General Mobility Program

The following is an example of a mobility training unit that could form part of athlete's training session (Reynolds 1995) [1].

From a standing position with your arms hanging loosely at you sides, flex, extend, and rotate each of the following joints:

Overhead/Down and back - Swing both arms continuously to an overhead position and then forward, down, and backwards. 6 to 10 repetitions
Side/Front Crossover - Swing both arms out to your sides and then cross them in front of your chest. 6 to 10 repetitions

Flexion/Extension - Tuck your chin into your chest, and then lift your chin upward as far as possible. 6 to 10 repetitions
Lateral Flexion - lower your left ear toward your left shoulder and then your right ear to your right shoulder. 6 to 10 repetitions
Rotation - Turn your chin laterally toward your left shoulder and then rotate it toward your right shoulder. 6 to 10 repetitions

Flexion/Extension - Slump shoulders, tuck your chin toward your chest, and drop your chest forward slightly. Then pull your shoulders back, raise your chin up, and lift your chest while arching your back slightly. 6 to 10 repetitions
Lateral Flexion - With your arms at your sides, bend sideways at the waist to your left, and then bend sideways to your right. 6 to 10 repetitions
Rotation - With your hands in front of your chest and elbows out to the sides, twist at your waist to the left, and then back to the right. 6 to 10 repetitions

Circles - With your hands on your hips and feet spread wider than your shoulders, make circles with your hips in a clockwise direction for 10 to 12 repetitions. Then repeat in a counter clockwise direction
Twists - Extend your arms out to your sides, and twist your torso and hips to the left, shifting your weight on to the left foot. Then twist your torso to the right while shifting your weight to the right foot. 10 to 12 reps on each side

Flexion/Extension - With your weight on your left leg and your right hand on a support for balance, swing your right leg forward and backward for 10 to 12 repetitions. Repeat with the left leg for 10 to 2 repetitions
Cross Body flexion/Abduction - Leaning slightly forward with your hands on a wall and your weight on your left leg, swing your right leg to the left in front of your body, pointing your toes upwards as your foot reaches its furthest point of motion. Then swing the right leg back to the right as far as comfortable, again pointing your toes up as your foot reaches its final point of movement. 10 to 12 repetitions on each leg

Double leg bounce - Leaning forward with your hands on the wall and your weight on your toes, raise and lower both heels rapidly (bounce). Each time, lift your heels one to two inches from the ground while maintaining ground contact with the ball of your feet. 12 to 16 repetitions
Single leg bounce - leaning forward with your hands on a wall and all your weight on your left foot, raise the right knee forward while pushing the left heel towards the ground. Then lower the right foot to the floor while raising the left heel one or two inches. Repeat in a rapid, bouncy fashion. 12 to 16 repetitions on each leg

Joint rotations 3 to 4 minutes
Warm up jog 5 to 6 minutes
Upper body mobility 2 to 3 minutes
Fast jogging 2 × 50 metres with 20 metres recovery
Lower body mobility 3 to 4 minutes
Fast striding 2 × 50 metres with 50 metres recovery
Acceleration runs 2 × 40 metres increasing speed throughout with 50 metres recovery

REYNOLDS, W. (1995) These pre workout exercises can give a valuable boost to competative performance. Peak Performance, 53, p. 1-3

The reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (1997) General Mobility Program [WWW] Available from: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/mobprog.htm [Accessed

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page: