Functional Range Conditioning: A Guide to Better Mobility
Let’s dive back into Mobility training for a minute….
A couple of years ago I became FRC certified. And FRC training is sprinkled into every session I do with clients. Mobility is the basis of movement. Mobility unlocks your true movement potential. You can’t move a joint painfree and powerfully, if you haven’t used it/trained it in that range of motion. This becomes especially important for Elite/Professional level athletes and as we age. Functional Range Conditioning is a movement-based system designed to improve joint flexibility, stability, and control. Unlike traditional stretching methods, FRC focuses on active range of motion, which involves using muscles to move joints through their full range.
Why is FRC Important?
Injury Prevention: By improving joint mobility and stability, FRC can help prevent injuries caused by overuse or lack of flexibility.
Performance Enhancement: Increased range of motion can lead to better performance in various activities, from sports to everyday tasks.
Pain Reduction: FRC can help alleviate pain associated with limited joint mobility, such as back pain or tight shoulders.
Improved Posture: Better flexibility and stability can help correct postural imbalances and reduce discomfort.
Key Principles of FRC
Progressive Overload: Gradually increasing the demand on your joints to improve flexibility and stability.
Specificity: Targeting specific joints and movements to address your individual needs. This is the elite/professional athletic golden point. Let’s dive into this one a little bit more….If you are a Right Guard on a football team, I am not going to train you to do the splits, your sport does not necessitate your being able to have that kind of flexibility. But, it does necessitate training your shoulders in all ranges of motion so that when blocking and your opponent is trying to get past you, you still have full power and strength even when your arm is behind your torso.
Active Range of Motion: Using muscles to move joints through their full range, rather than passively stretching. Clients will often hear me say to get into the dark spaces of a joint. The places where they are not typically moving. So that when an unexpected dynamic movement happens, injury will not occur. This is particularly important as we age and for the Elite/Professional athlete.
Control: Focusing on maintaining control throughout the entire range of motion. Here is a great point that can be referenced back to NeuroMuscular Movement. Cramping in a range of motion is Neurological confusion. Let's look at a typical example….If you have cramping in the hamstring, then you normally do not move or load the hamstring with that degree of speed or load. Therefore, train the muscle group, in both of those parameters, teach the Nervous System and Muscular System so that when it is called upon in a dynamic sports environment, it does not freak out.
How to Incorporate FRC into Your Routine
Start with a Qualified Coach: Working with a certified FRC coach (like myself ;) ) can help ensure you perform exercises correctly and safely. FRC is based on science. It is key to understand where the muscle origin and insertion are to properly train with this mobility system. There are ALOT of “mobility” videos on Instagram/Facebook and I encourage you to look past these. They are usually not doing it correctly and have NO business promoting it as mobility.
Consistency is Key: Regular practice is essential for seeing results.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to any pain or discomfort and adjust your exercises accordingly. Remember we have to respect the pings, pops, and twinges!
Functional Range Conditioning offers a concise and comprehensive approach to improving joint mobility and overall health. When implementing FRC into your routine, you will enhance your performance, reduce pain, and improve your quality of life. I encourage you to try it, there is a reason why elite level and professional sports organizations are adopting it for their athletes!
