Mobility Exercises for Triathletes

Mobility exercises for triathletes (especially aging athletes) are a great way to improve flexibility and optimize physical performance on race day. Not only that, but you’ll notice a difference in day to day life.

Flexibility vs. Mobility

Flexibility and mobility are often confused.

Flexibility refers to the ability of your soft tissue (muscles) to stretch. Mobility, on the other hand, is an umbrella term for the many elements that contribute to movement with a full range of motion. This includes restricted muscle tissue, joints, the joint capsules, motor control AND your soft tissue.

A person with great mobility is able to perform functional movement patterns with no restrictions in the range of motion (ROM) of those movements. A flexible person may or may not have the core strength, balance, or coordination to preform the same functional movements as someone with great mobility.

There are a host of possible muscle imbalances that cause this, but these problems can be fixed with a combination of what I call the three S’s.

3 Ways to Address Muscle Imbalances

1. Soft tissue work (foam roll)
   
2. Stretch
   
3. Strengthen
   

It’s important to recognize that flexibility is a component of mobility, but extreme flexibility usually isn’t necessary to perform functional movements.

For mobility exercises, a simple Google search is a great place to start.

Or you can start here with this article from Active.com: 5 Mobility Exercises for Triathletes