Flexibility vs. Mobility: What Is The Difference
Tanner Mackenzie • July 13, 2020
How You Can Improve Both Mobility and Flexibility
Flexibility and mobility. These are two terms we hear quite often, and that your Coach will often reference during training. A few of you probably know the difference between these two, but many of you may not!
Flexibility and mobility are interrelated, with one important difference. Where flexibility refers only to the ability of a joint to be placed in a certain position, mobility refers to this joint's ability to exert force while in this same position.
As an experiment, put a small bend in your knees, then bend over to try and touch your toes. Make a note of just how far down you can go while maintaining a neutral spine. You have just measured your flexibility through the posterior chain.
Consider whether you would be comfortable holding a 10lb weight in this position. How about a 20lb weight? 40lb? 80lb? 100lb? Mobility is an objective, but flexible measurement, that is affected by the demands being placed upon the joint (or system of joints). I like to refer to mobility as 'functional flexibility', or the ability to control the joints at their extreme ranges.
Now that we understand the difference between flexibility and mobility, let's take a look at how they can be improved.
Static, or passive stretching, is widely accepted and practiced for improving flexibility. It's the stretching everyone knows. Apply a stretch to a muscle, just past where you're comfortable, and hold. This is a perfectly effective way of increasing flexibility, but will not improve mobility.
A lesser known way of improving flexibility is active stretching. The antagonist (or opposing) muscles are engaged to pull on the stretched muscle. Many of you probably remember the Active Straight Leg Raise that forms part of the Functional Movement Screen we administer here at Nova on a regular basis. This is a great example of an active stretch. Again, while great for flexibility, there is a better option for mobility.
Two great ways to improve mobility are dynamic stretching and Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs). Dynamic stretching uses natural movements to slowly apply a stretch to a muscle group.
For example, slowly descending into a squat, challenging your range of motion while maintaining form, is a dynamic stretch. You can do the exact same thing with resistance. Dynamic stretching is not to be confused with ballistic stretching, which uses the momentum to force a joint beyond its normal range of motion (i.e: bouncing aggressively to reach for your toes, which could strain the back). This is dangerous and unproductive.
CARs are essentially a special type of dynamic stretch. They utilize rotational movements of a joint around its maximum range, to teach the brain and the body how to use these ranges. Below is a video featuring a great example of a shoulder CAR.
Hopefully this helped you understand a bit more about flexibility, mobility and how to improve them.
Andrew has been a Nova member for 9 years. One of his long standing goals was to do his first triathlon. He has been working towards this for years and just at the end of August he did it!
If you're doing all the “right things” — working out, eating clean, trying to stay consistent — but still struggling with stubborn belly fat, low energy and slow results, you’re not alone.
Tanya’s dedication to rebuilding her health after surgery offers valuable lessons and perspective for anyone facing setbacks.
Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
Congratulations to Sonya Jeyaseelan, Our July 2025 SuperNova!
Congratulations to Liz Belford, Our June SuperNova!
We are back with our second series of 'Pod Calls' available exclusively to our Nova Health Club members. Don't miss these unique sessions to help you level up your health and wellness game! What is a Pod Call? A Pod Call is a live online (webinar like)_ session with a Nova coach, offering support and insights on key health topics like fitness, nutrition, recovery and overall wellness. Why did we create Pod Calls? Our goal is your success and your health goals can not be built on fitness alone. After delivering thousands of personal training sessions, we noticed a disconnect between fitness sessions we were delivering and the other pillars of health (and lifestyle habits that happen outside of the gym). To get the most out of your health and your fitness sessions at Nova we need to link other pillars such as mindset, nutrition, stress and recovery. Training coaches who care about your results will agree that a couple hours of personal training each week is not enough time to workout AND learn everything you need to know about maximizing those workouts... Things like how to eat before or after workouts, what recovery habits should be practiced or the link between stress and working out are all subjects that you need to know on your health and fitness journey. Pod Calls are dedicated sessions where we teach you essential health and fitness insights that we can't often cover during your gym workouts. We hope you take advantage of these expert-led sessions that will enhance your workouts, teach you new concepts about health and bridge the gap between fitness and overall wellness. Upcoming Pod Calls (all times in EST) Mon Jun 2, 2025 (6:00pm) Topic: How To Eat Carbs For Better Energy, Muscle & Fat Loss Coach: Josh Allen Wed Jun 4, 2025 (2:00pm) Topic: Hip Mobility Using the 'CARS' (active session) Coach: Kim Vo Sat Jun 7, 2025 (12:00pm) Topic: Benefits of Single Leg & Arm Training for Overall Strength Coach: Matthew Nadler Tues Jun 10, 2025 (6pm) Topic: Releasing Neck Tension Coach: Zack Fernandez Wed Jun 18, 2025 (1:00pm) Topic: Training The Backside of The Core Coach: Colin Soltesz Thu June 19, 2025 (7:00pm): Topic: Ayurveda for Healthy Ageing Coach: Kayla Hutchinson These calls are free for Nova members and Zoom links for each call can be found in the Nova Mighty Networks platform. If you are not a Nova member and would like to attend any of these please email Info@NovaHealthClub.com for a seat. We look forward to seeing you then!
Check out the interview with Beth to see the habits, mindset and lifestyle shifts that helped her reach her goals
Simon’s 6-Week Transformation: From Stressed & Stuck to Strong & Energized
Simon joined Nova through the LeanDads 12-week program in February. Like many busy professionals...
