Wait…so should I 'stretch it' or 'mobilize it'? 8/3/12

You’ve all heard me talk about this concept of mobility, right? Someone is missing some range of motion or feels restricted when we have them try to get into an good position and they come ask me about it. Then you see them get into some weirdo funky position and make all sorts of funny pain faces. Some refer to this as stretching, and sometimes that’s what it turns out to be. But most of the time what we’re really doing is ‘mobilizing.’
See, all the joints in our body have an optimal position from which to work. This allows to us output power efficiently and effectively. The problem is that we can’t all be full time CrossFitters where we always work on good positioning. Desk warriors, road sales guys, CEO’s, teachers, police officers – we’re all plagued by bad position all day long. Never fear – mobility is here! Using many of the mobility drills before, during, and after class are a great way to combat the daily rigors your body is put through.
And if you still think this mobility stuff is just a fancy new term for stretching, here is a great breakdown of the differences:
“Stretching only focuses on lengthening short and tight muscles. Mobilization, on the other hand, is a movement-based integrated full-body approach that addresses all the elements that limit movement and performance including short and tight muscles, soft tissue restriction, joint capsule restriction, motor control problems, joint range of motion dysfunction, and neural dynamic issues. In short, mobilization is a tool to globally address movement and performance problems.” K-Starr
In layman’s terms: Learn to mobilize effectively and I promise all your strength numbers will increase, your met-con times will improve, your WOD’s will be more efficient, and you’ll finally rid yourselves of all those nagging injuries you can’t get rid of.
Trust me, this stuff works. And don’t worry, as I said in an earlier post, we’ll be upping the ante on this every single day!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Become a Supple Leopard
 
A. Skill:
Back Squat –  5×3 @ 90% 1RM
 
B. WOD:
30 KB Swings (53/35)
Run 800m
30 KB Swings