Everyone loves to follow a fitness trend. From newcomers and those who have never really worked out before to people who have been training for years, the latest fad or trend can seemingly get everyone involved if it is marketed right.
While some of these trends truly are nothing more than a fad, others, such as mobility WODs, can be extremely effective, especially if used properly.
The problem is while fitness influencers and social media may make these things popular, they often don’t do a great job of explaining to people exactly what they are. This can leave some people doing the workouts completely wrong or even prevent others from giving them a try in the first place.
With that in mind, we want to try and show you the ultimate daily mobility WOD for 2024 for people of all different backgrounds and abilities.
We will explain what a mobility WOD is and how it can benefit you, before showing you some of the best current mobility WODs and even helping you to build your own. So, if you are considering giving the mobility WOD craze a try but need a little guidance, I highly recommend reading on.
What Is A Mobility WOD?
WOD stands for workout of the day. This is usually a routine of short, simple exercises that can be performed with little to no exercises. Various apps and websites produce these to help people achieve all manner of different goals, while you can also build your own.
While many people see mobility as something that centres on stretching and flexibility, it is actually about how to remove any imbalances in the body. As a result, mobility is involved in everything from the strength of your muscles to the balance or pain you experience when performing physical tasks.
A mobility WOD is therefore a routine that you can perform on a daily basis to improve the overall comfort, function, and ability of your body. It is also one of the easiest yet most effective options you have for improving your level of mobility.
Why A Daily Mobility WOD is Good For You
A daily mobility WOD is good for you as it offers a wide range of different performance and health benefits, while requiring you to put aside very little time to complete it. While often overlooked by those outside of the fitness community, it is extremely beneficial even for those who don’t work out.
It can improve your posture, which is especially beneficial for those who work at a desk and sit still all day. It is also able to improve your longevity, which will help to slow the effects of aging and allow you to complete your day to day tasks much more easily and efficiently for far longer.
It also has the ability to increase the range of movements and motions your body is able to perform. This is not only beneficial for the average person but is also extremely important for those who work out, as it prepares your body for tougher workouts and improves your performance within them.
What Are The Benefits Of A Mobility WOD?
While we touched on some of the benefits of a mobility WOD above, it is vital we take a look at each of the advantages it can offer in more detail. This will not only explain just what a routine can do for your body, but also the various uses this provides, many of which you likely won’t have thought of.
Increased Mobility & Flexibility
The main goal of a mobility WOD is to improve the user’s mobility and fitness, which will have a number of effects on their daily lives. Perhaps the greatest benefit is the fact that it will greatly reduce the risk of you getting injured, as your muscles will be more mobile and less fragile.
It will also make day to day tasks easier to complete, as your muscles will be stronger and more comfortable, while the increased range of motion will allow you to reach things and perform tasks that you previously wouldn’t have been capable of.
Greater Muscular Strength & Endurance
Improved mobility allows you to train your muscles through their entire range of motion and work all of the fibres. This will not only make you be able to perform more effectively in the workouts but will also lead to greater improvements in muscular strength, endurance, power, and even size.
Reduces The Effects Of Aging On The Joints
By making you physically fitter, healthier, and less prone to injuries, mobility WODs can even have anti-aging effects and reduce the wear and tear your joints receive over time.
This will help to keep you feeling young as you get older, ensuring you can stay active and pain free, allowing you to age gracefully and not have your body limit the things you can do and enjoy.
How Does Poor Mobility Impact You?
Poor mobility is one of the greatest causes of physical injury in modern adults. The less flexible and mobile your joints and muscles are, the more fragile and at risk they become. This can mean even small twists, pulls, or falls can lead to major tears, dislocations, and various other injuries.
Poor mobility also limits your ability to perform to a high level in the gym or a sporting activity. As the muscles will not be able to train through a full range of motion, they won’t be able to grow as effectively. This will limit not only their growth but also the results you can achieve in competitions.
Poor mobility even makes it more challenging to complete simple daily tasks. As you become frailer, weaker, and less mobile, due to the issues mentioned above, even simple tasks like moving a box or walking a dog can become extremely challenging and even lead to injuries.
Example Mobility WODs
Before we look at how to build your own mobility WOD, let’s take a look at some of the options that are already available. These routines all come from a range of different sources and are designed to enable people of different ability levels to improve their overall level of mobility.
They are all performed in a circuit format, meaning you perform a single set of each exercise before moving on to the next, rather than doing all of your sets of a single exercise in a row. The length and number of sets you perform is up to you but should be based on your goals, ability, and experience.
