5 Weighted Mobility Exercises You Absolutely MUST Try!

Following on from my previous article on the why and how of joint mobility with external loads or “Weighted Mobility” in English,

Here are 5 exercises that I personally use in my weekly workouts to both improve my range of motion,

But also strengthen them, by gaining strength at the ends of these amplitudes thanks to the various additional loads.

Please note that this is simply to give you examples of possible movements and exercises and does not constitute a structured training program suitable for everyone.

You'll read about it just below, but certain movements like the ATG Split Squat or even the loaded Jefferson Curls can present risks if your mobility level is not yet sufficient.

These are movements that I will show you how to perform in the various mobility training courses that I share in my academy.

If you have any questions about any of this, I'll be waiting for you in the comments section below.

Very good reading my move!

The Jefferson Curl for Spinal Mobility

The first exercise is a classic, the “ Jefferson Curl ,” which consists of a segmented flexion movement of the spine.

The Jefferson Curl is one of my signature exercises, which I include in almost all of my online training courses, including the free mobility routine.

This movement involves starting in a standing position and the goal is simply to curl your spine and then uncurl it, trying to touch the floor with your hands as you perform this bodyweight exercise.

And there is an interest in carrying out this mobility movement, with a load!

To do this, you can, for example, place yourself on a bench, take a kettlebell in your hands and simply let the kettlebell pull you down, then back up.

Or, if you are a little more advanced, you can also replace the Kettlebell with a barbell and gradually put more and more load on this bar!

This exercise is, in my opinion, the best posterior chain flexibility exercise on earth!

The “Jefferson Curl” is a truly powerful exercise, so performing it with an external load allows you to feel more acutely, especially on the way up, the pressure, concentration and control you need to use your lumbar vertebrae because they are the ones that allow you to raise your body first!

First your lumbar vertebrae, then your thoracic vertebrae and finally your cervical vertebrae.

Both the ascent and the flexion are performed in a segmented manner.

The loaded Jefferson Curl allows you to amplify this sensation of adding strength almost vertebra by vertebra, muscle area by muscle area.

This exercise therefore allows you to work holistically, which takes into account your entire spine!

Performing this exercise with external load also allows you to gain efficiency in other movements such as the “Straddle” or the “Handstand”.

Like everything I recommend in the MOUVERS Universe, it is important that you start with a light weight and gradually increase the load.

The movement must be slow and controlled and you must stay connected to your body throughout the execution, thanks to calm and regular nasal breathing.

Dumbbell Shoulder Rotations for Shoulder Mobility

This second exercise is one of the pearls of wisdom in physical training!

It consists of shoulder rotations, internal and external, one shoulder at a time with a dumbbell in the hand.

The position is very simple:

You are sitting on a bench, with one hand on the bench placed behind you and one foot flat on the bench with the knee pointing towards the sky.

The other foot rests on the ground and on that knee, you wedge the back of your elbow with the dumbbell in that hand and without breaking your wrist, you lower and raise the dumbbell, in a slow and controlled manner, performing internal and external rotations of your shoulder.

This is the type of exercise that you include once in your workout and stick with for life because it's the ultimate exercise for shoulder health, clearly one of the best!

In my free mobility routine, I offer you an exercise that is a variation of this one, which you can perform standing, simply by doing internal and external rotations, bending your elbow 90 degrees and which you can also do with both arms straight.

This exercise is called “the Egyptian” in some forms of training.

Performing this exercise with your body position on the bench as I described previously allows you to isolate the rest of your body more easily than if you were standing.

Working in this way, that is to say in true isolation with the dumbbell, allows you to control your movement more!

The trick is to keep your spine in a neutral position, contracting your glutes and abs.

In this position, gravity already allows you to nail yourself to the seat and if you also place the intention of fixing and immobilizing your knee vertically when you make your rotation movement, you will obtain very interesting effects on the health and strengthening of your rotator cuff and generally on the longevity of your shoulders!

The ATG Front Slip Squat Loaded for leg mobility (hips, knees, ankles)

An effective exercise to strengthen your knees is the “Front Split Squat”, where you adopt a “Hip Hinge” position, with a “Lunge”, that is to say a lunge with your back leg extended, which allows you to have a nice hip extension of your back leg.

While performing this movement, your back should remain almost perpendicular to the floor, therefore, you should not be leaning forward.

When you keep your back leg straight, your back is vertical, straight and the knee of your front leg goes far forward.

You can also raise your front foot, at the very beginning to start until you are able to have your foot on the ground and even later simply raise your heel, to go even further in the work of strengthening your tendons, ligaments and muscles located around your knees!

Working on your joint mobility through the “Front Split Squat” movement involves having your knees extend past your toes, because YES, contrary to popular belief, it is healthy to have your knees extend past your toes!

This myth about never going past your toes with your knees is complete nonsense!

We physiologically need to extend our knees past our toes because our legs are designed that way!

Once you can properly perform the bodyweight Front Split Squat, you can then grab dumbbells in each hand and simply perform repetitions, going further and further out in front.

This exercise is an excellent tool for developing unilateral strength.

For me, this exercise is a recurring part of my physical preparation because it is very beneficial for my martial arts practice, for the foot/fist combat sports that I practice!

Loaded Front Split Squat work allows me to work one leg at a time, preparing and strengthening it in isolation, echoing the kicking movement I perform during my physical practice, which is performed on one leg!

