Mobility vs Flexibility, What’s the Difference?

Many people often use the terms mobility and flexibility interchangeably, but there are stark differences between them! By conflating the two, people often default to holding a stretch for an extended period of time to work on their range of motion and reduce soreness. I am here to say that dedicated mobility training is an underutilized modality that is often a missing link in many training regimens! Understanding the differences between these two concepts will assist you in becoming a better athlete and overall mover!

What is flexibility?

In a broad sense, flexibility is the ability of muscles and connective tissues to passively lengthen. This encompasses your typical static stretching modalities where you hold a particular position for an extended period of time; which could involve the use of props, limb support, or just bodyweight. For example, holding a deep squat position for an extended period would be considered flexibility training.

Flexibility is certainly an important component of fitness. If your body is unable to get into specific positions required for your sport or the daily tasks of living, you are simply setting yourself up for increased injury occurrence. 

What is Mobility?

Mobility is the ability of a joint to move through its active range of motion before being restricted and with control. Mobility is having strength within your flexibility. For example, performing an overhead squat requires mobility at the ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders to maintain optimal spinal alignment and achieve sufficient squat depth.

Mobility is crucial for athletic performance, injury prevention, and overall functionality. Take a hockey goaltender as an example. Is it enough for a goalie to be able to get into a splits position? I argue that is not sufficient as I have seen many goaltenders get into that position only to get stuck or not have the strength to get out of the splits. No, they need the strength to get into the splits and pop back up to be in a good position to make the next save. That’s mobility at its finest.

Why does the difference matter?

Clearly, mobility and flexibility are two interrelated components of fitness. To put it simply, you need good flexibility to have good mobility; flexibility feeds into mobility. The amount of flexibility and mobility training required for an individual will entirely depend on their goals and the demands of their tasks. For example, a sedentary person working a typical office job looking to get into the gym will need to work on their flexibility more than their mobility because they likely do not have sufficient range of motion in their hips to warrant extensive mobility training. In contrast, hockey goaltenders will need extensive and focused mobility training throughout their training cycles in addition to some flexibility training as they need to get into many different body positions. Goaltenders are very flexible, but often lack the strength to fully actualize their flexibility; this is where focused mobility training is of the utmost importance. Understanding the difference between the two allows you to focus your efforts on what is actually needed for your training goals.

Putting it into Practice

In general, you want to perform mobility exercises before physical activity and flexibility exercises after. Doing mobility before your workouts primes your muscles and joints for the hard work that is to come. Exercises such as the World’s Greatest stretch, using the foam roller, and incorporating functional movements into your workouts are great for improving mobility. Save flexibility training, such as static stretching and classic yoga, for after your workouts. Gone are the days where people hold a few stretches before a workout! Research demonstrates that performing passive stretching before a workout or athletic event lowers motor neuron excitability and muscle spindle activity, which decreases total force output. Essentially, static stretching prior to intense physical activity lowers force production, which means less power and lower overall performance. So opt for more dynamic, mobility movements to prime your body for maximum performance before workouts! Save the flexibility training for after workouts or on rest days and you’ll be good to go! 

It is not enough to just be flexible, you need strength in extended ranges of motion to reduce the risk of injury and enhance performance. You need to start incorporating mobility training into your regimen yesterday!

References

Corbin, C. B., & Noble, L. (1980). Flexibility: A major component of physical fitness. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation, 51(6), 23-60.

Clark, M., & Lucett, S. (Eds.). (2010). NASM essentials of corrective exercise training. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Lloyd, R. S., & Oliver, J. L. (Eds.). (2019). Strength and conditioning for young athletes: science and application. Routledge.

Rubini, E. C., Costa, A. L., & Gomes, P. S. (2007). The effects of stretching on strength performance. Sports medicine, 37(3), 213-224.

Sands, W., & McNeal, J. (2013). Mobility development and flexibility in youths. In Strength and conditioning for young athletes (pp. 154-168). Routledge.

Teichmann, J., Burchardt, H., Tan, R., & Healy, P. D. (2021). Hip Mobility and Flexibility for Track and Field Athletes. Advances in Physical Education, 11(2), 221-231.