FLEXIBILITY VS MOBILITY... Their differences & their importance.

I'm a former-pro dancer, who's worked around the country in musicals, dance productions & music videos. This meant (as a naturally inflexible person) I had to work particularly hard to stay limber!

I have spoken before about the 5 pillars of physical health: Strength, Cardio, Nutrition, Sleep & Mobility. Now, as a coach, I find it baffling how detailed & obsessive people can be over the first 4. Clients spend hours lifting weights, going on bike rides or meal prepping, yet they spend mere minutes on staying mobile each week.

Flexibility & mobility are treated like the leaves in a Caesar salad; you know they're needed to complete the dish, but they're the first thing you'll leave out if you're full. This article might change your mind...

What's the difference?

I think most people (me included sometimes) assume the two words to be interchangeable, after all, they're both relating to our muscles & joints range of movement (ROM). However, while flexibility means how far you can push your body into positions (such as touching your toes by grabbing & pulling down), mobility is your ROM without using any force.

Strength aside, how high you can comfortably hold your leg up in front of you is mobility. Whereas how high you can kick your leg is flexibility, because force is getting you extra range. In this sense, our muscles are like elastic bands, you can hold them in a lengthened position for a while, but to get them fully extended often requires significant force.

My time as a dancer often involved flexibility, because kicking my leg got me to a more impressive position than standing within my mobility ROM. However, both are essential for different reasons.

What are the benefits?

Flexibility - Allows you to push your body further during activity. Someone who can push their back muscles further will have more power potential in their golf swing. Also protects from pulling muscles & related injuries.

Mobility - Means you can remain strong & at less risk of injury, within a greater portion of a movement. Someone who can squat deeper will generally see better muscle growth out of their training. Also protects from alignment issues & joint injuries.

What if I don't do it?

Ever seen an old person take 5 working days to get in the car? Yeh... that!

Jokes aside, flexibility/mobility is just as important in ensuring our quality of life now & well into old age, as strength/cardio are. There's no use being strong/fit enough to play tennis at 78 years old if you can't pick up the ball. You'll also see reduced muscle function, recovery, ROM & inflation in joints/muscles if you don't include flexibility/mobility work.

How do I get started?

Here are 3 things you should be looking to tick off each week:

1. To improve flexibility, use dynamic stretches at the start of your workouts, & static stretches at the end. Aim to hit the muscles you are working that session, plus pressure methods (foam rolling/massage guns) will give some temporary improvement.

2. Mobility is improved by working in as full a ROM as possible in your activities. This may mean pushing your split squat further throughout a session for example. Thorough warming up & joint/muscle activation is also key.

3. Yoga/Pilates are also great additions to your weekly routine for some dedicated flexibility/mobility time.

Feel free to get in touch with any questions, or a more detailed way to start. See you next week for more!

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Elliot Hutchinson // 10.08.2025

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