MASTERING MOBILITY PROGRAM Conor Harris BS, CSCS, XPS, CES, CPT DISCLAIMER This eBook is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to serve as a means of injury diagnosis or treatment. If you are in pain, go see a qualified physical therapist. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the eBook. This is designed for those who seek to improve mobility, movement options, joint function, and reducing chronically tight muscle tone for longevity of performance and/or health. I have had the pleasure of working with the human body in a wide range of populations. These include, but are certianly not limited to: NBA, MLB, and NFL athletes Collegiate D1 athletes Powerlifter & Strongman competitors Casual gym trainees Geriatric clientele (above age 60) Youth populations (age 18 and under) What I have continually appreciated is that while we all have individual differences, the human body is still the human body. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES VS COMMON HUMAN PATTERNS That last statement may come as a surprise, but it's true. The human body is complex, but it isn't necessarily extremely complicated. That is an important distinction to make. We all have different demands on our lives. Lifestlyle habits, jobs, sports, and genetics all dictate how we move and compensate. I have found that most people need a lot of similar interventions to improve movement. I am not claiming everyone is the same, but I am saying that the human body tends to compensate in somewhat predictable patterns and we can utilize our understanding of those patterns to our advantage. Assuming there aren't any signficant genetic abnormalities that change the structure of how your body is built, we can leverage certain positions to predictably improve mobility and movement capabilities. This book was designed with years of experience through trial and error. I have chosen the exact protocol I would give to someone to improve their movement as much as possible without me being there by your side every step of the way. This protocol will be clear, concise, and easy to implement without any added B.S. I hope you enjoy! HOW TO USE THE EBOOK Follow the eBook exactly as written. If you half-ass it and then come to me saying it isn’t working, I’m not going to be very receptive. This program will help you if you follow it diligently. Every single exercise is chosen for a very specific reason. Each exercise is providing a specific input into your body that another exercise in the program may not be. There are a few different types of exercises in the book: Daily Drills: These are to be done every day of your life. They should be completed for around 5 sets per day. You'll need less if you are passing the assessments, more if you are far off from the goals. It takes consistent input every day into your body to convince it to accept new positions and hold them over time. The most optimal way to do these would be a few sets in the morning and a few sets at night. I tell all of my clients: “The ball is in your court for how quickly you will see results." If you do less, you’ll see slower results. If you do more, you’ll probably see faster results. Strength Exercises: These are to be done every other day. They are designed to help you "own" the range of motion you are gaining in the Daily Drills. More is not necessarily better here, so please follow the guidelines as described in the program. COMMON UPPER BODY LIMITATONS It's first important to realize that your shoulder blade (scapula) rests on your back ribcage. It needs to glide smoothly in order for your humerus (arm bone) to be able to effectively move and rotate. Ribcage position = Scapular mobility = Shoulder mobility The point is, it all starts with the ribcage first. The primary motion that affects the ribcage on a daily basis is the ability to move it through breathing and respiration. When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts and helps expand the ribcage in every direction. This circumfrential "expansion" is the foundation of shoulder health and has (in my opinion) been under-appreciated for a long time. If we do not breathe well, we will push air into the easiest place possible, since air is a gas that follows the path of least resistance. A variety of compensations can happen if we do not breathe well, but this is one of the most common examples: We have a large cavity in our back ribcage called the Posterior Mediastinum. This needs to expand when we inhale. If it does not due to compression of the back ribs, air will go primarily forward into our belly. When this occurs, it is because the low and/or upper back muscles are too tight and restricting this expansion. The point is, a variety of compensations can happen, but those compensations almost always involve a restriction in some area of the ribcage. The good thing about this program is it's going to address limitations at all areas of the ribcage which will help improve range of motion regardless of your inidvidual limitations. COMMON LOWER BODY LIMITATONS The above description of the upper body is often coupled with Anterior Pelvic Tilt, in which our weight is more forward on our toes and the back is arched excessively. In this position of Anteiror Pelvic Tilt, the hamstrings are elongated and then the muscles on the front side of the body (hip flexors and quads) become tight along with the low back muscles. Sometimes this is coupled with a lateral pelvic tilt where one side of the pelvis is higher than the other. In a lateral pelvic tilt orientation, there are now asymmetrical muscular imbalances present, which limit certain ranges of motion on the higher side and others on the lower side. I can't easily give specifics, but if you want to know which are most common, see the webinar I link later on. Another common compensation is Swayback Posture. This is usually an additional compensation built upon Anterior Pelvic Tilt in which the body essentially senses that it is "falling too far forward" within the hips, so the glutes and other muscles tighten up to "pull" the pelvis back to regain a more neutral center of mass. Notice below how despite different postural compensations, the body ultimately just wants to find an even balance of weight distribution down the mid-line of the body: Similarly to the upper body, the point is that despite individual differences, these compensations restrict certain ranges of motion more than others. The great thing about this program is that we're going to work on many different positions of hip mobility to allow you to improve your results across the board. I would bet 90% or more of people doing this program have limitations in most assessments. That means there is room to improve across them all. If you didn't have limitations on several assessments, you probably aren't buying this program in the first place. Now, let's move on to the assessment protocol. ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL Let’s now get a starting assessment for where you’re at right now. The goal of these assessments are to provide you an objective process for knowing you’re getting better. You should be able to test yourself and then re-test in a week and see objective improvements. If you aren’t, then you’re either not following it correctly or you need a more individualized approach. The goal is not to pass all of the tests initially. If you are, I guarantee you’re trying to force your way through them. We want get a baseline and see improvements over time. Please do not try to force your way into a “good” test result at first. Most people will have asymmetrical test results and that's to be expected. There is an example of the desired range of motion at the end of each video example of the assessments. Be sure to film and keep these so you can reference them later to see progress. I would also encourage you to take visual posture photos of yourself from the front, back, and side to see yourself progress with your posture as well. Shoulder Flexion: This is assessing how well your shoulder blade moves on your ribcage through a full range of motion. End Goal: 140-160 degrees Shoulder Internal Rotation: This is assessing how much tightness is on the front side of your ribcage. End Goal: 60-70 degrees Shoulder External Rotation: This is assessing how much tightness is on the back side of your ribcage. End Goal: 90 degrees Shoulder Adduction: This is assessing how much tightness is in the uppermost portion of your ribcage. End Goal: 30+ degrees Active Hip Flexion: This is assessing your pelvis' ability to go into external rotation. End Goal: 110-120 degrees Active Straight Leg Raise: This is assessing your pelvis' ability to go into internal rotation. End Goal: 70-80 degrees Trunk Rotation: This one is obvious. End Goal: Shoulder to mid-line of body (90 degrees) If you want to have as percise measurements as possible, my recommendation would be to download the app "Coaches Eye" (available on the App Store) and buy the $5 add-on to be able to access the Protractor tool. It is very easy to then measure the degrees and how much you're improving. ASYMMETRICAL RESULTS If you agree that we have a heart on the left side of the body, a liver on the right side, and a diaphragm that is larger on the right, then we can agree that the human body is naturally and factually asymmetrical. And that's okay. This asymmetry is fundamental to our function as humans. It also can lead to predictable compensations and movement restrictions as I touched on earlier. The goal is not to be symmetrical, but it's also not to be overly symmetrical. If you have a glaring difference on one side more than the other, that is a sign you should probably spend more time improving the more limited side. I cannot responsibly give an exact number on this because it's often so individual, but use common sense. However, there are commanlities. Here is a webinar I mentioned earlier about the most common asymmetries. The good news is that ultimately we want to be able to be mobile on both sides of the body. The goal is to shift in and out of each hip, be able to move both shoulders when needed, etc. Therefore, all exercises are to be done on both sides (left and right) of the body. HOW TO BREATHE If you cannot do this effectively, the exercises below will have much less success because in order for us to "own" a new position, we need to be able to breathe through it. The proper breathing will also influence the position of our ribcage, pelvis, and help us acquire the indended joint positions we want. If you skip this step, you will not be nearly as successful. If there is a breathing component to an exercise, this is how I want you to execute it: Relaxed, full exhales through your mouth. The longer and more relaxed, the better. Many people use their six-pack (front) abs more than their obliques (side-abs), yet our obliques are what drive proper respiration. Therefore, I want you to be able to feel your obliques and not your six-pack when you exhale. Think "jelly-belly" as if your stomach was a jelly-filled donut. The obliques should come on because you're exhaling, not because you're bracing. If you don't feel them, you're not exhaling long enough (not to be interpreted as hard enough). Period. A general guideline is 5 second exhales and 5 second inhales. Here is a video with an in-depth explanation on how to do this. THE PROGRAM Now, let's move on to the program. This eBook is broken up into eight weeks, each with progressions building on the previous weeks. The idea is that the progressions will build upon the earlier weeks as you gain access to new range of motion. I have strategically selected exercises I've found to work best with people who are new to these types of exercises. The consistent repetition of the exercises will help you progressively integrate certain positions and muscles into harder poisitions over time. Please do not skip weeks. If you have to miss a day, be sure to complete at least 14 days of the given exercises before moving on to the next week. I have found 14 