What's more important strength or mobility?
This morning I came across a clip of the great Dmitry Klokov going through a little mobility routine. His flexibility and mobility wasn't a shock to me, I expected it to be pretty incredible for someone of his size. But I certainly wasn't surprised by it.
I dug around on YouTube, as you do, and came across this clip. It got me thinking about all the regulars that I see in the gym.
Most gym goers want one of two things. They either want to lose weight or they want to get stronger. Guys pretty much just want to get stronger. It's an ego thing.
But the question is, what is the first thing they do in the gym?
Yep. You guessed it. Head straight for the bench press whack a load of weight on the bar and start lifting. It's not always the Bench Press they head straight for. Occasionally it's the squat rack, but the result is the same. A load of weight. No range.
Don't get me wrong, a few of the educated will perform some lighter warm-up sets, the majority don't though. A few may even do some mobility work. But the majority don't know what that is let alone perform any of it. Before you ask, waving your arms around like you're trying to take off is not mobility work. Slapping your legs pre-squat and giving your quads a quick stretch (straight from the Sunday League Football pitch) is not mobility work.
The logic for most regular gym goers is along the lines of
I don't squat well. I must be weak. I'll lift more to make myself stronger.
My shoulders hurt. I must be weak. I'll lift more to make myself stronger
Very few, only the elite, are at Dmitry Klokov's level. He is a beast. A former World Champion. An Olympic Silver Medallist. In competition he has a Clean and Jerked 232kg. Snatched 196kg. He has squatted over 320kg, to full depth. He's likely done more in training. But look at the clip again. Look at how mobile, and flexible for that matter, he is. Do you think he could lift those crazy numbers being as mobile as a brick?
No. No he couldn't.
Both strength and mobility work together. Each contributes massively to the other. Each on there own is pointless, and likely to lead to injury. They compliment each other.
You should view your strength as the lock, and your mobility as the key. Put them both together and the possibilities it will unlock are endless.
So next time you're in the gym having a rest between sets, updating your Facebook status, taking selfies of yourself crushing it. How about you stop being a douche and do some mobility work instead. It will help you with your goals, whatever they are. It will help keep away the little niggles that can turn into full blown injuries.
Make the most of your time. Don't waste it.
Just for the record I have no idea what Klokov is saying in the video as I don't speak Russian. My translation would be along the lines of...
'Stop being a douche. You want to lift heavy, increase your mobility. Don't neglect it. Get stronger. Get mobile. Be like Dmitry'