A muscle is overworked or threatened
- The muscle is short
In a case where the muscle is short, the muscle does not have enough physical length and can be stretched. And these muscles will be short on both passive and active ranges of motion.
However, muscles that are too long and weakened can create instability. And these muscles are recommended to strengthen through the full range of motion in a slow and controlled manner.
And lastly, it is recommended for muscles that are overworked and threatened to consider reduction in workout volume, emphasis on recovery, and mindfulness of other sources of stress.
I am not a professional, so if you would like to start a journey towards better mobility and stability:
Please, consider a consultation with your local and trusted physical therapist.
Or if you would like to explore more about strengthening mobility and stability, consider checking out Squat University on YouTube.
Channel: Squat University
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/@SquatUniversity