The Loaded Deep Squat for Leg Mobility

You also have the possibility of working your “Deep Squat” with a Kettlebell, like a “Goblet Squat” in order to unlock your deep squat, this work is very common in Crossfit WODs!

Please note that this approach is not in line with my philosophy and methodology because in my opinion, this tool, this additional load can be a double-edged sword, that is to say that if you do not yet have the ankle mobility, ankle dorsiflexion, complete flexion of your knees, hip flexion and extension of your thorax to have an optimal “Deep Squat” and you use a dumbbell or a Kettlebell to get into this position, you will accustom your body to having a weight pulling it forward and from the moment you are in a “Deep Squat” without an external load, you will have created a body position that is not ideal…

I have not tested the weighted “Deep Squat”, so I cannot elaborate further, I can just specify here that the method that I use, the one that seems to me the most natural and relevant, consists of first working on this movement with body weight in order to work on your dorsiflexion, on your hip flexion to gradually and naturally find your own form of “Deep Squat” and not a form of “Deep Squat” that has been somewhat modeled by a Kettlebell!

I'm sharing with you here, just a thought starter...

By the way, if you are a coach or teacher, don't hesitate to share your point of view, your experience with me, I am really very curious because I don't specifically have a strong opinion on the question!

So if you have, for example, already helped someone to achieve their “Deep Squat”, simply by forcing them with a Kettlebell, the questions I would like to ask you are:

Does the person just have their “Deep Squat” and then get limited?

Is there any damage afterwards for this person, when he wants to start moving, from this position?

The Pancake for Hip Mobility

The Pancake is an exercise that consists of sitting on the floor with both legs apart and being able to bend your back so that the front part of your body, that is, your chest and stomach, is flat on the floor; like a pancake, like a crepe...

This movement is also called “Straddle”.

To perform a “Pancake” clean, when you are trying to bring your torso towards the ground, it is important that you understand that this movement consists of trying to touch the ground with your navel and not arching your back to try to touch the ground with your forehead!

So the trick is not to force your body, as most people do because they are obsessed with hitting the ground as quickly as possible...

The idea is to visualize the “Pancake” movement as a wire above your head pulling you away, a wire stretching your spine so that your head is further and further away from your hips!

So when you get your proper “Pancake”, your torso is resting on the floor and is not curved at all, it is simply flattened forward, far in front, which is why this movement is generally performed with both arms stretched above the head.

Version 1: The Loaded Pancake with Disc

For my part, I remember speeding up the process by using weights, including a classic Rogue disc held between my fingertips and placed on my upper back to help flatten me out!

As usual, it is important to start with light loads and gradually increase the weight: 5 kilos, then 10 kilos, then 15 kilos, then 20 kilos, then 25 kilos and so on, performing repetitions down and up, slowly and in control!

Working on your “Pancake” movement with an external load allows you to gradually go further and further in your range of motion because this work helps strengthen your spine and hips to be able to descend and rise with more and more force.

In fact, the more you strengthen your muscles and joints, the more you will be able to lower your torso closer to the ground and raise it from this position.

The idea is not to simply let yourself fall into a “Pancake”, without strength or control…

This is why I am quite disconcerted when I see some people performing this movement with the help of a partner who is putting pressure on their back.

Working in this way is not at all relevant in my opinion because you are shirking your responsibilities; in fact, in this case, it is clearly the partner who is doing the work for you!

My approach to Movement and physicality is really based on this need to do things for yourself, with the aim of regaining control of your body, by yourself because that's the only way to obtain it for the rest of your life!

There won't always be someone to push you into a "Pancake"...

After a while, you should be able, on your own, to have the necessary muscles and the necessary body control, to go far ahead, on the ground, all by yourself...

Version 2: The Loaded Pancake with Cables – Seated

The work of the “Pancake” movement loaded with cables, consists of grasping the cables in your hands, adapting to your case, the load that is most suitable for you.

The work is the same as with the disc you have on your back, except that here, you have it easier since working the “Pancake” with a disc requires that you already have good mobility in your back and shoulders, combined with a good grip in your hands, to keep the plate on your back!

In addition, unlike the work of the “Pancake” loaded with the disc, here with the work of the “Pancake” loaded with the cables, you have the final movement, that is to say with the back straight and the arms above your head, which allows you to be able to concentrate on your “Pancake” movement more easily and to work with good breathing: to be relaxed in the descent and contracted in the ascent, with good “Yang” breathing!

Version 3: The Cable-Charged Pancake – Standing

This version of the movement is probably my favorite: working on your “Pancake” standing up and not sitting on the floor!

The position consists of standing with your legs apart as if you were sitting on the floor, using the cables in the same way as I described for the seated version except this time you stand with your back to the machine and grab the cables between your legs.

The machine will pull you, it will bend your body, so that your arms end up inside your legs and you are looking at the machine, head upside down.

Once you are in the most compressed position for you, so at the maximum range of your “Pancake” position when you are standing, you will have your head upside down and look at the machine.

As you go back up, you will look ahead again, still with your back to the machine, with the cables in your hands.

This is a very nice version of the “Pancake”, which I invite you to try!

Here is my Mouver, I hope that these different recommendations for “Weighted Mobility” exercises will bring you great progress and real satisfaction in exploring your physicality, through joint mobility work with external loads.

Thank you for your attention, my Mouver!

-> And if you want to bounce back or simply share your experience, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments section 😉

Nomad Slim
Founder of MOUVERS