Combining F1 mobility with Weights

Hi, everyone

I've finally, after years, motivated my father to start exercising. He's been walking about 30 miles a week for some time now, but he wants to get into strength training. I've been trying to get him into gymnastics, but he is stubbornly set on lifting weights, probably because some of his buddies at work are doing it.

I'm going to accept this since I had a hard enough time motivating him to exercise in the first place. But, I really want him doing the mobility elements from foundation, along with kit laughlins stretching. KIt's stuff is set out pretty well in the book. Now, the question is, what do you all think is the best way to combining a weight lifting program with the mobility elements in F1?

I was thinking I could treat F1 mobility as like a separate workout where he would perform each iM for 12 weeks then step it up to the next iM, and so on.

He's also had costochondritis multiple times from trying bodyweight exercises in past years, such as dips and bridge work from yoga. Which I imagine is one reason scaring him away from the strength work in F1.

Any suggestions would be great!

You could add the mobility components into his current rest periods between weight sets, before and after his workouts.

Today I am going to do a mobility session for 30-60 minutes of my worst iM in F1 and H1.

In life mobility comes before stability and strength. Most people train the opposite. They lift weights to get strong, but often get pain and injury. Then they start to work on their stability. If they are lucky the penny drops...mobility. Life is so much easier with mobility.

Thanks for the reply Mark. Yea, adding in the mobility during the rest periods is definitely an obvious solution, but I am just afraid my old man won't have the...err...physical fortitude...to be able to do mobility in between weight sets. Definitely don't want him dropping a dumbbell on his head from, say, MN pe1 iM.

I like what you said. Perhaps it would be wise for me to suggest to my father that he spend some time working his mobility before starting weights. Thanks for the input!

Maybe you could motivate him by letting him know how much stronger and fitter he will be with improved mobility. Or you could let him know he will end up paying more for his medical bills. Since you are in the USA and not Australia, that could be expensive!

@ Biren P.: the best time to stretch/limber/mobilise is after weight training, if he is doing that (and it seems like he wants to!). And there's nothing wrong with lifting weights, per se. The main reason is that the fascia is more amenable then to remodelling (because of the heat in the body).

 

And I agree with Mark, too, but for another reason: the ageing body needs suppleness more than it needs strength, but does need both, in my view. The "Unnumbered Lesson" in my book Stretching & Flexibility is a long mobilisation sequence (students call it the 'rolling around on the floor' class when we teach it) that gets into most places.

 

I have been working on this aspect of limbering (or the new word, mobilisation) extensively in recent years and have just recorded a two part downloadable video (70 minutes in total); not sure when we will be making it available, as I am just about to head over to Canada and the US). 

 

Exciting times.

Hi Coach Laughlin, I was recently turned on to your YouTube channel by Craig Mallet. I'll definitely be checking out your book! Restoring lost mobility is my highest priority right now.