A 10-minute mobility routine you will actually do

The routine

Work through these in order. Timings are a guide, so go slower rather than faster. The whole thing takes about ten minutes.

1. Cat-cow, 60 seconds. On hands and knees, slowly round your whole spine up, then let it sag and lift your chest. Move one segment at a time.
2. Open books, 45 seconds each side. Lie on your side with knees bent to 90 degrees and arms out in front. Keep your knees together and open the top arm across to the other side, following it with your eyes.
3. 90/90 hip switches, 60 seconds. Sit with both knees bent to 90 degrees, one leg in front and one to the side. Rotate both knees over to the other side and back, using your hands behind you for support if needed.
4. Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, 45 seconds each side. Kneel on one knee, squeeze the glute on that side and shift your hips forward slightly. You should feel it at the front of the hip, not in the lower back.
5. Knee-to-wall ankle rocks, 45 seconds each side. Face a wall in a split stance, front foot a hand's width away. Drive the front knee towards the wall while keeping the heel down.
6. World's greatest stretch, 5 each side. Step into a long lunge, place the same-side hand on the floor inside your front foot, then rotate the other arm up to the ceiling. Return and repeat.
7. Supported deep squat, 60 seconds. Hold a door frame, the rig or a post and sit down into your deepest comfortable squat. Shift side to side and push your knees out gently with your elbows.
8. Wall slides, 60 seconds. Stand with your back to a wall, arms in a goalpost shape. Slide your arms up while keeping ribs down and forearms close to the wall.

Getting the most from each movement

Mobility work is not a competition to go as deep as possible. Aim for a comfortable end range, a gentle stretch sensation of perhaps 3 or 4 out of 10, and move smoothly in and out. Sharp pain, pinching in the front of the hip or tingling down a limb means back off.

Pay attention to control. In the 90/90 switches, try to move without flopping. In the deep squat, notice whether your heels lift and whether one hip feels different from the other. Those differences are useful information for your training, and our guide to mobility for lifting explains how to address specific limits in squats, deadlifts and presses.

If the deep squat is the hardest part, a goblet squat with a light kettlebell is one of the best ways to build usable squat depth, because the weight in front acts as a counterbalance.

When to fit it in

• Before training: as the first part of your warm-up, followed by lighter sets of your main lift.
• First thing in the morning: good if you wake up stiff, especially before a 6am session.
• After a long day sitting: a quick reset before dinner. Our guide to desk jobs and training has more on this.
• On rest days: paired with a walk, it makes a good low-effort recovery session.

Stack it onto something you already do, such as while the kettle boils or straight after brushing your teeth. Habits attached to existing routines tend to stick.

Adjusting it to suit you

Everyone starts from a different place, and the routine should bend to fit you. If kneeling hurts, put a folded towel or mat under your knee. If sitting on the floor for 90/90 is uncomfortable, sit on a low step or cushion. If your knees do not like the deep squat, hold a shallower squat to a box.

People who are naturally very flexible, sometimes called hypermobile, often do not need more range. Focus instead on moving slowly and controlling each position, and add strength work around the joints. If you are pregnant, some positions will need adapting as the pregnancy progresses, so check with your midwife or a physio.

If you like guided work, most coached strength classes build some of this into their warm-ups, and asking a coach to watch your squat is often the fastest way to find where you are restricted.

When stiffness is something else

Normal stiffness eases within a few minutes of moving. Some patterns deserve a proper look. Back or joint stiffness in the morning that lasts more than about half an hour and improves with movement, especially if you are under 45, can point to an inflammatory condition and is worth raising with your GP. So is a joint that is hot, swollen or red.

If one area stays restricted or painful despite regular work, or a joint catches, locks or gives way, an assessment helps find out why. Lycan Strength has on-site physiotherapy, where the first visit is a full assessment to find the root cause, and gym members get 20% off treatment.