3 keys to better overhead mobility
These are the 3 key sets of mobility drills that have most dramatically improved my overhead mobility & importantly that can all be completed in less than 20 minutes
1:15 ankle mobility exercise drills
2:30 chest and lat mobility exercises drills
3:56 shoulder mobility exercises drills
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Sitting at a desk, years of dumbbell and machine weight lifting in short ranges or motion and skipping warming up and down properly with stretching, muscle strength imbalances picked up over the years from over training chest & under training legs and calf’s, come on guys, I know some of you hear me on me this. Onto key number 1, when wanting to improve overhead mobility it can help to start at the bottom, and I don’t just mean the bottom position, most people think shoulders and we’ll get there shortly, but we are going to start down there
Restricted ankle mobility has a knock-on effect right the way through body particularly in the overhead the squat position & we can improve that with these simple drills
Begin by establishing your current ankle’s range of motion, measure a hand width distance a wall, then ensuring your knee doesn’t cave try to extend your knee over your big tow to touch the wall. If you can’t do this without lifting your heel, try these exercises to increase your ankle mobility
Enter the squat position, place one leg behind you and ensuring your knee doesn't cave, place your kettlebell or dumbbell or weight gentle over your knee & from there simply stretch over your big toe
Now keeping your heel firmly stuck to the ground, find your end your end range of motion & flex your toes off the ground. Now repeat this on both sides for 5 reps
Secondly standing on the stairs, drop the heel of your foot, holding that end range of motion, from here gently bend and straighten the knee to stretch that calf, repeating for 5 reps per side
Onto the 2nd key for better overhead mobility. Tightness in our chest and lats can cause us issues getting into a strong position for overhead work & we can improve our mobility in these areas with the following three drills
A bar hang is a great way to stretch and flex those lats and chest muscles, whilst getting your arms in that overhead aligned position, which will better allow you to ensure you are transferring that barbell overhead load down through the centre line of your body
Do this drill for 2 rounds of a 60 second hold.
Banded overhead squat is the second drill, the goal with this is to build and maintain good shoulder stability under tension, what is great about these is you can do them anywhere and need very limited equipment. Aim for 2 steps of 6 to 8 reps
Thirdly with stick, UPVC pipe or barbell carrying out strict press behind the neck, and drop into the overhead squat position, this is a great drill for increasing the time spent in the overhead position and central alignment of that load through the body, If ankle mobility is restricting the depth you can get to into the squat, then do elevate the heels of your feet as needed to help you enter a stronger / deeper bottom position
The third key to better overhead mobility is focusing on and shoulders, and for that you will hear a lot people suggest wall angles to help with shoulder mobility and external rotation, but the problem with these is they require you to be able to place your lower back flat against the wall without rounding, and for many that is not possible so instead try floor angles
Lying on the floor makes it easier maintain a neutral flat lower spin in contact with the floor, whilst still gaining all the benefits of increased shoulder mobility. If you still struggle with keeping a flat lower back in contact with the floor, begin by lifting your legs to take them out the equation all together
Elevated downdog is also a great movement to hold, it gets your shoulders into the correct position, helping you get to and maintain that head pushed through the window position when the barbell is overhead and with the arms nicely locked out
The final two shoulder mobility drills I first came across in the mobility app pliability. For child’s post we want to be sitting back on our feet, reaching out with our arms into that overhead barbell position. For puppy dog, we want to reposition ourselves with our hips up and sat over our knees, then. Passively hold both for 2 minutes
To work on your hips and hamstring mobility watch these videos next
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