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If strength training is the meat and potatoes of your exercise routine, mobility exercises are your “micronutrients”. The right mobility work can help preserve bodily function, stave off injury, and also improve your performance. (1) Don’t buy it? Here’s licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy Bo Babenko:
“In my line of work, I’ve seen so many injuries come down to the client not working through a full range of motion,” Babenko says, which means being flexible enough to access those ranges and strong enough to control them. That’s why you need mobility training — here are 12 of Dr. Bo’s favorite exercises for mobility.
12 Best Mobility Exercises, From a DPT
- Crocodile Breathing
- Single-Leg Supine Leg Raise
- Single-Arm Kettlebell March + Reverse Lunge
- 90/90 Hip Rotation
- Thoracic Foam Rolling
- Cossack Squat
- Shoulder CAR
- Sciatic Nerve Floss
- Dead Hang
- Banded Hip Mobilization
- Kang Squat
- Kettlebell Windmill
Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
1. Crocodile Breathing
| Equipment Needed | Exercise mat (optional) |
| Muscles Worked | Diaphragm, abdominals |
| Sets & Reps | 3 minutes daily or before exercise |
“Deep belly breathing is the ultimate way to start any training session,” says Babenko. This rhythmic breathing technique will not only regulate your nervous system and prepare your mind for the workout to follow, but also serves as some introductory practice to proper abdominal bracing.
How To Do It
- Lie face-down on the floor and cross your arms in front of you, placing your forehead on the back of your palms.
- Exhale fully until you feel your torso empty of air.
- Inhale slowly and deeply, thinking about filling your body with air from your chest to your tailbone.
2. Single-Leg Supine Leg Raise
| Equipment Needed | Exercise mat (optional) |
| Muscles Worked | Hip flexors, abdominals |
| Sets & Reps | 2 x 10 |
According to Babenko, grounded core exercises like the leg raise are a phenomenal way of utilizing what’s called reciprocal inhibition — activating one muscle to signal an opposing muscle that it’s okay to relax. This move will train your core and may help improve hamstring flexibility.
How To Do It
- Lie on your back with one buttcheek scooted up against the pillar of a squat rack or door frame.
- Hike that leg up with your knee locked until you feel a stretch in your hamstring.
- Lift your shoulders off the floor slightly and compress your ribcage to activate your abs.
- With the other leg’s knee locked, gradually lift it until it aligns with your suspended leg and then slowly lower it back down.
3. Single-Arm Kettlebell March + Reverse Lunge
| Equipment Needed | Kettlebell |
| Muscles Worked | Obliques, hip flexors, abdominals |
| Sets & Reps | 3 x 10+ |
“This drill provides great ‘return-on-investment’ for the hips, and is one I personally do almost every morning,” Babenko says. The standing marches will actively engage your core and hip flexors, while the reverse lunges will then lengthen those tissues for a balanced stimulus.
Hip flexor training is often overlooked. This is one of the best mobility exercises for runners because it trains the muscles you use when you perform each stride on the track, court, or street.
How To Do It
- Rack a kettlebell on one side of your body in the front rack position.
- Brace your core and hold your non-working arm out to the side or at your hip for balance.
- Perform standing marches, bending your knee and lifting it up to waist height, alternating legs.
- Then, step backward into a reverse lunge position, alternating legs once again.
4. 90/90 Hip Rotation
[Read More: How to Do the 90/90 Stretch to Squat Heavier and Move Better]
| Equipment Needed | Exercise mat (optional) |
| Muscles Worked | Hip flexors, hip adductors, glutes, abdominals |
| Sets & Reps | 2 x 8 |
For Babenko, “owning” a joint’s full range of motion is everything. You can use the 90/90 hip rotation to develop active control over both of your hip joints simultaneously. “The internal rotator muscles of the hip are hard to access and control for most,” Babenko says. The hip control required for this move makes it one of the best mobility exercise for athletes.
How To Do It
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and tucked up to your chest.
- Sweep your right knee down and push your right foot out and around behind you, pulling that hip into internal rotation.
- Open the other leg and place the outside of that knee on the ground.
- Both of your legs should be on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees each.
- Reverse the motion, switching hip positions slowly using your hip muscles.
5. Thoracic Foam Rolling
| Equipment Needed | Foam roller |
| Muscles Worked | Thoracic spine, upper back |
| Sets & Reps | 3 rounds of 30 seconds |
“Undoing the damage from the day”, as Babenko calls it, is one of the best ways to improve overall performance and ensure proper shoulder function. Thoracic foam rolling pulls your spine into extension, lengthening your abs, pecs, and anterior shoulder muscles in the process, which may grow tight after long periods of sitting or slouching. This is also one of the best mobility exercises for seniors who may struggle to mobilize their spines.
How To Do It
- Sit down with the foam roller up against your tailbone and your legs either straight out in front of you or bent at the knee.
- Slowly “slide” down into a supine position, until you’re either leaning fully against the roller or are arched over it with your upper back on the ground as well.
- Identify trigger points or painful areas in your mid or upper back and roll back and forth over them, breathing deeply.
6. Cossack Squat
| Equipment Needed | Dumbbells (optional), kettlebells (optional) |
| Muscles Worked | Glutes, quads, core |
| Sets & Reps | 2 x 6 |
Think of Cossack squats as a single-leg mobility exercise that also enhances stability and control. This move is excellent for stretching out the insides of your thighs if you have trouble opening your hips. Also, the Cossack squat might just be the best ankle mobility exercise you’ve never done. Give it a shot:
How To Do It
- Stand in a wide sumo stance with your knees locked and your toes pointing slightly outward.
