Can an App Really Improve Your Mobility?

I hate stretching, but I have to admit that mobility work has helped me in the gym. For example, I love doing barbell snatches, but I used to have a hard time catching them in a deep squat if my legs weren’t quite like that . After some mobility work, I can now snatch as comfortably as wide stance and narrow stance. I’m the best lifter for this. This pisses me off because (as has already been established) I hate stretching , and now I have to admit it’s good for me.

With that in mind, I’ve recently been intrigued by a collection of apps that claim to be able to measure your mobility in various parts of your body and prescribe exercises to help you improve what you’re lacking. They promise that better mobility will help you lift weights better and stay healthy in and out of the gym.

So I tested these apps – GOWOD , WODProof and Pliability to see if they could tell me something I didn’t already know.

Why mobility matters

Mobility refers to how you can move your body, and flexibility is a component of it. In weightlifting, we sometimes refer to mobility as “strength in a given position,” meaning that even if you are flexible enough to get into a position, you can still have mobility problems if you can’t do anything while in that position. . this position. For example, if you can use your hands to push your foot off the floor to flex your ankle, that’s fine, but you may not have enough ankle mobility to squat deep on your back.

Before I installed any of these apps, I knew a few things about my mobility. I am an Olympic style weightlifter and I know I can get into a deep squat with ease. I can also hold the bar overhead with mostly no problems, with the caveat that I have some wobbliness in my right shoulder that needs some extra stretching and strengthening.

Deep squats and basic overhead mobility are my strengths, but I definitely lack other types of mobility. I barely touch my toes, I’m terrible in yoga dove pose, and even though I’m working on the splits, I don’t even come close. In short, I move well for a weightlifter, but I would make a bad gymnast. Let’s see if these applications can reveal my strengths and weaknesses.

GOWOD: Self Data and Individual Exercises

“WOD” in CrossFit parlance means “workout of the day,” hinting that CrossFitters are at least a significant part of the target market. The GOWOD mobility test is the only one of the three tests I tested that is not based on video analysis. Instead, you watch a demo video in which a person performs a full range of motion and then you are given a slider. As you move the slider, the corresponding frame of the video is displayed. So if I can only touch halfway with my wrist on the shoulder rotation test, I’ll choose a shot where the model’s wrist is halfway to the ground.

The tests basically measure passive mobility, or what you might call flexibility. For example, I am asked to bring my knee to my chest while I lie on the ground, using my hands to pull my leg as close as possible. The tests cover the movements of many body parts, most of which seem like pretty good ways to gauge someone’s flexibility. The only test I didn’t like was the one that asked you to squat with your arms above your head as close to a wall as possible. You should make chalk marks on the floor, each the width of a credit card, and put your toe on each of the marks to see how close you can get to the wall. The closer you can stand to the wall during the overhead squat, the better your score will be.

I’m good at overhead squatting, but my thighbones are so long that my knees have to come forward compared to my toes or I can’t balance over my feet. It’s not a mobility problem, it’s a physics problem.

How I scored the GOWOD test

I got an overall score of 78%. With the exception of wall squats, my results accurately reflected what the tests were trying to measure. The test correctly noted that my right shoulder had poor internal rotation (66% on one side, 100% on the other). I have a good internal rotation on the hips (again, correct), but I did not like the external rotation; apparently, I scored only 44%. My “post chain” (back chain) flexibility related to the muscles of the back, buttocks and back of the legs was 61%, and specifically my hamstrings got 56%. I can’t touch my toes.

What GOWOD wants me to do with this information

In addition to the score, GOWOD also gives me a “mobility profile” that lists five different areas to work on. Three of them are “not a priority” for me: shoulders, overhead and ankles seem to be good enough so far. As far as what to work on, my post-chain comes first and hips come second.

If I touch each one, the app will give examples of “performance issues” that could be due to mobility issues in that area. These descriptions are great for understanding how mobility training will benefit you. For example, he points out that poor post-chain flexibility can make it difficult to keep your free leg straight in the pistol squat, which explains why I can’t make a dragon pistol ; I have strength on my squat leg, I have balance, but I just can’t get my free leg high enough to not touch the ground. I thought it was a matter of hip flexor strength, but the tighter your hamstrings are, the harder your hip flexors have to work. Better post-chain flexibility would help me with pistols, now that I think about it. Hm. I learned something today.

The rest of the explanations are random. The app also suggests that my post-chain mobility may make it difficult to properly set up for snatches, cleans, or deadlifts; this has never been a problem to my knowledge. The app doesn’t seem to be able to give advice on these exercises – it says I might want to use lighter weights on them – without testing me on them.

GOWOOD workouts

The free version of the app includes an exercise library. You can’t search by body part, but each exercise is labeled with the muscle groups it stretches. (So ​​you need to know that your glutes are part of your poststring.) The exercise cards are well done, with video demonstrations in both the regular version of the stretch and the more accessible “easy mode.”

