Sports are tough on the body. And diving right into an off-season training program—or worse, trying to get a baseline of your strength by “maxing out”—can limit your gains and increase your risk of injury.
“Over the course of a season, your body gets banged up,” says Mike Reinold, PT, DPT. “Your mobility often suffers the most.”
Mobility problems start a vicious cycle. Lacking full range of motion means you can’t perform exercises with proper form—which means you won’t work the right muscles with each rep—which means you won’t make the gains you deserve, and you’ll be more likely to get hurt.
The good news? Avoiding mobility issues is easy. “Simple self-assessments can tell you what you can safely do in your training,” says Tony Gentilcore, CSCS.
Before you start piling on weight plates, try these five tests of your strength and mobility. They’ll pay off when you’re crushing reps later in the off-season, injury-free.
Core Strength
Test it With: Push-Up Planks. Have a partner place a PVC pipe along the back of your head, shoulders and lower back. Hold for 60 seconds. If any of the three points lose contact, you need to strengthen your core.
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