I wanted to share a great resource I started using. “Encyclopedia Of Joint Mobility” by renown personal trainer Steve Maxwell. This is part of the Spartan Series videos and consists of 3 DVDs with 8 areas of focus. Steve takes you through mobility drills literally from head to toe!
If you’re reading this, you know how important joint health is to any physical activity you engage in – whether its a contact sport like martial arts or running around the back yard with the kids – keeping your joints healthy is paramount to performing at a high levels and staying pain free.
As anyone who has ever experienced a joint related injury can attest, there’s no quicker way to bring your active lifestyle to a grinding halt than to experience this type of injury. I had some back problems several years ago that stemmed from moving 18 tons of gravel by hand in a wheelbarrow. I know, not the smartest thing to do, but it is a long story that I won’t go into here. The recovery was nearly six months and some of the most intense pain I’ve ever felt. Some nights I could barely sleep and pain would shoot down into my calf. Something like Steve’s program could have saved me a lot of recovery and possibly even helped me avoid the injury in the first place.
This is not a collection of stretching exercises for promoting flexibility. Rather these are mobility drills that Steve has put together and are designed to strengthen and protect your joints to help protect against injuries. What’s the difference between mobility and flexibility? Glad you asked. The main difference is that mobility requires strength to go through the full range of motion. So in other words, the drills Steve has put together will require strength to go through the extreme range of motion that ultimately will help make you less susceptible to injury.
Here’s a run down on the contents:
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- DVD 1:
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- Intro To Joint Mobility
- Neck Series
- Shoulder Series
- Elbow, Wrist, Hand & Finger Series
DVD 2:
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- Spine & Lower Back Series
- Hip Mobility Series
DVD 3:
- Toe, Foot, Ankle & Knee Series
- Spinal Rocking Series
As Steve points out, most people wait until they have an injury before they start to seek out joint mobility exercises and I’m guilty as charged on that one. But the old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” rings true here. Whether you have some aches and pains or want to try to ward off the issues before it starts, this is a top notch series that will have something for everyone. So check it out and let me know your thoughts…
