I Was Wrong About Mobility

Theres more Pain in the Gains as you get older

I recently started recording mobility videos. They have been a hit

You are probably asking “what changed”?

For most of my career, I did not talk about mobility. I focused on lifting weights, resistance training, and aside from my one mobility guide, it wasnt a primary topic. My overall approach to training was holistic, and for me, the mobility work was already built into the lifting essentially.

Additionally, I had my dance background experience, and my baseline of flexibility and mobility is very good for an average person or athlete. For a dancer my flexibility was mediocre, but for any other athlete, my flexibility was exceptional. I never had tight hamstrings, tight hips, anterior pelvic tilt, stiff shoulders, bad posture, stiff neck, or any other of the common movement issues that people experience.

But time has passed, and Ive gotten older.

I am 37.

And I went all in on my personal brand and online business back in 2017. So ten years in.

This past year. I noticed a difference finally. Not with my mobility exactly, but my recovery…it got slower. I found that I absolutely require 7-8 hours of sleep now for my body to recuperate from workouts.

And movement wise…it finally happened that I needed to WARMUP. As in fully warmup. I cant rush into compound exercises or intense movement. Ive got to get reps in and get the blood flowing to the tissue.

Thankfully my flexibility and mobility are excellent, but damn, was it a thing to admit that YES, my body is changing.

And I especially noticed a difference with all my friends

My circle of friends is all men in their 30s-50s and some of them 60s.

And Ive always been the health and fitness guy in my circle. Each passing year, Ive heard the comments on stiffness, pain, and a reduction in overall movement capacity.

This is all to Say that Yes, I have Changed my Mind

I used to think that telling people to lift intelligently was enough. Its not.

Mobility is Essential for Longevity

But is mobility just glorified stretching?

NO, its much more than that. It does include stretching, but the health goals and outcomes we want to achieve are objective and more holistic

1. Mobility is not about becoming more flexible. It is about maintaining access to positions.
   The goal with mobility as we age is not circus-level range of motion. You dont need to be a contortionist with super flexibility. Rather, its you being able to squat, hinge, rotate, reach overhead, get on the floor, and move without compensation. Past 35, losing these options starts to quietly affect your training and daily life. Small losses in capacity now are big losses later.

2. Strength does not automatically preserve mobility.
   You can be strong at weights and big compound movements, and still gradually lose usable range of motion and dynamic movement ability, especially if your training is only sagittal plane with no rotation, lateral movement, or elastic exercises (bouncing, skipping, jumping, sprinting, landing). I’d make the point that strength and mobility are complementary: strength gives you force, mobility gives you places to express it.

3. Mobility work should improve training, not compete with it.
   This is probably the strongest “changed my mind” angle. You do not need 45-minute mobility sessions on top of 3-5 hours of lifting. Five to fifteen minutes of targeted work can improve joint movement, joint comfort, nervous system tone, and dissipate pain and stiffness. Small doses have big results

4. Your 40s are when small restrictions start becoming expensive.
   A stiff ankle becomes you slipping and rolling an ankle. Limited hip rotation changes how you walk, run, or golf. Poor shoulder motion changes pressing mechanics and ignoring it is rotator cuff wear and tear. None of these may feel serious at first, but over years they can reduce what you can comfortably do. A daily movement practice of 10-20 minutes (maximum) is preventative maintenance: address small movement deficits before they become costly ones.

5. Mobility is part of longevity because freedom of movement is part of quality of life.
   The payoff is bigger than avoiding injury. It is being able to sprint at 55, hike and ruck at 65, travel without your back locking up, play with your kids (or grandkids), get off the floor easily, and continue training hard. Muscle and cardiovascular fitness matter enormously, but they only matter if the enable the physical freedom to actually use them.

My point is this: Mobility work is maintenance for the physical capabilities you want to keep for the next 30–40-50 years.

So you can expect more forthcoming videos and articles on this topic.

And if there is any particular aspect of mobility, flexibility, longevity, and training pain-free you have questions about or would like me to cover, please reply and tell me!