With the addition of our mobility class to the schedule I have been asked a ton of questions on the program and philosophy we are following. The answer is often long winded and hard to fit into class time so… Here comes your mobility briefing and vocabulary lesson.
When talking about range of motion (ROM) and improving the way we perform and function a lot of lines get blurred with all of the vocabulary often used and flipped in and out of conversation. In terms of the equation of improving our range of motion or mobility things can be broken down into two categories: PRM and ARM.
PRM or passive range of motion is more commonly known as flexibility and is motion that we can access with assistance. For example our banded hamstring stretch we do in class. We begin by laying on the ground with the band around our foot and pull the band to lift our leg as far over our head as possible (some less than others). ARM also known as active range of motion is closer to the term mobility. It is the ability for our body to achieve great motion without the assistance of an external aid or force.
Why is this training important you may ask?
There is often a LARGE difference between peoples passive and active ranges of motion. The bigger this gap the more unstable the joint and the more susceptible to injury. For example an NFL punter swings their leg from the ground all the way over head to strike the ball and send it flying. But how high can the said punter lift their punting leg and control it? Probably not over his head, the difference between these two positions is the area of motion or range that this athlete is most likely to get injured. How do we improve?
The formula for improvement I like to follow and was trained to practice is called Functional Range conditioning or FRC for short. Their program begins with a 2 minute stretch of the joining in the joint motion you are looking to improve (internal/external rotation, flexion extension, or linear rotation). We do a minimum two minute stretch because based on studies done within this program it is the minimum amount of time required for a stretched joint to adapt (thing about it like a warm up for what’s to come) then begins training ARM (below is a flow chart and example of what I will touch on next).
ARM is the red headed step child of training. To improve our active range of motion means we have to train at our absolute end range of motion. An example using the figure above, to train the end range of motion we would set up with the passive range image you see above but slightly lower than your maximum stretch. From there you will attempt to lift your leg away from what is supporting it.
In some cases you will get lift off and in some cases you won’t depending on your active range of motion and your ability to engage the muscle required to achieve lift. Doing these lifts can often cause cramping for those who have a hard time engaging. These cramps, although uncomfortable are a good sign that you are on the right track and improving a joint that needs improving. It’s your nervous system sending you a signal that it’s uncomfortable and not used to being pushed that far. As long as you are training safely and with control you will not get hurt from these cramps. The more you repeat this process the stronger that joint and muscle will become thus improving your active range of motion and bridging the gap we need to prevent injury.
Once the lift off has been trained and joint strength improved you may move onto the hover which will build the stability of the joint. Simply put you will maintain a lift of and hold it as long as you can to build joint stability. As both of these things improve the simple way to make things more and more challenging is to then retest your passive range drop down slightly and begin training again improving inch by inch.
This is an abridged description of what I am doing and hope you will all enjoy (minus the cramping). If there are more questions on how to improve and other movements please feel free to ask and I’m more than happy to give homework in the areas you are looking to improve as well as lead you in the direction of more research or podcasts.
— Coach Aaron Egerter