days to be a very effective timeline for allowing the body to adapt to the intended positions, range of motion, etc. INCORPORATING THE EXERCISES INTO A WARM-UP I chose each of these exercises for mobility, but they also are a fantastic warm up for general weightroom work and would be appropriate for use in athletic settings as well. These exercises address common limitations I see across all populations, and therefore will be beneficial for pretty much anyone. If you do want to incorporate these into a warm-up protocol, this is what I recommend: 2 sets of each of the weekly drills 1 set of the strength exercise Those sets can and do count towards your goal total of sets per day. So if you did 2 sets of the weekly drills in your warm-up, you'd only need one or two more that day. Then move to something that will be more specific to the activities you are going to do that day. If you happen to have a work out on the same day you would be doing the Strengthening Exercises in this program, I would recommend that you complete them (the strength exercises in this program) at the end of your work out in your accessory or isolation block. DAILY DRILLS: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS 90/90 Side Plank with Reach 5 breaths per Primarily Restores: side Shoulder Internal Rotation Shoulder External Rotation Hip Flexion Ability to exhale & breathe properly with obliques EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Hooklying Hamstring Bridge 5 breaths Primarily Restores: Hip Flexion & Extension Shoulder Flexion Shoulder External Rotation IMPORTANT NOTE ON THIS EXERCISE: As your competency improves in this exercise over the course of the two weeks, progressively try to get your hips higher in the air without losing your hip tuck (posterior tilt). This will also help improve your hip extension which is very important to have for future exercises in this program. Be sure to start easy (low to the ground) and work up from there a bit more each day. Don't push it too farr too early. Work within the range you have at first. EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Supine Cross-Connects 5 breaths per Primarily Restores: side Shoulder External Rotation Shoulder Flexion Trunk Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK SPECIALIZED STRENGTH EXERCSE: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 2 SETS EVERY OTHER DAY EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Hamstring Curls 10 per side (or Primarily Reason: on both legs) Strength hip extensors with 3:1:3 Decrease quad & hip flexor tempo for a dominance total of two Pelvic control sets EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEKS 3-4 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Doorframe Lat Stretch 5 breaths per Primarily Restores: side Shoulder Flexion Shoulder Internal Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 3-4 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Wall Stride 5 breaths per Primarily Restores: side Hip Flexion Straight Leg Raise Shoulder Flexion EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 3-4 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Crab Breathing with Roller Hold 5 breaths Primarily Restores: Shoulder Adduction Shoulder Internal Rotation Hip External Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK SPECIALIZED STRENGTH EXERCSE: WEEKS 3-4 COMPLETE 2 SETS EVERY OTHER DAY EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Hip Bridge Marching 10 (or 10 per Primarily Reason: side) with 3:1:3 Full control of hip extension tempo for a Increase load on hip extensors total of two Helps inhibit overactive hip sets flexors EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 5-6 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Half-Kneeling Lift-Off: 10 per side Primarily Restores (on forward leg): Striaght Leg Raise Trunk Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 5-6 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Inchworm Crawls 5 breaths per Primarily Restores: side Straight Leg Raise Shoulder Internal Rotation Shoulder External Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 5-6 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Split Stance Alternating Respiration 5 breaths per Chops side Primarily Restores: Shoulder External Rotation Shoulder Flexion Trunk Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK SPECIALIZED STRENGTH EXERCSE: WEEKS 5-6 COMPLETE 2 SETS EVERY OTHER DAY EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Front Foot Elevated Split Squat 10 per side for with Hip Shift 2 total sets Primarily Reason: Improve ability to “shift” into each hip via pelvis and trunk rotation Pelvic control Improve single leg strength EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 7-8 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS World’s Greatest Stretch with Wall 10 per side Reference Primarily Restores: Hip Flexion Shoulder Flexion Shoulder External Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 7-8 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Wall-Referenced Hip Lock with 10 per side Active Support Dynamic control over hip extension and internal rotation External rotation on front leg EXERCISE VIDEO LINK EXERCISE CREDIT: DAVID GREY DAILY DRILLS: WEEK 7-8 COMPLETE 2 SETS IN THE MORNING AND 1-2 SETS AT NIGHT (3-4 TOTAL PER DAY) EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Front Foot Elevated Jefferson Split 15 per side Squat Primarily Restores: Hip Flexion Hip External Rotation EXERCISE VIDEO LINK SPECIALIZED STRENGTH EXERCSE: WEEK 7-8 COMPLETE 2 SETS EVERY OTHER DAY EXERCISE & PURPOSE REPS Heel-Elevated Supported Pistol 10 per side for Squat 2 total sets Primarily Reason: Single leg strength Balance & coordination Integrating & controlling full hip range of motion EXERCISE VIDEO LINK MASTER MOBILITY | Ending Notes I hope you've enjoyed the program! I am confident you will see some great things happening. You can reach me at: @conor_harris_ on Instagram or Twitter conor@thepinnacleperformance.com 29
