Mobility and Functional Strength Routine

What follows is a suggested routine that most people can do over 20 to 30 minutes on a daily basis to improve overall mobility and functional strength. Please keep the following tips in mind:

• Let your body be your guide - only try movements that you feel capable of doing without hurting yourself. Even a few inches of movement (amplitude) and one or two repetitions of any of the exercises below will lead to some benefit.

• None of the exercises shown are intended to have you exert maximum strength; the goal is to take your body through quality, controlled movement, which will naturally lead to gains in mobility and functional strength.

• Maintain steady breathing throughout.

If you have time, you may want to foam roll all of your major muscle groups prior to doing the mobility exercises below. For a look at a basic foam rolling routine that you can follow, please go here:

Foam Rolling Routine

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me directly at benkim@drbenkim.com.

Standing Hip Circles - aim to do 5 to 10 slow circles clockwise, then counter-clockwise, first with your feet together, and then with your feet spread a bit wider than shoulder-width apart.

Standing Trunk Circles - aim to do 5 to 10 slow circles clockwise, then counter-clockwise.

Squats - aim for 2 sets of 5 to 10 squats per set.

Supported Single Leg Squats - aim for 5 to 10 repetitions per leg.

Swivel Hips - aim to have each hip go through internal and external rotation 5 to 10 times.

Wrist Mobilization and Strengthening - aim to do the exercises shown in this video. If you can't comfortably do them on the ground, you can do them standing, leaning your wrists against a wall.

Cow-Cat - aim for 5 to 10 cycles between Cow and Cat positions.

Spinal Skipping Rope - aim for 5 to 10 circles in each direction.

Rocking Cobra - aim for 5 to 10 cycles between Cobra and a kneeling tuck.

Supine Shoulder Mobility Exercises - aim for 5 to 10 repetitions of the three exercises shown in this video:

Forearm Plank Pose - aim to hold up to 30 seconds.

Forearm Side Plank Twist - aim for 5 to 10 repetitions on each side.

Rocking Table - aim for 5 to 10 repetitions.

German Arm Swings - aim to do these continuously for 15 to 30 seconds

Chinese Arm Circles - aim for 5 to 10 circles front to back, then back to front. One arm at a time.

Once finished with this routine, if you have time and would like to further improve shoulder mobility, please try any or all of the band exercises found here:

A Collection of Band Exercises to Improve Shoulder Mobility, Stability, and Functional Strength

If you feel confident doing all of these exercises and are eager for more challenging mobility work, please have a look through our YouTube library for more ideas. In the days ahead, I'll share more complex routine suggestions.