An exploration of how focusing on range of motion can be a game-changer for health and wellness
I was recently approached by a casual workout enthusiast and asked about Moves Method workouts. I had to be honest; I had not heard of it before. That is really not that surprising as there are as many workout programs as there are diet plans out there. In my opinion, it is good to change up workout routines or methods either to meet new personal goals or to just simply enjoy learning a new skill. So, I decided to check it out for myself and take you along in the process.
The Moves Method
A variety of videos on multiple platforms describe the exercises of the Moves Method, and of course, there is a subscription-based product for a nominal fee that allows for online coaching. The trainer that seems to be at the forefront of this program is Vanya Gudelj, and there are some great videos of her and her partner demonstrating some of the exercises on social networks. The exercises are all focused on mobility. They are functional and technically challenging.
However, before we get into specifics, lets lay a little ground work for the concepts. I feel that most people view working out or training as a means to lose weight. If I stay on this treadmill 10 more minutes, then I can work off last night’s debauchery. Well, that’s not quite the case, unfortunately. While exercise will do many things, which we will cover, it is really not a means for weight loss. Multiple studies have demonstrated that improving one’s nutrition will result in weight loss, while exercise is better for body composition. Having said that, the combination works synergistically to result in better healthspan.
Starting a training program can be daunting as there are so many programs, machines, trainers and ardent proponents of each. A goals-based approach at least gives you some milestones to reach. These need to be realistic and attainable, but challenging. A younger person’s goal might be improving a metric in a certain sport while someone with a few more years might want to decrease pain and improve function for activities of daily living like lifting the dog. Now, we need a roadmap to get there.
Finding an Expert
I contacted a friend of mine Laurence Brown, who is a local trainer, to see if he had heard about this method and to get his take on incorporating mobility into routines. Laurence performs online and in-person training and has a podcast focused on health, entitled “Endless Pursuit.” As it turns out, Laurence passionately believes that mobility is the cornerstone of a good wellness program and that it is “the unsung hero of fitness.”
“Mobility prevents injuries and boosts strength by unlocking full range of motion,” Laurence told me, “and it will improve how you move in and out of the gym.”
I have to admit, I wasn’t surprised. Laurence starts new, inexperienced clients on mobility exercises for two weeks before adding any weights. These are not just static stretches, but ones that are more like squat holds and wall presses that incorporate both strength and mobility As the client improves, he says, then resistance can be added and progress to compound exercises as tolerated.
As a physician, I find it important to remind that resistance training (and body weight is resistance) is
a skill. Some of the exercises in the Moves Method require incredible skill, strength, and mobility. Running is a skill. Olympic lifting is a skill. It has been demonstrated that most, if not all, of the initial gains in strength in an Olympic lift is garnered by becoming more efficient in the skill of the lift. This is not just strength, but rather neuromuscular control. This is where trainers and experienced lifters are worth their weight in gold in coaching proper technique.
Incorporating Mobility
Good trainers will incorporate mobility, balance, strength, and aerobic training into a routine that changes to avoid monotony. Getting full range of motion on a squat will decrease stiffness in the joints. A pause at the bottom with a hold will decrease injury. For instance many times, I will be slow on the eccentric (lowering the weight) and faster on the concentric (pushing the weight). Eccentric exercises are when the muscle fibers are lengthening as the weight is moving.
Imagine a bicep curl. The concentric phase is when the weight is brought up or closer to the body and the eccentric phase is when the weight is lowered. The work of lowering the weight requires 40 to 60 percent more force than raising it, and studies have demonstrated more gains in strength with eccentric focused exercises.
Isometrics are when you simply hold the weight or the position. Imagine a wall sit. Isometrics have been shown to better prevent injury when compared to simple static stretching like bending over and touching your toes. This is because although the joints are not moving in an isometric exercise, tiny crosslinks in the collagen in the tendons are sliding allowing the tendon to stretch decreasing its stiffness and therefore making it less susceptible to injury.
Many of the more advanced mobility exercises incorporate balance and core strength as well. These include pistol squats (look these up—they are super challenging) and isometric splits combined with a good morning bend at the waist. If you can incorporate full range of motion into your resistance training, then you kill two birds with one stone: you reap the benefit of the resistance training and you are also stretching.
These tend to be much more functional exercises used in sport and life. This could be highlighted in the difference between doing a dip versus using a triceps machine. A dip is a full body exercise incorporating balance on your hands, core strength, and upper body strength. It’s an exercise that can actually help you get off the floor if you fall.
Why It Matters
So why exactly should we care about these challenging exercises or honestly, exercise at all? Improvement in sport is obvious. No athlete is going to take the field or court without hours and hours of training. But what about for the rest of us, the ones just looking to stay healthy and well for our daily lives?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 25 percent of adults over the age of 65 will sustain a fall each year that requires medical attention. A full 20 percent of these are serious injuries that result in fractures. Most of us know someone who has fallen and sustained a hip fracture. These falls may results in a call to the orthopaedic surgeon on call and usually surgery the next day. The mortality rate (death rate) of patients 70 years old or greater is 30 to 40 percent within the first year after the hip fracture is fixed or replaced. This amazingly high death rate is multifactorial. If the bones are that weak, many of the other organ systems are as well, and this is exacerbated by immobility and the stress of injury and surgery.
The above sounds grim for grandma and grandpa, but that can be changed. We have agency over our seemingly declining health. A metanalysis (research that looks at multiple papers on the same topic) found that an integrated exercise program that incorporated resistance, balance, and aerobic training three times per week, markedly reduced fall risk in adults. Another paper demonstrated a 45 percent reduction in frailty within three months of starting a balanced training program in older adults.
The point is that we have to train to continue the game of life because training works. Back in the day, we did not have to train because the simple act of sustenance farming, walking, lifting was just a way of life. Now we have sedentary jobs that allow our muscles and bodies to slowly deteriorate. We now have to be intentional with training and the good news? It can help prevent frailty, falls, and death.
There are other documented benefits of training that affect many people. Resistance training has been shown to lower CRP (C reactive protein) which is a marker of inflammation and increase IL-10 (interleukin 10) which is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. High intensity interval training has been shown to increase cognition and function on memory tests. For those that desire
a longer lifespan, moderate aerobic and resistance training has demonstrated increases in telomere length.If you’re unfamiliar, telomeres are the end regions of our DNA which protect our DNA during cell division. Telomere length is a known marker of aging as we tend to lose about 70 base pairs per year as we age. Therefore, we can mitigate the effects of aging, decrease inflammation and improve cognition just through exercise. It’s amazing what can happen when we make changes to improve our health.
Bringing It All Together
Training and nutrition are two large levers we can use to improve our health and lifespan. The correct training for you depends on your goals. However, all training programs should have components of mobility, resistance, and aerobic exercises. Simply hoping on the elliptical machine doesn’t cut it.
Programs like the Moves Method that incorporate balance, mobility, and resistance are a great place to start. These type of exercises are skills that need to be learned, but they are also fun, especially if performed outside with others. It is also fun to try new training programs and then test yourself on the pickle ball court or driving range. Train so that you can enjoy life and your favorite activities. You will not be disappointed.
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