The routines include pre-workout, post-workout, and “daily” sessions designed to be performed outside of strength training. I tried the “MobiFlash” procedure, which promised that I would be done in three minutes and could move on with my life. (They also have longer options.) I told him I was going to do a workout with snatches, deadlifts, front squats, and pull-ups, and that gave me four stretches: one hip joint, two hips, and one “activation” overhead. . ”

I also tried a daily routine that was personalized based on my test and was given the choice of 8, 15 or 22 minutes. (You can also select a specific body part if you want something other than a personalized flow.) You start each exercise when you’re ready, and a voice tells you when time is almost up, when to switch sides, and then when You are done with the second side.

Of the seven stretches, I got five that made sense given the focus on the hips and posterior chain, one upper body stretch, and one pointless ankle stretch. I liked that it played video with the iOS picture-in-picture feature if I switched from the app to scrolling through social media — which comes naturally when I’m waiting for a two-minute segment.

GOWOD costs $107.99 per year or $11.99 per month. You can take the mobility test and access the exercise library at no charge, but a subscription is required to complete subsequent workouts.

WODProof: View your mobility scores with a full body map.

Instead of manually entering the results of mobility exercises, WODProof asked me to use my phone’s camera to take the tests. He helped me set up the phone on the floor, leaning it against the wall at a certain angle, and then spoke to me through them. The process was as quick and easy as the GOWOD test and took 10 to 15 minutes.

To test this app, you’ll need a “PVC stick” (a broom or one of those PVC pipes found in every weightlifting gym) and a chair or bench. Even in my small gym in the garage, it was not difficult to give the camera an adequate view and follow the prompts. Unlike GOWOD, the tests mainly involve active mobility: you hold your knee without the help of hands, spread your legs in a butterfly position without the help of hands, and so on.

After each move, the app calculates your score for that part and shows you a screenshot of how you looked.

How I scored on the WODProof test

WODProof gave me a score of 86 (out of 100) and, like GOWOD, caught the things I was good at, although he didn’t ask me to touch my toes, so he didn’t know about my terrible hamstring flexibility. . He did ask me to do a PVC pass and gave me a low rating for chest flexibility. You can repeat this part of the test multiple times, and as with any stretch, you can work on it and get higher scores as your muscles relax. (I ended up with 81%.)

The only other shoulder stretch I had was to hold PVC over my head; the app gave me 87. It has no idea about my bad inside rotation on the right side. Judging by the results, WODProof wants me to spend most of my time on the inner thighs, chest and gluteal muscles.

What WODProof wants me to do with this information

In addition to scrolling through the list of body parts, another way to view your scores is the “body map” with numbers assigned to specific body parts. You don’t get an explanation as to why it’s good or bad to have that score, but it’s great to be able to click on a part of the body map and see a still photo from the test showing your mobility in that area. I could imagine doing before and after collages with them – no wonder all these apps encourage you to use test scores to gauge your progress over time.

Workouts WODProof

WODProof can build two types of workouts for you: a “daily mobility” for the areas you need to work on, or a “special workout” where you tell what you plan to do that day.

At first I tried a special training program, saying that I plan to do snatches, front squats, deadlifts and pull-ups. I was given a stretch in baby pose, some hamstring and thigh stuff, some downward dog, and was asked to roll my quads on a foam roller. I didn’t have a foam roller handy because it was supposed to be a no-equipment workout.

The stretching app’s interface is a little more cumbersome than GOWOD’s, and it may actually have videos showing the athlete stretching instead of constantly getting in and out of it.

As daily exercises, I was assigned a shoulder stretch, chest stretch, Cossack squat (stretching the inner thighs, when you do a kind of side lunges) and stretching the inner thighs and thighs. They correspond to the weaknesses identified in the test, but I didn’t seem to be as closely related to my real needs as those suggested by GOWOD.

WODProof costs $99.99/year or $19.99/month and offers a seven-day free trial. In addition to mobility, the app also includes workout programs such as handstand skills and a tool that allows you to time your workouts and record videos.

Flexibility: you only need three minutes

Flexibility also checks you out with video analysis, but unlike other apps, it boasts that it takes three minutes to check it out. The test mainly involves overhead squats. Hands above your head, you will squat facing the camera, then facing right, then facing left. That’s all. The voice will guide you through the process, asking you to take a deep breath while holding each position.

You will end up holding each position for five to ten seconds. My shoulders were burning towards the end and I had a hard time holding positions that I would otherwise have had no trouble getting in and out of. I suspect this is on purpose to make sure you can hold the position. I kind of hated it.

How I Scored on the Flexibility Test

My score for this was 86, just like the other apps. He first told me that I had three “problems”. I read about them, didn’t like what I saw, and redid the test. I got a similar result, but this time with two “problems”. Only one matched between the two tests, although they were taken several minutes apart.

Looking at my body map on both tests, I see a glowing yellow ring on my right shoulder. Damn, they got me. I’m impressed that this crappy test caught the above problem both times.

