We have a fun hands-on topic for you today.
It’s a couple of mini-mobility tests …
And they are designed to show you how flexible your body is, and how well it moves through some of your major muscle groups.
These tests only take a couple of minutes … but they will give you solid information on how you’re doing with your mobility.
This is REALLY important because having a body that can move pain-free through a full range of motion can set you up for improved day-to-day performance in pretty much everything that you do … both now and into the future.
Let’s get started!
Shoulder Mobility Test
The shoulder mobility test is best performed when you are not wearing bulky clothing
The only equipment needed is a measuring tape or ruler.
Stand evenly on both feet and relax your shoulders and arms.
To begin the test:
- Raise your right arm straight up over your head.
- Bend your right elbow. Let your right palm rest on the back of your neck with your fingers pointing down toward your feet.
- Using your left hand, reach down behind your back and rest the back of your hand on your spine (your palm should be facing away from your body).
- Without straining, slide your right hand down your neck and your left hand up your spine (your hands should be moving toward each other).
- Once you have reached as far as you can, have your partner measure the distance between your fingers.
- Release your grasp by reversing the stretch and returning to the starting position.
Test Results
For general health purposes, your test results would be described as follows:
- Excellent: Fingers overlap
- Good: Fingers touch
- Average: Fingers are less than 2 inches apart
- Poor: Fingers are more than 2 inches apart
Seated Rotational Mobility Test
All you need are two simple pieces of equipment: A doorway and a dowel (or another lightweight stick that measures about a yard/meter long, like a broomstick).
What you want to do is find a doorway that has some open space on both sides, so that your dowel can easily move side to side without bumping into anything.
With your dowel nearby, sit on the floor, cross-legged, with a foot on either side of the door jamb.
You want to sit up with your back straight, in a natural seated position.
Now, grab your dowel and hold it up against your collarbones, so that the two sides of the dowel extend evenly outward from your shoulders.
Hold the dowel with your arms crossed at your wrists, forearms along your chest.
Now, we’re ready for the mobility test!
From here, you want to rotate your body toward your right, all the way until the left side of the dowel touches the wall. And then rotate and repeat in the other direction.
Keep your body aligned so that your shoulders don’t dip or lean too much. Also, be sure to breathe.
Do this for a few reps and notice how your body feels.
If you were able to easily touch the wall, that’s fantastic. That means you have good mobility.
But if it was challenging to touch the wall, or you weren’t able to do it at all, it’s a sign you might need to work on it.
This is incredibly important because rotational moves like this one are some of the first to be affected by the aging process.
Also, if you felt any pulling or discomfort in your upper back or shoulder area, that’s also an area that tends to get less mobile as you get older … and could probably use a little attention.
So … how did YOU do? Try it and let us know. Drop a comment below or send us a message!
Regardless of your test results, we want to invite you to join our FREE 6- Day Mobility Challenge!
💪Our goal during this challenge is to help you discover new ease of movement.
Mobility is a lot more than just having good flexibility and being able to hold deep stretches.
It’s actually about being able to move your muscles and joints through their full range of motion.
But your everyday life, old injuries, and the unique way your body is built can get in the way.
👉Every day, we’ll focus on a different body part … and then on the final day, you’ll put it all together into a total-body routine that’ll leave you feeling refreshed and balanced!
This challenge is not only good for your body but it’s also good for your mind because it helps reduce stress. Just click the picture below to get registered for free!
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