15 Minute Mobility Routine (Full Body)

About this plan

Three sessions a week, two rounds of each position, thirty seconds a hold. Each day covers a different region, so the week gets everything.

Day one is hips and hamstrings — the world's greatest stretch, 90/90, pigeon, hamstring stretch, hip circles and a kneeling hip flexor stretch. Day two is upper body: shoulder circles, arm circles, cat-cow, thread the needle, the open book and downward dog. Day three works the lower half again from a different angle, with standing hip circles, an elevated hip flexor stretch, a seated groin stretch, a lunging calf stretch and ankle dorsiflexion.

Ankle dorsiflexion on day three is the position most people have never trained and most need. It is the ankle's ability to let the shin travel forward over the foot, and when it is limited, squats get shallow, the heels lift, and the knee and hip absorb what the ankle would not. It is also one of the more responsive joints to consistent work.

Two rounds rather than one is the difference between a warm-up and a mobility session. The first round finds the range; the second is where it changes.

Mobility and flexibility are not the same thing, and this plan is aimed at the first. Flexibility is how far a joint can be pushed; mobility is how far you can take it under your own control. That is why the plan mixes active positions like the world's greatest stretch and hip circles with static holds rather than being a list of stretches.

Fifteen minutes on a rest day, or after training when the tissue is warm. Doing it cold before lifting is the one time it is not the right choice.