Mobility exercises are extremely important before training for several reasons: they help prevent injuries, promote muscle and joint activation for training and make us more fit and predisposed to rapid and constant stimuli. This last fact helps especially in Crosstraining, (replaced by high intensity training) which involves constantly varied movements.

On average, we should focus on mobility work for about 15/30 minutes per day.

1. Foam Roller – Upper back (20 slow turns)

At the beginning of a physical activity, the foam roller will increase blood flow in the muscles, reduce muscle stiffness, help increase mobility and prepare the body for the following exercises.

Therefore, the roller should be placed at the beginning of the back and slide it towards the lower back, remembering to have the soles of your feet firmly planted.

2. Down Dog (Static: 40” / Dynamic: 10 repetitions)

With your body as straight as possible, your hands and feet fully supported on the floor, let all your body weight fall on your shoulders.

Press your hands against the floor, moving your chest gently towards your thighs and your heels gently towards the floor. Relax your head and neck.

This exercise is good for stretching your lower back, hamstrings, calves and feet.

3. Pulling your shoulder blades apart and together (15 repetitions)

With your arms always extended, gently pull your shoulder blades apart, pushing the floor and bringing them together again, without moving your torso.

This exercise is good for activating the upper shoulder chain, more specifically the rhomboids.

Flex your torso over your hips, with a slight bend in your knees.

4. Good Mornings with or without resistance band (20 repetitions)

With your feet shoulder-width apart, place a resistance band on the back of your shoulders (not on your neck). With your core engaged and your shoulders back, lean forward, allowing a slight bend in your knees, but keeping your back straight. Lean forward until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings and, as you exhale, reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

This exercise is good for activating the posterior chain, lower back and hamstrings. When using the resistance band, you can vary its resistance and adapt it to your physical condition.

This exercise is good for activating the quadriceps, but especially the glutes.

5. Lunges with trunk rotation over the leg (20 repetitions)

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended forward. Step forward with one foot, bending both knees towards the floor and rotate your arms and torso over the front leg. Pay special attention to keeping your front heel on the floor.

6. Scorpion (20 repetitions)

Lying face down with your arms open and stretched out, move your leg to the opposite side, without letting the arm on the same side lose contact with the floor.

This exercise is good for mobilizing the hips and activating the lateral abdominals.

7. Hip raise with shoulder flexion (15 repetitions)

Lying face up, with your knees flexed and your feet flat on the floor, raise your hips and, at the same time, bring your arms up to the level of your ears, always stretched out.

This exercise is good for activating the posterior chain and at the same time mobilizing the shoulders and the dorsal muscular chain.

8. Hip and Shoulder Raises in 3 Positions (20 repetitions)

Move one leg forward, without placing the back knee on the floor. Then place the opposite hand immediately next to the foot, rotating the torso/chest towards the leg and looking towards the hand/ceiling.

In this movement, we recruit the abdominals in general and the lower limbs to stretch.

9. Pulses (10 gentle repetitions)

On your knees with both hands rotated inwards and resting on the floor, move backwards with the help of the torso, thus increasing the tension in the wrist area. Then, reverse the position of the hands and repeat the movement.

In this exercise, we give the wrists a more intense stretch, thus helping to increase mobility in this area in the long term.

10. Ankle Rotation (10 repetitions in each direction)

Rotate the ankles in both directions without moving the foot.

This exercise is beneficial for releasing some tension in the joint and also for mobilizing the area.

Mobility exercises can be done at home on days when we can’t go to the gym.

All you need is 2 elastic bands of different resistances and 1 foam roller.

Happy training!

Tânia Ribeiro – athlete and CrossFit coach

@tania_ribeirocfit