Mobility Introduction
Tools and Methods
Welcome! Whether you're battling stiffness from your desk, nagging pain that won't quit, or movement limitations holding you back in the gym, this program is your guide to taking control.
Our mission is to help you:
Reduce Pain: By targeting the root causes of stiffness and discomfort, not just masking symptoms.
Improve Range of Motion: So you can squat deeper, reach higher, and move with true freedom.
Empower You: By teaching you the "how" and "why" of self-care, so you can manage your own body maintenance for life.
Your Commitment: Rules of the Road
Based on the proven principles of movement expert Dr. Kelly Starrett, we'll use a systematic approach: Assess your movement, Mobilise tight tissues and joints, and restore healthy mechanics.
To get the most from this program, follow these key principles:
Consistency Over Everything: Daily maintenance is non-negotiable. Think of it like brushing your teeth—a few minutes every day is far better than one long session per week.
Listen to Your Body (The 2-Minute Rule): We chase productive discomfort, not sharp pain. You should feel a change or improvement in the target tissue after two minutes. If you don't, or if it feels "sketchy" (sharp, pinching, or nerve-like), we stop and adjust. We never work into sketchy pain.
Communicate: You are in the driver's seat. Tell your coach what you feel, what works, and what doesn't. Your feedback is essential for tailoring this program perfectly to you.
Your prescription below is your starting point. Let's get to work!
For when you feel "flat," "unsure," or just don't know what you feel.
For when you feel "stressed," "anxious," "angry," or "frustrated."
For when you feel "lost," "stuck," "misaligned," or "uncertain."
For when you feel "good," "proud," "clear," or "energised."
For when you feel "focused," "motivated," or "ready" for what's next.
Core Principles: The "Why" Behind Your Movement
This program isn't just about stretching. It's about learning the simple, powerful principles your body is designed to use for strength, stability, and pain-free movement. Understanding these "Core Principles" is the key to lasting results.
1. The Bracing Sequence (Your "Neutral Spine")
What It Is: A step-by-step method to organise your spine into its strongest, most protected position (called a "neutral spine"). This is your "home base" for all movement.
Why It Matters: Your spine is your chassis. If it's not stable, you can't be powerful, and you risk injury. We always stabilise the spine first before moving our arms and legs. A braced spine:
Protects Your Nerves: It prevents harmful "kinks" or shears in your spinal cord.
Unlocks Mobility: A stable spine signals your nervous system that it's safe to "release the brakes" on tight muscles, like your hamstrings.
Transfers Power: It creates a rigid platform so power from your hips and shoulders can be transferred efficiently.
How You'll Use It: You'll practice this sequence for standing, sitting, and before every lift. It involves setting your pelvis (Step 1: Squeeze glutes), bracing your trunk (Step 2: Get belly tight), and positioning your shoulders/head (Steps 3 & 4).
2. The One-Joint Rule (Hinge, Don't Bend)
What It Is: A simple rule: movement should happen at your hips and shoulders (your "ball-and-socket" joints), while your spine stays stable and braced.
Why It Matters: Your spine is not designed to bend and twist under heavy loads; it's designed to be a stable "tunnel" for power. Your hips and shoulders, however, are designed for huge ranges of motion.
How You'll Use It:
Picking up a box? Hinge at your hips, not your low back.
Doing a push-up? Move at your shoulders, keeping your spine flat as a board
3. The Laws of Torque (Creating Stability)
What It Is: "Torque" is a twisting force. We use it to "screw" our arms and legs into their sockets, creating maximum stability.
Why It Matters: Your hip and shoulder joints are like a ball in a socket. Without torque, they're wobbly. By "twisting" them (e.g., rotating from the hip to keep your arch from collapsing), you wind up the joint capsule and muscles, making the joint rock-solid . This is what creates stable arches in your feet and stable shoulders overhead.
How You'll Use It:
Squatting: You'll create torque by thinking "feet straight" and "drive knees out" (screwing your hips into the ground).
Push-ups: You'll create torque by thinking "screw hands into the ground" (turning elbow pits forward).
4. The Upstream/Downstream Concept
What It Is: Your body is one interconnected system. Pain or tightness in one spot (like your knee) is often just a symptom of a problem somewhere else (like your hip or ankle).
Why It Matters: Chasing the pain often doesn't fix the problem. If your hip is tight ("upstream"), it can force your knee into a bad position ("downstream"), causing it to hurt. We must treat the source of the dysfunction.
