Boost your body's flexibility in under five minutes with a comprehensive exercise regimen from a professional trainer
Corey Perkins, a renowned bodybuilding coach and trainer at fitness app Ladder, has emphasized the importance of both strength and flexibility for gaining strength and muscle effectively. He has shared a simple, five-minute mobility routine that can be done at home to prepare your body for effective strength training and support muscle gains.
The routine is designed to improve joint range of motion, activate muscles, and prevent injury. Although the exact five-minute routine isn't fully laid out, Corey's programming consistently recommends a proper warm-up involving dynamic movements and light stretching to activate muscles.
Dynamic Movements (3-4 minutes):
Perform movements that mimic the exercises you will do in your workout but with controlled range and flow. Examples include leg swings (forward and sideways), arm circles, bodyweight squats, hip circles, and inchworms. These dynamic stretches help increase blood flow and prepare the joints.
Light Stretching & Activation (1-2 minutes):
Incorporate light static or dynamic stretch focusing on tight or commonly stiff areas (e.g., hip flexors, hamstrings, shoulders). Include muscle activation drills such as glute bridges or band pull-aparts to engage muscles before heavier lifts.
Corey’s programs also emphasize a clear split with specific pull, push, leg, and mobility/rest days, where mobility work is often on rest or active recovery days. Starting every session with this quick mobility warm-up contributes to enhanced strength performance and muscle gains by reducing injury risk and improving movement quality.
If you want to follow Corey Perkins’ mobility routine precisely, it is recommended to engage actively with his social media or official content where he shares week-by-week routines and warm-up protocols, often in video format.
It's important to have a short, but effective routine you do consistently to support this. Flexibility has a direct impact on your mobility; if your muscles are tight and shortened, then you won't be able to achieve a good range of motion.
The routine includes the following exercises:
- Deep squat hold (30 seconds)
- Wall slide (30 seconds)
- Half kneeling lunge into calf stretch (30 seconds per side)
- Half-kneeling rotation (30 seconds per side)
- Lunge into world’s greatest stretch (30 seconds per side)
- Cobra stretch (30 seconds)
- 90-90 hip stretch (30 seconds)
The routine is recommended to be repeated three times a week for results. It's important to do this kind of work alongside your regular strength routine to avoid potential injury and to keep yourself moving efficiently.
According to Perkins, "To maximize [strength gains], you need to be capable of pushing weight through a wide range of motion safely." The mobility routine helps ensure this by improving flexibility and joint mobility, making it easier to perform exercises effectively and reducing the risk of injury.
- Corey Perkins' mobility routine, designed for muscle activation and injury prevention, recommended for effective strength training, includes dynamic movements and light stretching.
- The routine consists of exercises like deep squat hold, wall slide, half kneeling lunge into calf stretch, half-kneeling rotation, lunge into world’s greatest stretch, cobra stretch, and 90-90 hip stretch.
- For optimal results, the routine should be performed three times a week, along with regular strength training, to avoid injury and improve movement efficiency.
- According to core fitness principles presented by Perkins, a wide range of motion is essential for safe weight lifting, and the mobility routine helps improve joint mobility and flexibility, facilitating effective exercise performance.
