Mobility = strength plus control
- Coaches are reframing mobility as strength and control through full ranges, rather than only passive stretching. (theprogress.com) - Darren Roberts says stiffness in squats, hinges, and overhead work often stems from lacking stability, not short muscles. (theprogress.com) - He recommends loaded, controlled range‑of‑motion drills instead of extra static stretching to improve movement durability. (theprogress.com)
Mobility is being taught less as a stretching test and more as strength you can control at the edges of a movement. (theprogress.com) (acsm.org) In an April 19 column for the Chilliwack Progress, coach Darren Roberts said many people who feel “tight” in squats, hip hinges and overhead lifts are running into a control problem, not just short muscles. He wrote that the body often blocks range it cannot stabilize. (theprogress.com) That idea lines up with how trainers use movement screens such as the overhead squat assessment, which looks at dynamic flexibility, core strength, balance and neuromuscular control during one full-body pattern. The National Academy of Sports Medicine says the screen is meant to flag compensations in motion, not simply measure passive flexibility. (blog.nasm.org) Static stretching still increases flexibility, but it is no longer treated as the only fix for limited range. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of 41 studies found moderate-to-large flexibility gains from chronic static stretching, alongside only trivial-to-small gains in strength and power. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The split matters most in the gym because a person can reach a position on the floor, then lose it under a barbell, kettlebell or bodyweight load. Roberts’ recommendation was to train range with load and control so the body can use that position during real movements, not just display it in a stretch. (theprogress.com) That approach has also gained ground in warm-up research. A review in *Frontiers in Physiology* reported that short static stretches of 60 seconds or less per muscle group have only trivial effects on later strength and power, while longer bouts above 60 seconds can reduce performance more noticeably. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) In practice, that shifts the prescription from “stretch more” to drills that ask for motion plus ownership: controlled squats, hinges, split squats and overhead patterns through a range a person can keep stable. The goal is not maximum looseness; it is usable range that holds up when speed, fatigue or load enter the picture. (theprogress.com) (blog.nasm.org) Roberts framed the payoff as durability. If mobility is the range you can actually command, then getting less “stiff” starts to look a lot like getting stronger there. (theprogress.com)
