ASK THE WH FIT SQUAD

Want to run further, lift heavier or nail your first pull-up? Each month, we put your questions to our team of the finest fitness brains to give you the tools you need to make good on your goals

Are you prioritising mobility? Thought not. Here’s why you should be

Q WHY AND HOW SHOULD I IMPROVE MY MOBILITY?

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Amanda Ngonyama says: You might devote one day a week to your legs, arms and abs, but how often do you schedule in a mobility session? Thought as much. There’s a lot of talk around being mobile, most of which conflates it with flexibility, but the two are very different. Flexibility allows you to passively lengthen a muscle, while mobility enables you to move that muscle in various ways around the joints with strength and control, enhancing your workout performance, preventing injury and helping you to move with ease throughout your day.

Sold? Good. The next step is considering when to work on your mobility. A dynamic routine has been shown to be most effective when completed before a workout, as it prepares the body and promotes functional movement alongside performance, but you’ll reap these rewards both during exercise and in daily life regardless of when it’s done. Frequency-wise, most healthy adults should look to spend 15 minutes on mobility work two or three times per week, moving through each exercise for 60 seconds. These are my fundamentals – change won’t happen overnight, but put in the work and they’ll make for safer training and new PBS. Promise.

CHILD’S POSE

INTO COBRA

Targets: Lower back, inner thighs, hips

(a) Start off in child’s pose, sitting on your heels with your arms out in front of you.

(b) Slowly lift your hips as you bend your elbows and slide your chest forwards along the floor. Press your hands into the ground and reach your chest forward. Continue back and forth for 60 secs.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER TWIST Targets: Back, hips, glutes, shoulders, legs

(a) Start in a high plank.

(b) Bring your right foot forwards to meet your hands. Lift your right arm up towards the ceiling. Alternate sides for 60 secs.

KNEE TO CHEST INTO SINGLE-LEG DOWNWARD DOG Targets: Shoulders, neck, legs, ankles

(a) Begin in high plank, then bring your left knee into your chest, squeezing your glutes and core.

(b) Lift your left leg back and up until it’s straight, pressing your hands into the ground and relaxing your shoulders. Reverse the movement to return to high plank and repeat on the opposite side – carry on alternating for 60 secs.