Flexibility & Mobility: What's The Difference?

by Sarah Buckley

Many people are interested in improving their mobility and flexibility. It is frequently listed as a goal of people coming to the gym. Why are they interested in improving these qualities?

And while we're at it: the terms "flexibility" and "mobility" seem synonymous - what do these words actually mean?

Let's begin with this second question. Some use "flexibility" and "mobility" interchangeably; but there is a distinction between them that has important implications. So what is the difference?

Flexibility is considered the passive range of motion the body has. An example of this is when a person performs a high knee hug - stands on one foot and pulls the other leg into the chest with the assistance of their arms. 

Mobility is active ranges of motion, or ranges that we have control over. An example of this is an individual standing on one leg and lifting their knee up toward their chest, without the assistance of their arms. Likely, an individual will be able to pull their leg up higher with the help of their arms compared to when they raise their leg without that assistance.

The reality is, we need both flexibility and mobility to be functional humans. How much we need of each is dependent on a couple things:

• How much of each does an individual have?

• What type of physical things does that individual like to do/want to do?

Speaking of being functional: there are mobility/flexibility minimums for the human body. Joints need to be able to move through all the ranges they were designed for (flexibility) and they also need to have control within those ranges (mobility). Lack of movement and lack of control can cause different disruptions in daily living and sometimes pain. We can determine if these minimums are met through an assessment and through specific training, we can improve both our passive range of motion if needed (flexibility) and our active range of motion if needed (mobility).

Take the example of touching your toes, a measure that is commonly (though perhaps not accurately) associated with good health. Touching one's toes mostly falls into the flexibility bucket and is a useful tool. If something is on the ground, we want to be able to reach it. We need to put on socks and shoes.

But, in addition to being able to put our body in that position, we also need to be able to control that position, including just bodyweight, as shown in the examples above. Once we reach the ground, if we start talking about lifting something off the floor or actively bending over to look at something, then we are in the mobility realm. As you can see, flexibility and mobility almost always go hand in hand, and we train them together.

Are you interested in not only improving the range of motion of your joints, but training your body to use those ranges for whatever task you set your mind to, whether that's getting out of a chair or barbell back squatting, with less pain, better balance, and greater strength? At Prevail, we specialize in mobility training for everything from everyday living to athletic performance. Get in touch with us to learn more.