More often than not, when we think about building a fitness routine we resort to one activity: running, swimming, boxing or hitting the gym every day. But have you ever felt like you were lacking flexibility or balance yet were doing pretty well in the strength department?

The reality is that being in your best shape and feeling your healthiest requires you to include different kinds of training that help you build strength, mobility, stability and flexibility. The three of them are undeniably interlinked and working on improving them will boost your performance in any sport, decrease stress levels and improve posture, among many other benefits.

Increased stability, flexibility and mobility also enable you to reach your full range of motion, allowing target muscles to grow and strength to improve.

How to improve your balance

Working on these three important factors means being open to trying different kinds of exercises. What you can do to work on your stability is incorporate core exercises into your fitness regimen which enables you to develop balance skills as well as increase your endurance. 

Yoga, dancing and climbing challenge your balance and therefore, improve it. If you are looking for less challenging alternatives, try including simpler exercises like standing on one leg or sideways walking. 

How to boost your mobility

This fact certainly comes as no surprise: practicing yoga significantly enhances your balance, mobility, strength and flexibility. Any dynamic practice that includes different poses such as the child’s pose, downward facing dog or frog posture helps strengthen strengthening your mobility and flexibility. So if you want to boost your them, it might be the time to register for a yoga class. 

To improve your range of motion you can start with easy poses like cat cows or walking hip openers, then work your way up to more elaborate movements such as thoracic spine windmills on the floor and wheel.

Mobility is essential as it plays a role in helping you perform even the most basic of actions. Mobility exercises are often similar to stretches but are more dynamic. Training can include different kinds of activities like dynamic stretching, tai chi, flowing yoga poses and many gentle sports warm-up exercises. These exercises are frequently incorporated into workout warmups or cooldowns to avoid muscle soreness and stiffness. 

How to get stronger 

Building strength requires consistency, patience and intensity. Getting stronger includes a variety of muscle-strengthening exercises paired with a diet packed with protein for muscle enhancement. To get stronger and develop more endurance, you can try lifting weights at the gym. Start small with light weights then work your way up slowly to heavier weights. Exercises like pull-ups, sit-ups and squats target different muscle groups which makes them extremely beneficial for muscle growth.  

How to become more flexible

To put it in the simplest way: flexibility allows your muscles to move without any restrictions or pain. But being flexible has many other benefits like reducing the risk of injury, preventing muscle soreness or imbalance, improving posture and enhancing the joints’ range of motion. It also adds a bounce to your step and makes you feel good overall. 

To improve your flexibility, maintain a good posture at all times, stretch pre-and post-workout and include flexibility-enhancing activities like yoga, pilates and foam rolling into your routine. 

The bottom line is that having strength, mobility and stability allows you to feel your best as well as perform poses or movements that require coordination and balance. Strength training, stability, flexibility and mobility exercises should be combined in any fitness program, with the understanding that they all build on one another.