Ever feel like your joints are rusted shut in the morning — or after sitting too long? You’re not alone. Most of us stretch occasionally but ignore the deeper work that keeps our joints truly mobile, strong, and pain-free.
Here’s the truth:
💡 Mobility is freedom.
It’s your body’s ability to move with control — not just flexibility, but strength through full ranges of motion.
And here’s how to build it.
🔄 Step 1: Understand the Difference
Flexibility = passive range (how far a muscle can stretch).
Mobility = active range (how far you can move a joint with control).
We want both — but mobility is what keeps you moving pain-free.
🧠 Step 2: Mobilize Daily (It Doesn’t Take Long)
Just 5–10 minutes a day can open up your hips, shoulders, and spine. Think quality over quantity.
✅ Try these:
- 90/90 Hip Rotations – unlock stiff hips
- Thoracic Spine Rotations – relieve mid-back tension
- Ankle Rockers – improve squat depth and balance
- Shoulder CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations) – increase overhead range
💡 Pro Tip: Move slowly, breathe deeply, and stay focused. Mobility is a practice, not a warm-up afterthought.
🏋️ Step 3: Strengthen Through Range
Mobility isn’t just about getting into a position — it’s about owning it. That means:
- Slow eccentrics (e.g., lowering into a deep lunge)
- Isometric holds in end range (like pausing in a deep squat)
- Light resistance in new positions (bands or bodyweight)
Over time, you’ll expand your range and increase strength where it counts.
💆 Step 4: Use It or Lose It
Your joints crave movement. If you’re sedentary most of the day, even the best stretches won’t help long-term.
🚶♂️ Get up every hour.
🌀 Move your spine, hips, and shoulders in circles.
🧘 Add 1–2 mobility flows into your weekly workouts.
🔥 Final Thought:
You don’t need to “stretch more” — you need to move better. And that starts with a daily dose of focused, intentional joint work. You’ll feel the difference in days — and thank yourself in decades.
💬 Want a personalized mobility plan? Hit reply — we’ll help you build one based on your body and your goals.
📥 Got questions? Hit reply or DM me on Instagram @dynamichpt I'm here to help.
To your success,
Coach Travis Barrett MS, CSCS
P.S. If you’ve found any of this helpful, please be sure to share, like, subscribe to this channel (and my YouTube channel listed below). DHP is exclusively built on word of mouth. We need your help in order to continue to grow and help more people!
P.P.S. - Whenever you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help
1) Subscribe to the DHP YouTube Channel for our most up to date free information about training, nutrition, and recovery
2) Private Coaching
Check out these testimonials below
Traci Counley said “I have been working with Travis for 6 years and he is an amazing coach! I have had several personal trainers over the last 15 years and by far Travis is the most dedicated, thorough, and up to date trainer I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He programs workouts for me on a really progressive and easy to use iPhone app and I do the workouts in my home gym. I love this flexibility and the ability to track my workouts easily. He really gets to know you as an individual and focuses on your goals and how best to achieve them. Travis has an extensive background in kinesiology, various training methods and power lifting and is constantly adapting to the needs of his clients to get them in the best shape of their lives. He consistently seeks out additional training and workshops to expand his fitness knowledge and then passes that onto his clients with new workouts. If you are committed and follow his scheduled workouts and put in a little extra time for mobility work, I guarantee you will be satisfied with your fitness goals. I am in the best shape of my life in my mid 40’s and the strongest I have ever been and the reason why is because Travis has me on a program that changes every 4 weeks and uses different exercises with different rep ranges, intensity and volume each block. He is amazing at coming up with new exercises that work muscle groups in different ways so that you are consistently making gains. He also uses the concept of periodization effectively to maximize strength but also works in appropriate deloading weeks. I cannot say enough great things about Travis not only as a strength and conditioning coach but as a human being. He is one of the kindest people I have ever met and is very easy to talk to and work with. Working with Travis has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Make the commitment now to the best trainer out there!
Emma Price said “Travis has been phenomenal to work with! As an avid runner and a stay at home mom, I was struggling to find a workout routine/program that wasn’t all “fluff” workouts and cardio, yet was also nervous to do anything at the gym beyond a treadmill due to a 15 yr old chronic back injury. Enter Travis! He has 100% met me where I’m at and created a path forward. I’m an absolute novice, and he’s helping me become comfortable in the gym, has handled all my questions and concerns, and most important to me, is helping me get stronger and more limber without hurting or aggravating my injury. Travis is extremely knowledgeable and attentive to detail, which I highly appreciate. As well as meeting in person, he uses a great coaching app we can communicate through and where he can share videos of the workouts I need to do and in return I can share my videos so he can check my form. I’m just a regular person, not a gym rat or body builder, so I was a bit hesitant to seek out a personal trainer, but it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made! Travis is just all around a great guy and amazing coach!!”
Fredrick Lee said “Travis is an absolute professional! I’ve been in special operations for over 12+ years and have had many injuries. I was about to get another back surgery when I started working with Travis. Within 6 months I was pain free, 6 months later I was reaching performance and strength I haven’t seen in years!”
