The 6 Best Mobility Exercises for Beginners

Mobility work is important in any fitness routine — yet most new exercisers don't know how to add it to their program. But the truth is the best mobility exercises for beginners are actually quite simple to do if you've got a little guidance. And that's why we're here.

These beginner mobility exercises are great for anyone just starting to incorporate mobility into their routines. Doing them regularly will help build a foundation of mobility that will benefit all of your workouts. They're also beneficial for pretty much anyone with any level of fitness experience, Yuen says, because they hone in on movements that pop up in everyday life and common exercises.

"These can be done as a standalone routine or used periodically throughout the day depending on how stiff you tend to get," Cameron Yuen, DPT, CSCS, a senior physical therapist at Bespoke Treatments in New York City, tells LIVESTRONG.com. "A good routine would be doing individual movements throughout the day here and there, and then doing the full routine at the end of the day before bed."

Do each exercise for 1 to 2 minutes, focusing on breathing slowly and relaxing your muscles as much as possible.

The big toe may seem like a small joint that doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things — but it actually plays a big role in the mobility of your lower body, making this move a great mobility exercise for beginners.

"Your big toe needs to extend upward in order to lunge, walk, run and kneel," Yuen says. "If your big toe is unable to bend, your ankle, knee and hip have to compensate." Everything from your torso down through your hips, knees and feet is connected in a chain, so when one part of the chain is off, it can mess with other parts.

While mobilizing this joint can be beneficial for everyone, Yuen says it can be especially helpful if you have issues with your plantar fascia and/or Achilles tendon.

The two major muscles that make up the calves are the gastrocnemius and soleus. "[The soleus] is the one that tends to get restricted and limits the ability of your ankle to bend," Yuen says.

This is common — and can make it hard to squat, lunge and even run properly. If your heels come off the ground when you try to squat deeply or lunge, it's likely an ankle mobility issue, which might actually stem from tightness in the soleus.

"Mobilizing at the ankle can be helpful for both ankle and knee issues," Yuen says.

"This mobilization will help with extending the leg behind you, which is important when lunging, running and even standing," Yuen says. That motion is known as hip extension.

"Limited hip extension can be associated with low-back pain as the low back has to extend to compensate for decreased range of motion at the hip," Yuen adds.

Working on hip mobilization may also help improve some knee and low-back issues.

The windshield wipers exercise focuses on improving hip rotation. "Hip rotation is a component of most lower-body movements including squatting, kneeling, bending and running," Yuen says.

It also mobilizes your low back in a safe way. In general, when you twist your torso, that movement happens primarily in your mid and upper back, not your lower back. But in some movements, like a wood chop, your lower back does need to rotate a bit. Gentle exercises that keep it mobile and ready for these movements can help prevent strain.

This movement mobilizes your thoracic spine — your mid-back that runs from the base of your neck down to your abdomen — and rib cage. "These areas need mobility for both upper- and lower-body movement, but these often get restricted the most with upper-body movements like reaching overhead," Yuen says. Think shoulder presses and lat pull-downs.

To do these exercises without getting hurt, "the ribs need to be able to expand and the thoracic spine needs to be able to rotate and extend," Yuen says.

Mobilizing your ribs and thoracic spine can also help with lower back, shoulder and neck issues.

Wall slides help mobilize your shoulders and mid-back so that you can comfortably reach overhead and rotate your arm, Yuen says. Again, working on mobility in these areas is essential if you plan to do any overhead arm movements — which you will at some point if you're starting a comprehensive full-body strength training regimen.

"This is a challenging movement but will help considerably with shoulder and neck issues," Yuen says. It's challenging in the sense that most people go into it with mobility restrictions and struggle to get the motion right — which is a sign you need to do it more often.

"Mobility generally refers to the available range of motion at a joint, while flexibility refers to the available range of motion with muscle and soft tissue," Yuen says. In the context of exercise, mobility refers to the ​active​ range of motion available to a specific joint.Working on your mobility is important because it keeps your joints working like a well-oiled machine so that you can do exercises and everyday activities with safe, proper technique.

"You need a certain amount of mobility at each body part in order to move through exercises," Yuen explains. "For example, to perform a squat, your ankles, knees and hips need to be able to bend to a certain range. If one or more of the joints are lacking mobility, you will either have to reduce your range of motion, or another joint will have to pick up the slack."

Overuse injuries often happen when some joints have to take on more work than necessary because other joints aren't going their job fully. Mobility also helps promote long-term joint health.

"Moving joints through their full range of motion changes the pressure within the joint. This pressure change moves a nourishing liquid called synovial fluid, which cushions joints and delivers them nutrients to stay healthy," Yuen says.