1988PA-Aggie said:
AggieLAX said:
I'm (almost) 55 and have been a personal trainer for 30 years. I've seen it in the older guys I've trained and now in myself. Here's my advice:
- prioritize mobility (some days that's all I do)
- increase movement variety (change planes of motion, incorporate gymnastics, kettlebells, etc.)
- vary rep ranges/loads/speeds
- prioritize mobility (yes, it's that important)
- use barbells sparingly
Mobility? Is that just movement (walking and basic activity)? Or is it more specific like yoga, stretching, Pilates? Not sure how wide of a topic that is.
Great question and this is where a lot of confusion lies.
When I say mobility, I'm talking about the ability of INDIVIDUAL joints to move freely, fully, and under control through their entire range of motion.
Yoga, stretching, Pilates, etc., involve multiple joints simultaneously which makes them great for general movement but terrible for diagnosing or fixing the weak, stiff, or dysfunctional joint that's actually causing your problems. This goes for movement screens as well.
Let's say you score poorly on an Overhead Deep Squat or can't get into a Yoga position, or the Bench Press kills your shoulder - that doesn't tell you WHY
. It only tells you the global pattern fails - not which joint(s) is/are to blame
. And without knowing that, you can't fix anything
.
Most people do more of the failing pattern which only reinforces the dysfunction and increases injury risk.
When you assess individual joints, you can pinpoint the issue instantly:
- Is it ankle mobility that keeps ruining the squat?
- Is it hip rotation that's killing your low back?
- Is it the shoulder capsule that keeps sabotaging your pressing?
Once you know the exact joint that's the bottleneck, fix it and everything else improves.
Everything else is accommodation.
