No one wants to spend 45 minutes rolling around on the floor with the latest battery charged foam roller in preparation for the bar... However, in an industry flooded with information and snappy Instagram infographics, it's hard to filter through the noise to find the most effective movements for you.
So I lead with this question...
How effective is your mobility routine?
In this day and age, having the ability to move ‘freely’ is a privilege and one you have to work for. Just like all the other aspects of training, becoming mobile does not just happen overnight. If you are a powerlifter- you absolutely NEED to consider your movement + mobility, and I'm not only talking about mechanics, technique & form but putting in some time before every workout to ensure you can functionally move on a foundational level.
The word ‘MOBILITY‘ no doubt gets thrown around far too much these days and is used to sell a large number of useless gadgets and gimmicks. So what really works and does it need to take SO long? For more information on the different modalities used under the 'Mobility' banner and the validity of these methods feel free to head over to my article published on this website called "The Importance of Mobility"
Today I'm going to share with you the most effective general mobility drills that will prepare you for the big 3 powerlifting movements.
SHOULDER HEALTH + STABILITY
Before we go ahead and lift large amounts of weight over our face or jam our shoulders under a squat bar we need to pay attention to what a healthy shoulder needs. It's very common for people with large amounts of muscle mass to experience restriction, compression and even inflammation within the subacromial space. We generally see this with athletes who have an imbalance favouring the anterior shoulder musculature, usually partially caused by the surrounding musculature that aids with internal & medial rotation, horizontal adduction, and flexion to become tight and/or dysfunctional. This dysfunction can then lead to muscle weakness & instability of the scapula and surrounding posterior musculature limiting the muscle function which we need to provide stability for a healthy, moving, load-bearing shoulder girdle. In other words, if you bench a lot you will have tight shoulders...ha.
If you want to continue to increase your Bench-Press gains, we need a highly effective mobility drill that can...
a) Create motion at the joint (adduction, abduction, extension, flexion, external & internal rotation)
b) Increase blood flow c) Stimulate and strengthen the posterior shoulder musculature
Mobility Drill #1
YTWL's with bands
A great drill that creates varied movement at the joint by taking the shoulder through different planes of motion. A great way to increase blood flow, warm the entire joint and prime it for further movement while cueing scapula retraction, external rotation and horizontal abduction activating the muscles associated with those movements (Posterior deltoid, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, Rhomboids, trapezius, and the lats). A create tool to encourage scapular retraction which is essential in the set up of the Bench-Press.
Video:
Prescription: 3 sets of each position YTWL x 10 reps.
Mobility Drill #2
The Mace 360 Swing
This drill passively and actively takes your shoulders through a controlled external/internal rotation, abduction/adduction, flexion, and extension. This requires you to relax and contract at the right times supporting both mobility and strength/stability within the shoulder girdle. The interaction between muscle contraction and passive rotation creates a strong healthy shoulder. Another fantastic way to open up the shoulder girdle while training the function of the shoulder in preparation for a more stable, stronger Bench-Press.
Now I understand a lot of you won't have access to one of these but they are super affordable and will especially help with people who have low bar squat elbow/shoulder pain. You can even make your own old school 'Gada' which works just as well, check out @KettleCam (www.instagram.com/kettlecam) for some ideas on how to make your own Gada, he also imports Mace Bells if you want one.
Disclaimer: The 360 swing does take some technical ability and needs time to be learned properly. For more information on the history, use, and tutorial of the Mace check out my blog on this website.
Video:
Prescription: 3 sets of 10 swings each way - total volume 60 swings.
This drill has become very popular since World Champion Powerlifter and overall genius Chris Duffin came out with his SHOULDERÖKTM. For more information on that check out his product HERE. (https://store.kabukistrength.net/products/shoulderok?variant=28893305283)
HIP MOBILITY/FUNCTION AND CORE STABILITY & TRIPLE FLEXION
Now that we've covered 2 fast and effective drills for the upper cross that will prepare you for Benching we now shift our attention to the lower cross and some quick, easy yet extremely useful drills to prepare you for Squats & Deadlifts.
There a few things we want to achieve before we go ahead and start warming up with the bar. The lower cross requires even more attention to detail due to the larger loads generally lifted and the larger muscle groups that are being utilized. Squatting & Deadlifting correctly in itself will make you strong, healthy and promote longevity. I am such a huge fan of multi-joint compound lifts, however, the reason why we need to incorporate mobilization techniques, muscle activation and certain primer drills prior to lifting the barbell is due to our own mobility restrictions, and nearly everyone has them. We are currently living in a world where many people have forgotten what its like to move and move freely. Even as athletes we are spending more and more time at our desk, in the office, on the couch, in the car or on the train and we suffer the mobility consequences.
So, what do you need prior to Squat & Deadlift?
a) We want to open our hip musculature (not only the hip flexors) and ankles to prime triple flexion.
b) Activate our core + gluteus to aid in hip stability which downstream means greater knee stability.
c) Create some movement and blood flow to those large lower cross muscles.
Mobility Drill #3
The Frog Stretch
A great static stretch that addresses the hip musculature specific to what's required in a squat. You see, it's not enough to only stretch or release the hip flexors alone. The femur is interacting with the acetabulum in many different ways making the movement more complex involving flexion, abduction and external rotation.
This stretch is a more global hip opener putting the hip into external rotation, abduction + partial flexion - exactly what we need!
Video:
Prescription: 2 - 4 sets of 1 min (hold a position until you feel a release, then move into other positions as per the video)
Mobility Drill #4
Deep Squat w/ Kettle Bell
Putting the hip into external rotation, extension, and abduction + putting the Gastrocnemius/soleus into extension. A great way to prime that triple flexion movement. A squat specific hip opener with the ability to drive a deep stretch into those large muscles that can hinder ankle flexion. In order for us to squat and do it well, we need that hip, knee & ankle flexion happening without any mobility restriction. Another very effective pre squat or deadlift movement.
Video: (from 8:18):
Prescription: 2 - 4 sets of 1 min hold (you can jump between this and the Frog Stretch)
Mobility Drill #5
The Bird Dog
I love this exercise because it helps prime and activates both spinal stabilization, core stability, and glute contraction. Where a normal person may do this to strengthen the relevant muscles involved we use this as a mind-muscle neurological cueing movement to prepare us for our squats or deadlifts. It's extremely common for people to have tight hip musculature resulting in inhibited gluteus and core, once we open up that tight structure we need prime the weak structure. This movement helps us prime that connection and that muscle activation before jumping under a loaded barbell.
Video:
Prescription: 2 - 4 sets of 10 reps per side
Well, that's all we will cover today. I hope you can take away and find a benefit from these drills. You don't need to spend long on mobility, it just needs to be effective and consistent.
Thanks for stopping by! As always, feel free to contact me on @BroganSamuelWilliams if you have any questions.
Brogan
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