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Flexibility and mobility are two sides of the same coin. You want to be flexible enough that your joints and muscles can move through a large range of motion. We’re not suggesting you should be able to do the splits, but being able to touch your toes is a good indicator of hamstring flexibility.

Ian has tight shoulders, and an area of focus for him has been working on raising his arms straight above his head. This might sound simple but many of us have shoulders too tight to do this. And these limitations in flexibility can cause issues further down the line.

Mobility means that you have strength throughout your range of flexibility. So, in Ian’s case, he doesn’t just want to be able to reach his arms straight above his head, but also to be able to carry a weight safely through the whole range of motion. Your goal should be to improve your flexibility and mobility at the same time.

Regular stretching is great for building flexibility. If you’re sitting in front of the TV on a rainy Sunday, then why not run through some gentle stretches at the same time? You can find loads of follow-along stretch videos on YouTube, and once you’ve learned them you won’t need the videos any more.

Yoga is perhaps one of the best and most popular ways to build both flexibility and mobility. Pilates and barre work wonders too, as does Tai Chi. Martial arts are also good choices, as are rock climbing, gymnastics and calisthenics.

Another crucial part of improving mobility is breaking up tight muscle fibres. We all know what it feels like to have knots in our muscles, whether they’re in our shoulders, back or glutes. These are muscle fibres that have stuck together, and it’s important to break them up to get good flexibility and range of motion. This can be done through massage, but not all of us can afford weekly massage sessions! The best way to do this for yourself is with an inexpensive foam roller – ideally one with little knobs on. Find a follow-along video class where they’ll show you how to use the roller to ease up tension in your muscles.