When I click on issues, a “shrug” appears in the list; this would be persistent and possibly the most accurate. Another problem that showed up in only one test or the other was knee varus—my knees were “excessively arched” which is “usually caused by poor ankle mobility and weak hip adductors [intrinsic thigh muscles]”. No, my ankles are fine, thanks.

Another test identified “back arch” and “lower arms” as problems that could probably be related to my actual shoulder issue, but could also just be a case of the algorithm not always consistently reading the same movement. The “posterior arch” section suggests poor ankle mobility as one potential cause. You’re just guessing, dude.

Ultimately, by using just one mobility test to answer a bunch of questions about my body, Pliability has to pretty much extrapolate what might actually be wrong. I’m really impressed that he caught my shoulder issue but he has no idea about my hamstrings or hip rotation or how I’m going to handle any other moves I might want to do in the gym for outside of the squat or holding the bar above your head.

What does Pliability want me to do with this information?

This body map tells me that I can improve my flexibility by working on my right shoulder mobility. So, I think this is the first order of the business.

Stretches in the application are presented in the form of subsequent video programs. Instead of creating a routine from scratch, he recommends videos from his library. First, I have a 48-minute program called Spartacus, which includes yoga poses that stretch the hips and shoulders. Cool name, but I don’t have almost an hour to devote to stretching. All the exercises are so long and include so many body parts that it’s hard for me to choose what to do today. Just give me a quick shoulder stretch routine!

Flexibility training

I settled on “Forever Climbing – Short” which promised to end in 12 minutes and offered some shoulder work, although it was mostly in the form of a child’s pose and two versions of a dog reaching down. Knowing what I do from physical therapy with my shoulder, these are not the best stretches or movements to solve my problem. There’s nothing wrong with warming up with a small down dog, but if I’m trying to improve shoulder mobility in the future, this procedure doesn’t seem to help.

The video has a voice that guides you, as you would expect from a yoga class. Most of the positions are held for one or two minutes, and there is sound accompaniment with crashing waves and some kind of flute. To be honest, I didn’t like this routine, but if you’re the kind of person who wants something more like a yoga class than a quick stretch, you might prefer this app.

Flexibility costs $179/year or $17.95/month, and there’s a 7-day free trial. (When I decided to cancel my trial period, I was offered an extra week so you can get 14 days to try it out.)

bottom line

All three apps are pretty good at identifying areas where you can improve your mobility, and they all include a way to measure progress over time. You can watch your overall score improve and look at the scores for each test for more details.

pros

In my opinion, GOWOD offers the most thorough test and does the best job of prioritizing issues and explaining their importance. The flexibility test is impressive in that it identified a real problem I have with Olympic lifts, but it was inconsistent in its other findings and only tested a limited set of movements. I really liked the results of testing WODProof based on screenshots; if you find that they are motivating, this may be a reason to prefer this application over others.

Through training, I again leaned towards GOWOD, but this is also a matter of preference. I liked that GOWOD usually asked you to hold each position for 30 seconds instead of one to two minutes for other apps, and that it had a picture-in-picture feature for scrolling through social media or seeing your upcoming workout plan while stretching.

Minuses

When it comes to accuracy and usefulness, I don’t think any of the apps do a great job. Can they instill in you the habit of being mobile and help solve your biggest problems? Certainly. But are they as good as a trainer or instructor who can tell you how to squat better? Not a chance.

Every application missed something important. GOWOD found a problem with the mobility of my right shoulder, but he had no plan to fix it. The things he picked up, like hamstring flexibility, may be real, but they’re not that important to me. Without knowing what I’m actually doing in the gym and what I’m struggling with, I’m missing out on a lot of the information I need to create a regimen that’s meaningful to me.

Similarly, WODProof and Pliability completely missed my hamstring flexibility issue. Compliance can’t decide if something is terribly wrong with my hips or if my hips are okay. Both have the same problems as GOWOD: they can probably tell me how to improve my test, but all progress indicators are self sufficient. There is no way to link my progress in the gym to my progress in the mobile app.

There’s another problem with trying to translate mobility work into exercise in the gym: Some mobility problems can’t be solved with flexibility exercise alone. For example, a person with poor external hip rotation (hi) may be limited by the shape of the pelvis and hip joints. Mobility work allows you to stretch the muscles around your hips, which can help you get closer to the skeletal limits, but if hip mobility is affecting how you squat, a smart trainer will start by asking you to change your squat position and possibly other aspects. your squat technique. Sometimes you need to change your lifting technique more than change the flexibility of your muscles.

In real life, working on shoulder mobility has helped me keep the bar more stable and lift and pull more weight, which in turn allows me to perform better in weightlifting competitions. There is no equivalent here. It would be difficult to build it in as the movements that matter will be different for each person and the solutions will involve more than just stretching. So this is really a limitation of mobile apps as a concept, not a flaw of any particular app. But I think this is an important caveat.

Ultimately, mobility is important, but working on it with stretches and bodyweight exercises can do very little. These apps do a decent job of helping you improve your mobility between gym sessions, but don’t expect them to do wonders on their own.