When we think of being a great lifter, our minds often spring to high PBs, the best technique, and crazy strength. But one of the most crucial components that make up an exceptional weightlifter is having great mobility. (It’s the secret to success!)

Here’s what working on your mobility can really do for your lifting…

All lifters know that the correct form is crucial when trying to increase strength and lift more weight, but without optimal mobility, proper form doesn’t exist. (And let’s face it, nobody wants to be called out for having bad form).

Mobility essentially dictates the depth of your squat, your pushing power in your press, and how smooth your deadlift feels - aspects that become all the more important when you’re adding load or reps. 

Having increased mobility will mean that your body is able to work through a wider range of motion, which will enable you to improve your form during weightlifting exercises. With better mobility, you are able to get into better positions which will allow you to generate greater strength and power.

If you can’t get into the position needed to execute a lift or movement properly, you won’t be able to execute the lift or movement - it’s as simple as that. 

And so if your hips, ankles, shoulders, or wrists don’t want to move, you need to work on them first. 

As a weightlifter, you will want to train consistently week on week and put your body under heavy load. Without good mobility, your body won’t be able to recover effectively, and so you risk halting your progress as a result. 

If you are not mobile enough, fluid circulation can be affected, which leads to a reduction in the physiological processes of muscle recovery.

To ensure that this isn’t the case, you can work on your mobility with techniques such as foam rolling and dynamic stretching to relieve muscle tightness and encourage blood circulation - doing so will ensure that you can bounce back to your workouts faster.

Like with any sport, there is a risk of injury involved when doing Olympic Weightlifting. Lifting considerable weight on a regular basis means that you place your body under a lot of stress which can be damaging. Mix lifting heavy loads and being immobile together, and some serious alarm bells start to ring!

If you lack mobility in one joint of your body, another area or joint in the body will have to compensate for the lack of mobility in the other joint. This compensation causes stress on these areas and can lead to pain and injury.

And those injuries? They won’t get you hitting any new PBs any time soon.

Improving your mobility will get you a greater range of motion, meaning that you won’t be putting too much pressure on any single area of the body, thus lowering your risk for injury.