Exploring the MVMT Tree Pt. 2: Mobile

Strength plus Flexibility... the Yin and the Yang of any capable body.

(Note: This is part 2 in a 4 part series looking at the core concepts behind Adventure MVMT. If you have yet to read Pt.1, go there first, then hit up the sequel.)

Mobility, as of late, is becoming a fitness buzzword, starting down the path of "bootcamp" and "functional." Much like "natural" getting slapped on processed food labels to make it seem healthier, many gyms just are tacking "mobility" onto their class descriptions, adding extra stretch or 2, then calling it a day. This with the hope that members won"t notice the lack of expertise employed to effectively execute the concept. I know I cannot turn back the tide alone, but I can educate, which I plan on doing as soon as this rant is over in 3...2...1...

Strength and Flexibility should coexist as balanced aspects in ones body and work together to inform ones level of mobility, which in its most basic terms, is ones ability to move. But, in relation to fitness assessment, I would expand that definition to:

The extent to which one can create pain free

force through a given joint's proper range of motion.

So lets break that statement down...

Create pain free force:

The job of muscles is to create force. The stronger the muscle, the more force it creates, pretty simple. As far as "pain free" goes, a healthy joint should not be painful to move. Pain is your body saying something is wrong, and in the case of a joint, often points to an injury and/or muscle imbalance resulting in joint misalignment (but thats getting into Durability). Thus a healthy pain free joint will be properly aligned via strong well balanced muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Through the proper range of motion:

Just like a machine, our body's joints are built to operate best within certain ranges. Thus if a joint is not able to move from its ideal point A to point B, that is a red flag. This is most commonly a result of injury, tight/imbalanced muscles and/or inflammation. I say proper range, not full range, because for some hypermobile people, the full range of motion of a given joint goes beyond its proper range. Think people that are double jointed or can hyperextend their knee. This is often a result of joint misalignment and/or tissue imbalance and can lead to durability issues.

Now that we have a good working definition of Mobility, lets look into its parts and how too much focus on one, affects overall balance and capability...

Strength

This is the ability to create force and is the result of your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints all functioning together to do work (force X distance). Strength is a major factor in creating a capable body, but when strength is the only focus, flexibility suffers. Think guy at the gym who bench presses 500lbs, but can't scratch his own back. At least in the context of adventure sports, strength at the cost of flexibility is pretty pointless. Lack of flexibility in joints also promotes imbalances, misalignment and muscle tightness that contribute to injury.

Flexibility

This is the extent to which you can flex or extend your joints. It, just like strength is a crucial factor in any capable body. Yet if not in balance with strength, will cause both performance and durability issues. Healthy flexibility will allow joints to move through their proper range of motion in tandem with strong balanced muscles keeping everything aligned throughout the motion. For example, in climbing, flexibility allows you to get your foot up high for a hand/foot match. From there strength not only allows you to stand up on that foot to reach the next hold, it keeps your knee & hip efficiently aligned and from dislocating.

Let's put this concept into another context that I care deeply about...bourbon! Now a good bourbon will be balanced: strong, yet smooth (i.e.flexible). A bourbon that is strong, but not smooth, is out of balance and hard to drink. Thus you add simple syrup, bitters and orange zest to smooth it out into an old fashioned. On the other hand, too much mixer and not enough bourbon creates a weak ineffective drink (i.e.body).

All that said, everyone starts from a unique position and has unique goals. Thus, how strength and flexibility find balance will look different for each person, just like everyone has their favorite Old Fashioned recipe. This is where working with an experienced and knowledgable MVMT Coach is so important, first to assess your Mobility, then to find your ideal Strength/Flexibility balance to build you into a more Capable Adventurer.

I'll be diving deeper into joint alignment, muscle balance and all things longevity centric next in Part 3: Durability.