As with most conversations I have with people about mobility, I want to start here by differentiating between “flexibility” and “mobility” because, well, it matters. And it really matters for runners.

I often hear runners saying, “I need to be more flexible.” And while flexibility is well and good (I highlighted it in my last blog as a key component to increasing athleticism, which you can read more about here), I actually want to challenge that statement. Not because I think runners are wrong, but rather because I think they - and most people - are misinformed about the difference between what it means to be flexible and what it means to be mobile.

What runners are really saying is, “I need to have better mobility.”

Let me explain.

Runners don’t need a high range of flexibility in order to support sufficient running movements. Flexibility, by definition, is the capacity of a joint to be moved passively through a wide range of motion. A runner’s ability to touch his or her toes from a standing position isn’t going to have a gigantic impact on his or her ability to sprint 100 meters.

Mobility, on the other hand, is the capacity to actively move a joint through a normal range of motion with efficiency and strength. The runner’s ability to cover 100 meters of ground with a sound stride and good hip mobility will significantly impact his or her speed.

The difference here is stretching. More specifically, types of stretching.

Flexibility is passive; static stretching, or stretching that requires holding a single position for a period of time, will influence flexibility.

Mobility is active; dynamic stretching, or stretching that requires use of the muscles to bring about the stretch, will influence mobility.

I’m here to tell you that you need both.

I’m also here to tell you that starting or ending a cardio workout with ten minutes of mobility work will make a huge difference in running performance (more so than the age-old “bend over and *try to* touch your toes” deal). That’s why I’ve made mobility work a primary focus for my TL Method team members.

I’d like to share with you a few tricks. Let’s start at the waist and work our way down.

One. Hips.

I put my hand upon your hip. When I dip…

Anyone? No? Cool.

But seriously, hip mobility is HUGE (hence the caps). The major lower-body mechanics when running are:

Strong upward knee drive
Adequate hip extension
Proper activation of the glute muscles (to be continued in point two)

And the biggest reason that the hips need so much attention is because the average American now spends 6.5 hours a day sitting (you can check my data here). Some minor fixes for prolonged sitting include using a standing desk to mix up your workstation and also setting your alarm every hour as a reminder to get up and move around for a few minutes.

Below are some more-specific hip flexor stretches for you to try.

RUNNERS LUNGE WITH ROTATION

Start in a runner's lunge with your foot right outside of your wrist. Bring your hand behind your head and then draw your elbow down towards your heel. Open up your chest and stack your shoulders as you come up. This is a hip and shoulder mobility exercise.

STANDING HIP INTERNAL/EXTERNAL ROTATION

Stand tall with your hands on your hips, draw your hips out and around creating big circles.

Two. Glutes.

The glutes need to be firing properly if they are going to lead your legs when you run. And they *should* be leading your legs when you run.

As the major muscle that provides strength and stability around the hips, your glutes are an integral part of running mechanics. Using the glutes properly can prevent injuries like plantar fasciitis and lower back pain.

A common misconception is that glute strength is sufficient for glute activation, but a runner who leads with his or her quads could squat heavy and lead the squat with his or her frontal plane, which ends up doing more harm than good.

So the goal here is to build glute activation over strength. The exercises below are a great start.

FIRE HYDRANTS

From a tabletop position with your hands underneath your shoulders, draw one knee up to hip height and then slowly back down. Keep both arms straight and strong.

GLUTE BRIDGE

Starting on your back with your heels close to your butt and your knees drawn together, push through your heels to draw your hips high. Your knees should be just over your heels at the top of this movement. Squeeze your glutes at the top.

Three. Frontal plane.

Let’s now go back to the frontal plane. Contrary to how it sounds, the frontal plane is all about side-to-side motion (yes, I know, I also find it confusing). The second layer of irony is that most people assume that the sagittal plane, which includes front-to-back movements, is the *only* plane of focus when attending to running mechanics.

The truth is that all three planes are important: frontal, sagittal, and transverse (rotational movements). Running is a series of hopping on a single foot, over and over and over again. While you might appear to be going forward in a straight line (because you are going forward in a straight line), there are a multitude of smaller movements happening in all three planes of the body.

Attending to your frontal plane increases efficiency and decreases the risk of injury (i.e. the infamous IT Band issues). Try the two exercises below.

BANDED LATERAL WALKS

With the band around your ankles, sit in a low squat and walk your feet forward and back. Like a penguin!

LATERAL LUNGE

Start with your feet together. Step one foot off to the side and sit your butt back into your heel. Push to stand tall and step out to the opposite side and sit your butt back. Your opposite leg is straight and strong.

Four. Ankles.

Last, but most certainly not least, are the ankles.

While ankle mobility is a logical part of running mechanics, limited mobility is often overlooked as a reason for various injuries. Not only does poor ankle mobility limit your speed, but it also directly impacts the large amount of bones, tendons, muscles, and ligaments that are all important for shock absorption when running.

It is not uncommon to feel pain in your knees or hips because of compromised ankle mobility.

To combat this issue, work through the following exercises.

PASSIVE SQUAT ROCKS

Sit in a deep squat and rest your butt in between your heels with your toes pointing out. Gently rock your hips side to side and try to keep your heels on the ground.

RUNNERS LUNGE PUSHES

From a high plank position, bring your foot right outside the same side hand. Bend your elbows slowly to deepen the stretch. Think about alignment from the top of your head down to your heel.