Don’t Let Traveling Wreck Your Mobility

Mobility work isn’t easy while traveling. However, finding mobility exercises to do after traveling can help us feel and perform our best.  We’ve all likely had to travel for extended periods of time at one time or another in our lives.  Some of you have to travel very regularly for work.  A problem with traveling is that sometimes there’s no way to avoid static postures for long periods of time.

As much as we would like to get up and move around, sometimes long hours in a car or on a plane don’t allow us to get up and stretch as much as we would like.  While I don’t believe there are ever ‘bad’ postures, being static and not moving is a problem.  Any time we are stuck in one position for a long period of time, it is going to compromise mobility if not counteracted with the proper movement.

When we sit for prolonged periods, whether by choice or due to circumstances, the muscles around our hips, core, and shoulders cannot work as they’re designed.  While true muscle and joint stiffness won’t develop from one time traveling, if we are regularly doing this without counteracting these positions, limitations in mobility can occur over time.

Prioritize the Hips and Mid Back

If you’re short on time and looking for some quick mobility exercises, start with the hips and mid back (thoracic spine).  These exercises below don’t require any equipment, which means you can fight tightness and stiffness wherever you’re at.  Don’t let your mobility take a back seat, try these out next time you’re traveling:

90/90 Hip Mobility

Prolonged sitting is a surefire way to stiffen up those hips.  Mobile hips are necessary for healthy lower backs and knees, and also are key to performing well in the gym and in sport.  Try these different hip mobility variations to free up mobility in your hips.

Quad/Hip Flexor ‘Couch’ Stretch

Ever get lower back pain or stiffness with a lot of sitting? Often times this isn’t actually a lower back problem, but can be secondary to hip flexor tightness and a lack of use for areas such as your glutes and core. One quick way to counteract this in a hurry – the ‘Couch’ Stretch. Throw your foot up on a chair in the airport, against a wall, or on a couch and feel the difference in how hips and back feel after.

Thoracic Spine Rotations

Sitting doesn’t just wreck the hips, but the mid back stiffens up along with it.  When your mid back (or thoracic spine) is feeling stiff, this can affect your lower back, shoulders, and neck.  Try these thoracic rotations to open up your back after a long day of travel.

Try these 3 exercises the next time you’re traveling and take note of how you feel after doing them, but also your next time in the gym. This doesn’t just apply to exercises to do after traveling, this also applies just as much for those that sit all day for work. One of the hardest things we can do on our bodies is sit all day and then go hit a hard workout. We see this in our ‘Desk Athlete’ clients all the time that sit all day and then develop shoulder, back, knee, and other injuries as a result of too much time sitting and not enough time moving outside of the gym.

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