Mobility WOD 1 – Builtlean
- 1. Hands, Fingers & Wrists Flexibility
- 2. Rocking With Head Nods
- 3. Lying Hip Rotations
- 4. Seated Hamstring Stretch
- 5. Half Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
- 6. Bird Dogs
- 7. Spider Crawl Stretch With Rotation
- 8. Squat Hip Flexibility (Includes Ankles, Feet & Toes)
- 9. Standing Side Stretch
Mobility WOD 2 – Barbend
- 1. Standing Roll Downs
- 2. Cross Back Side Stretch
- 3. Rocking Figure 4
- 4. Seated Knee Sways
- 5. Kneeling Thread the Needle
- 6. Kneeling Cobra
- 7. High Kneeling Reach Back
- 8. Standing Round & Extend
- 9. Side Lunge Twist
- 10. Kneeling Shoulder Glides Front & Back
Mobility WOD 3 – Byrdie
- 1. Walking Spiderman With Hip Lift & Overhead Reach
- 2. Three-Way Ankle Mobilization
- 3. Seated 90/90 Hip Internal Rotation/External Rotation with Reach
- 4. Back To The Wall Shoulder Flexion
- 5. Prying Squat
- 6. Mini Band Overhead Reach
- 7. Passive Leg Lowering
- 8. Mini Band Prone Floor Slide
- 9. Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
How To Build Your Own Mobility WOD
To build your own mobility WOD, the first thing you need to do is identify any muscular weaknesses and imbalances. This will allow you to plan the most work around your problem areas and address your needs directly, helping to bring them in line with the rest of your body.
The next step is working out how much time you can realistically dedicate to your mobility WOD. Try to be honest with yourself, as it is better to plan a shorter routine that you can stick to than a longer one that you can’t. Remember, you should aim to be performing your mobility WOD 7 days a week.
You then need to choose the individual exercises you will be using in your mobility WOD. Now that you know where you want to target and how long you have to do so, you can select the right exercises and the quantity of them you perform.
You also want to try and organise them in the most logical way possible. Create a routine where you can keep most of the exercises that involve a particular muscle together and, if possible, organise them in a way where you can easily flow from one to the next.
Lastly, you need to set how many rounds of your mobility WOD you will do per day. This will not only be based on the time you have free but also on things such as your experience or goals. The more experienced you are or the harder your goals are to achieve, the more rounds you will want to do.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Before we conclude our examination of the ultimate daily mobility WOD for 2024, I want to answer a few of the most frequently asked questions people have about mobility, WODs, and the two when they are combined.
This will hopefully ensure no one has any lingering questions and everyone is clear on whether or not a mobility WOD is something they try and, if so, which one they should use or what the one they build should look like.
How Do I Keep Track If My Mobility Is Improving?
There are a number of metrics you can use to keep track of your mobility improvements. The most obvious is the range of motion and pain you experience during your mobility WOD. As you improve, you should be able to take the exercises much further and experience notably less discomfort.
The ease and comfort with which you perform daily tasks, as well as your performance in workouts, are both great ways to give you a clear demonstration that your mobility is improving as well. If all else fails, there are even dedicated mobility apps designed specifically to track your progress for you.
Will A Mobility WOD Help Me To Build Muscle?
The idea behind a mobility WOD is not to build muscle, as its main goal is to improve your mobility and flexibility. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t benefit your muscular growth at the same time.
Not only can some of the static stretches and moves you perform lead to an improvement in muscle strength, but the enhancements made can also enable you to achieve better results from your regular workouts as well.
Can I Do A Mobility Workout Every Day?
Whether or not you can do a mobility workout every day depends on a number of factors, such as how much free time you have or want to set aside, how many restrictions you have and their impact on your life, and just how far you want to take things and the goals you are hoping to achieve.
However, the daily WODs we have been looking at and helping you design in this article are indeed designed to be performed every single day. There are no adverse effects likely to be caused by doing so, and you are likely to receive maximum benefits from performing them this regularly.
What Is The Best Mobility Routine?
There is no single best mobility routine, as different mobility WODs will all take a slightly different approach and use different exercises. This means the best mobility routine for you will depend on exactly what your personal goals are.
That said, the best mobility routines will usually combine a selection of mobility exercises that can increase the range of movements and motions your body can perform. This will include balance, flexibility, strength, and even pliability. Using the full combination is the best way to avoid injury.
Are Mobility WOD Apps Any Good?
While it is difficult to judge an entire group of apps as one, the majority of WOD apps are a great way for newcomers to get into mobility WODs, as they offer a great range of easy to follow workouts and customised routines, created from extensive exercise lists.
You even have apps dedicated to specific areas, such as ankle mobility WODs, which are perfect for those trying to combat a particular issue.
For those who want something a little more advanced, you also have options like mobility programs to consider. These provide many of the same benefits as the apps but often go into much greater detail, so can be a better choice for more experienced users.
Is ROMWOD Good For Mobility?
The ROMWOD app and website both offer a range of mobility workouts for people of all goals and ability levels. Completing ROMWOD workouts on a daily basis has been proven to improve levels of flexibility and mobility in large numbers of people.
If you are considering using a pre-existing mobility WOD or app, ROMWOD is one of the most popular options and is definitely a good way to go. If you like the idea but aren’t completely sold on ROMWOD, GOWOD is another good example for you to try, as the two are often compared.
Final Thoughts
A mobility WOD is a great way to improve not only your mobility and flexibility, but your overall quality of life in general. From completing daily tasks to performing more challenging physical activities, a higher level of mobility can make your job easier and produce notably greater results.
Given how short most mobility WODs are, the incredible results you can achieve by setting aside such a small amount of time make them something everyone should consider. With the various mobility WOD apps and programs available, there are plenty of easy, convenient options to use too.
With that in mind, I would highly recommend everyone gives a mobility WOD a try for themselves, as, after reading this article on the ultimate daily mobility WOD for 2024, there really shouldn’t be anything holding you back anymore.
