Your Mobility-Check

Especially in winter, our muscles don’t really get up to working temperature. They lose elasticity and we lose mobility. I show you how to measure your current mobility. All you need is a ruler or tape measure and someone to document your measurements. And you’re ready to go.

shoulder mobility

With this test we want to take a look at how mobile you are in your shoulder joint. This joint is one of the most flexible joints we have in our body. But we rarely use it´s full range of motion. Let’s change that and see what your shoulders can do.

Exercise Execution

Stand up straight. Your arms are at your sides. Now lift your arms sideways and form a fist with your hands. The test can start from here.

Now bring your fists together behind your body as best you can. First move one arm up and the other arm down. Try to perform a smooth movement without having to adjust or readjust yourself. Now a second person measures the distance with a ruler or tape measure and documents it. Then change the positions of the arms and measure again.

Well, how big is the distance between the two fists? To give you an idea what your results mean, here is a small table:

Distance in cm	Mobility
0 to 9	above average
10 to 15	good
16 to 22	medium
≥ 23	upgradeable

finger-to-floor distance

Let’s move on to the second test. For this one, we want to look at the back of your legs and see how mobile you are in this area. Because due to sitting a lot, which most of us do we lose mobility exactly in this area.

Exercise Execution

Bring your feet together and stand up straight. Now tilt your upper body forward and try to reach the floor with your hands. Your legs are stretched. Now a second person measures the distance between your hands and the floor.

Here is also a table for classification:

Distance in cm	Mobility
≤ 0	above average
1 to 5	good
6 to 10	medium
≥ 11	upgradeable

chest and shoulder mobility

For this test, you will need a ruler and an empty toilet paper roll. Stand with your back against the wall and place your feet about hip-width apart. Now position the empty toilet paper roll between the wall and your lumbar spine. Bring your palms together and raise your arms above your head. Now try to bring your hands as close as possible to the wall. As soon as the toilet paper roll comes loose, stop and measure the distance between the wall and your hands.

How mobile are you in the chest and shoulder area? Here is a small assessment:

Distance in cm	Mobility
≤ 0	above average
1 to 8	good
9 to 15	medium
≥ 16	upgradeable

So, are you content with your results?

Basically, it can be said that through our daily work we often neglect exactly these tested areas and move too one-sidedly. In other words, try to keep moving and always want to improve your mobility. Because mobility is an important factor for our physical health.