- Extend your arms in front of your body or cross them at your chest.
- Slowly push your hips back and sideways, sinking into a squat position on one side while using your other leg as a kickstand for balance.
- Reverse the motion, return to the starting position, and then squat deep into the opposing side.
7. Shoulder CAR
| Equipment Needed | Foam roller (optional) |
| Muscles Worked | deltoid, rotator cuff, upper back, pectorals |
| Sets & Reps | 2 x 5 |
In physiotherapy, “CAR” stands for “controlled articular rotation” — a fancy way of rotating a limb around a fixed point. The shoulder CAR takes your shoulder through its full range of motion and, according to Dr. Babenko, is one of the best ways to improve shoulder mobility.
How To Do It
- Take a half-kneeling position adjacent to a wall. The leg closest should the wall should be your “down” leg.
- For extra stability, place a foam roller between the inside of your “up” knee and the wall.
- Extend your wall-side arm out along the wall with your elbow straight.
- Slowly glide your arm up the wall in an arc motion, passing your head and extending behind your body.
8. Sciatic Nerve Floss
[Read More: The Best Stretches to Do Before a Run, According to a CPT]
| Equipment Needed | Exercise mat (optional) |
| Muscles Worked | Hamstrings, lower back, hip flexors |
| Sets & Reps | 2 x 5 |
Babenko remarks that this is a particularly good mobility exercise for runners, skiers, or anyone who may mistakenly believe that they have tight hamstrings when the underlying cause may be neural in nature. Nerve “flossing” refers to performing a dynamic stretch that mobilizes neural tissue and treats associated symptoms. (2)
Editor’s Note: If you’re experiencing nerve-related pain or conditions like severe tingling or numbness, consult with a doctor right away.
How To Do It
- Stand upright with a staggered stance, placing one foot a few inches in front of the other, making contact with the ground with only your heel.
- Hinge forward, dropping your head towards your forward foot without bending your knees.
- As you drop down, actively sweep your arms forward as though you were scooping up the air.
9. Dead Hang
| Equipment Needed | Pull-up bar |
| Muscles Worked | Traps, anterior deltoids, pectorals, rotator cuff |
| Sets & Reps | 3 x 30 seconds |
“Accumulating time in a hanging position has all sorts of benefits,” Babenko says. Namely, dead hangs both improve shoulder mobility while also providing some axial decompression — they allow gravity to apply very mild traction to your spine, countering the compressive forces applied by moves like the squat or overhead press. Oh, and you’ll also get a free grip exercise along the way.
How To Do It
- Reach up and grab ahold of a stable horizontal bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip.
- Slowly suspend yourself from the bar, hanging freely without swaying.
- Allow your shoulders to pull upward towards your ears as you hold your lower body motionless.
10. Banded Hip Mobilization
| Equipment Needed | Resistance band, squat or power rack |
| Muscles Worked | Glutes, hip flexors, core |
| Sets & Reps | 3 x 30 seconds per leg |
Babenko notes that one of the most common restrictions he sees in his practice is limited hip extension and internal rotation. “Using a heavy band to get the hip opened up with some overhead reaching incorporated is something I use with almost 90% of my clientele,” he says, as a way of stretching out a tight anterior chain.
How To Do It
- Tie a heavy resistance band around a stable structure like the frame of a squat rack at around knee height.
- Place one leg into the loop of the band, then hike it upward into your groin. The band should wrap around directly under your buttcheek.
- Take a knee, placing the banded knee on the floor and your opposite foot flat in front of you.
- Allow the band to pull your hip into extension until you feel a strong stretch along the front of your thigh.
11. Kang Squat
| Equipment Needed | Barbell, weight plates, weightlifting shoes (optional) |
| Muscles Worked | Glutes, quads, hamstrings, lower back |
| Sets & Reps | 3 x 5 |
The ability to breathe in the bottom of a squat position is key to proper posture and bracing, Babenko says. By incorporating a hip hinge as well, you can loosen your posterior chain and warm up your entire lower body at once.
How To Do It
- Unrack an empty barbell and place it on your upper back as you would for a back squat.
- Assume your standard squat stance, then hinge backward into a deep good morning position.
- From the hinged position, sink your butt down and drive your knees forward to fall into the bottom of a deep squat.
- Pause, exhale, then reverse the motion, deliberately shooting your hips up and back until you’re in the hinged position once again.
12. Kettlebell Windmill
| Equipment Needed | Kettlebell |
| Muscles Worked | Upper back, shoulders, lower back, glutes, hamstrings |
| Sets & Reps | 2 x 3 |
Your shoulder blade sits flush against the back of your ribcage and is the most mobile area in your upper body, which means there’s a large range of motion you need to stabilize. The kettlebell windmill not only stretches your posterior chain, but requires you to isometrically contract your upper back and shoulder girdle to suspend a weight overhead in the process.
How To Do It
- Hold a kettlebell above your head with one arm and take a staggered stance with your legs slightly out of alignment.
- Maintaining a locked elbow in your upper arm, slowly and gradually tilt your torso to one side, reaching down toward the floor with your other arm.
- Lower yourself until you can touch the floor or until you feel a strong stretch throughout your hip and lower back.
3 Mobility Workouts To Try
If you’re struggling with your mobility, even the best exercises in the world only get you halfway there; you need to know how to organize them into mobility workouts of their own.
Mobility Warm-Up
If you associate mobility exercises with your warm-up, you’re not wrong. So how do you warm up… for your warm-up? Research indicates that if you’re warming up with mobility exercises directly prior to your workout, you should focus on deliberate, dynamic movement. Save static stretches for after your session if you can help it. (3)
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