How You'll Use It: If your knee hurts, we won't just mobilise your knee. We'll assess and mobilise your hip (upstream) and your ankle (downstream) to ensure they aren't the real culprits.
Mobilisation Methods: What We're Doing and Why
In this program, we'll use several different techniques to help restore your mobility. Each one has a specific purpose, from ungluing "stuck" tissues to improving joint movement. Here’s a quick guide to what we're doing and why it works:
1. Smash & Floss
What it is: Applying direct, heavy pressure to a tight muscle (the "Smash") using a ball or roller, and then actively moving your limb through its full range of motion (the "Floss").
Why we do it: This is our go-to for "ungluing" tissues that feel stuck together or matted down (what we call poor sliding surfaces). It helps restore normal glide between layers of skin, muscle, and fascia, and can break up painful knots.
What it feels like: Intense, specific pressure that can be uncomfortable, combined with active movement.
2. Contract & Relax
What it is: We'll move you into a stretch or pin a tight muscle, then have you actively contract (tense) that same muscle against resistance for 3-5 seconds. Then, you'll relax completely, and we'll gently move you deeper into the stretch.
Why we do it: This technique is like a "neurological reset." It tricks your nervous system into relaxing its protective guarding response, allowing a muscle to lengthen to its true, normal range. It's highly effective for both increasing flexibility and "sinking" deeper during smashing.
What it feels like: A building of isometric tension followed by a noticeable release and increase in range.
3. Pressure Wave
What it is: A slow, steady, rolling pressure across the grain (side-to-side) of a muscle, like an "icebreaker" moving through ice.
Why we do it: Instead of just rolling up and down, this technique shears across muscle fibres to break up broad areas of stiffness and restore suppleness.
What it feels like: A slow, deep, sometimes intense rolling pressure.
4. Tack & Twist
What it is: Using a ball to pin down skin and superficial tissue in one spot (the "Tack"), and then twisting the ball to create shear (the "Twist").
Why we do it: This is for areas where skin feels "stuck" to the tissue underneath (like around shins, elbows, or the wrist). It helps unglue these layers so they can slide freely again.
What it feels like: A sharp, specific, "rug-burn" or "Indianburn" type of sensation.
5. Banded Distraction (or Banded Flossing)
What it is: Using a heavy resistance band to gently pull a joint (like your hip or shoulder) into a better position while you move through a stretch.
Why we do it: Sometimes, the joint itself is stiff or poorly positioned (not just the muscles). The band helps "gap" the joint or pull the bone back to the centre of the socket, allowing you to achieve a deeper, more effective stretch without pinching.
What it feels like: A strong, deep pull inside the joint combined with a stretch.
6. Voodoo Flossing (Compression)
What it is: Tightly wrapping a joint or muscle belly with a Voodoo band (compression band) and then moving that area through its full range of motion for 1-2 minutes.
Why we do it: This is a powerful, multi-purpose tool. The compression helps "unglue" matted-down tissues, forces fluid (like swelling) out of an area, and can improve joint mechanics. When removed, fresh blood floods the area.
What it feels like: Very tight compression. Your limb may tingle or change colour—this is normal. We remove it promptly after 1-2 minutes.
9. PAILS & RAILS (Isometric Loading)
What it is: This is an advanced technique, usually performed after you've achieved a passive stretch. It involves two steps:
PAILS (Progressive Angular Isometric Loading): You isometrically (meaning no movement) contract the muscle that is being stretched. For example, in a hamstring stretch, you would try to push your heel down into the floor.
RAILS (Regressive Angular Isometric Loading): You then immediately contract the muscle on the opposite side to pull yourself deeper into the stretch. For example, in a hamstring stretch, you would use your hip flexors to pull your leg further.
Why we do it: This is the bridge between passive flexibility and active, usable mobility. It teaches your nervous system how to control the new range of motion you've just unlocked, building strength at your end-range and making your mobility gains "stick."
What it feels like: An intense, deep, and often cramping muscle contraction, followed by a potential increase in active range.
Note: This technique requires specific coaching to ensure correct execution and is most effective when applied with precise, ramping tension.
7. Gapping (or Flexion Gapping)
What it is: Placing a rolled-up towel or a folded band deep into the crease of a joint (like your knee or elbow) and then pulling the joint into deep flexion (bending).
Why we do it: This technique uses the towel/band as a fulcrum to gently pry the joint surfaces apart, creating space and helping restore the ability to bend fully.
What it feels like: A deep, sometimes pinching, pressure inside the joint.