6 Best Mobility Exercises for Beginners

Mobility exercises focus on increasing our joints
Mobility exercises focus on increasing our joints' range of motion. (Image via Unsplash/ Julia Ballew)

Any fitness plan should include mobility exercises. But most beginners are unsure of how to perform them. The best mobility exercises for beginners, however, are fairly simple to perform with a little guidance.

Anyone just beginning to include mobility exercises in their routines will benefit greatly from them. They'll help you develop a foundation of mobility that will help with all of your workouts if you do them frequently.

These mobility exercises are beneficial for almost anyone with any level of fitness expertise as they focus on movements that commonly occur in daily and conventional exercise.


Best Mobility Exercises for Beginners

These mobility exercises will aid in extending the range of motion in your body and reducing overall stiffness.

Here’s a list of some of the best mobility exercises for beginners:

1) Half-Kneeling Elastic Arm Rotation

This exercise helps the shoulder rotate through its complete range of motion while being held half-kneeling. As a result, this mobility exercise strengthens your shoulders. Additionally, it also improves overall core strength.

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Instructions:

  • Use your outside hand to grip the band as you half-kneel on the leg that is furthest from the resistance.
  • While rotating your arm up and behind you, keep your elbow erect and visualize taking a straight arm.
  • From a T posture, rotate your hips as you do your arms, and then go back to where you were.

2) Three-way Ankle Mobilization

Your ankles, which you probably don't give much thought to, are what attach your feet to the entire body. To improve your ankle mobility, you'll want to help mobilize these muscles. For this, we prefer the three-way ankle mobilization, one of the best mobility exercises. It involves flexing your knee in front of and over the ankle to move the joint in three different directions.

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Instructions:

  • To eliminate the need for balance, begin by half-kneeling and holding a stick out in front of you.
  • Drive your knee forward without lifting your heel, and perform the three directions (straight ahead, inside, and outside) separately.
  • Make sure to carry out this task carefully and slowly.

3) Lying Down Marches

This is a fantastic core and hip mobility exercise. Controlling the motion, going carefully, and pulling your belly button inward to maintain neutral spinal alignment should all be priorities.

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Instructions:

  • In a backwards lying position, bend your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor, your knees are up in the air at a 90-degree angle, and your shins are parallel to the floor.
  • Maintain a bend in your knee as you slowly lower one leg to the ground while contracting your abdominals.
  • Use solely your core muscles to pull the leg back up to the beginning position after gently tapping it on the ground.
  • Change legs and alternate sides for a total of 16 to 20 reps.

4) Foot Taps

While strengthening hip joint mobility, the foot tap is amonsgt the efficient mobility exercises to enhances balance and coordination. It further increases your heart rate, improves your balance and builds the muscles in your lower body.

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Instructions:

  • If balance is required, hold on to a table or countertop.
  • Step with one foot on the ground while extending the other leg out to the side.
  • In front of your other foot, bring the leg back to the original position.
  • Repeat on the other side after a one to two second break.
  • Ten times total, switch between the feet.

5) 90/90 Hip Switch

The 90/90 seated switch improves hip mobility by focusing on internal and external rotation. It's challenging to walk and balance, let alone squat and deadlift, without the correct hip rotation. Mobility is essential for pain relief and improving function, and this exercise is especially beneficial for the areas around the hips.

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Instructions:

  • Straighten your spine and place your feet hip-width apart with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
  • Knees rotated from side to side while heels remained on the floor (in the same posture). Holding your arms straight out in front of you will make it more difficult.
  • While moving your knees, keep your posture upright and concentrate on hip mobility. Performing 6 reps on each side.

6) Standing Marches

This is amongst the best mobility exercises which also strengthens the core, enhances coordination, and promotes symmetrical posture. This exercise improves balance on both sides of the body (hip flexors and glutes).

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Instructions:

  • Affix your hands to a table or countertop.
  • Lift one leg towards your chest while contracting your core and bending one hip and knee.
  • Move your legs in opposite directions, raising each knee as high as you can.
  • 20 repetitions should be completed while moving carefully.

Wrapping Up

Mobility exercises, particularly for the elderly, may be an important part of extending life expectancy and improving quality of life. These mobility exercises focus on increasing our joints' range of motion. Greater mobility makes it easier for us to carry out daily tasks, which helps to reduce falls, foster balance and coordination, and maintain independence later in life.