A. Beighton Hypermobility Screen – click HERE to see

A.   Beighton Hypermobility Screen – click HERE to see pictures of each position: Chart 1

Scoring notes: Final score = sum of right & left scores, 5+ = hypermobility warning 

B.  Flexibility and Functional Movement Tests- see scoring rubric below

Flexibility and Functional Movement Scoring Rubric : Chart #2

Results & Action Plan:

• If any of these movements caused pain, be sure to check with your doctor 

• 3’s: great! Just check from time to time

• 2’s: may want to work on it

• 1’s: high priority to address

Part 2 I Application Assignment

Based on the posture assessment and the evaluation of flexibility and function, make a master list of all the muscles you need to mobilize and strengthen/coordinate (i.e. 1 and 2 scores). Copy and paste the corresponding muscles into the appropriate columns below in chart #3. Make sure to record which side of the body needed more attention if you only have low score on one side.  Work on these areas/issues in your fitness and corrective exercise program. (Ask for help as needed).

Example: Let’s say you scored a 1 on each side of the pencil test. For “Areas to Mobilize”, you would list: internal rotators. For “Areas to Strengthen/Coordinate”, you would list: external rotators and scapula retractors.

Areas to Mobilize/Strengthen/Coordinate chart : chart #3

Part 3 I Corrective Strategies 

Now that you have completed the flexibility and functional movement assessment, you have a list of things to work on. Now, it’s time to get to work. There are three parts to corrective exercise.

1) Lifestyle Modifications

Which of the things you do and the positions you find yourself in throughout the day have the biggest impact on your flexibility, posture and movement quality? For example, a few stretches and strengthening exercises will do nothing for your posture if you sit all day slumped over your computer or phone. Examine your lifestyle and look to see what you can change to keep your body in better positions. Examples include: getting a standing desk, minimizing sitting, adjusting screens to eye height, holding your phone up at eye height, practicing good driving posture (upright, hands at 10 and 2), spending equal time carrying your bag on each shoulder. 

2) Corrective Exercises to Add

Once you have modified your lifestyle, you can add in specific mobility, stability, movement and strengthening exercises to help address the specific issues you identified in your assessment. See below for examples. The key with making these effective is that you have to do them regularly. Do them as part of your warm-up at the gym, do them in your room as a quick study break and do them at night before bed as part of your wind-down ritual. 

3) Exercise Modifications

What you do when you exercise can help or hurt your flexibility, posture and movement quality. Use your warm-up time to work on corrective exercises. Slip in corrective exercises between your sets at the gym. For example, you could do a chest stretch between sets of rows or a hip flexor stretch between sets of a glute/hamstring exercise. Practice good posture on all your exercises. Use proper technique (e.g. complete hip extension of a hip hinge with full glute squeeze). Avoid exercises that pull you into poor posture (e.g. crunches). Do more work for your weaker muscles and the muscles you cannot see in the mirror (e.g. upper back and glutes)? Proper training also allows you to “cement” the corrections make in your warm-up with corrective exercises. 

Strategies to address hypermobility

• Do not stretch (unless it is a specific muscle you know needs flexibility) 

• Avoid activities that promote excessive range of motion (e.g. Yoga)

• Avoid completely locking out hypermobile joints (e.g. knees on a squat, elbows on a press)

• Emphasize Strength/hypertrophy training

• Balance/stability training

o  

o Modified Arm Bar

o ½ Get Up

o Full Get Up

o Multi-Plane Hops with Stability

o Single Leg Squat from Bench

o Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

o Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Press

o Suspension Strap Push-Ups

o Suspension Strap Inverted Row

o Bottoms Up Carries

o 1-Arm Farmer’s Walks

o Waiter’s Carry

• Restricted range of motion training 

o  

o 1-Arm DB Floor Press

o Touch and Go Box Squat

Flexibility & Functional Movement Correctives

Find the exercises that work for you. You can use the assessments from last lab to see find which exercises are most effective for you. For most exercises, do 1-3 sets of 5-8 quality reps. Some areas (e.g. upper back) do well with higher reps (12-15+). For stretching, do dynamic reps (again about 5-8) and focus on breathing in through your nose and then out as you gently push into the reps. Focus on movement quality. Higher frequency usually = better, faster results. 

Click on the following exercises to see a video instruction. 

1) Pencil Test/Rounded Shoulders

•  

• Pec Minor Roll

• Dynamic Pec Stretch with Stick

• No Money Drill

• Band Pull Aparts

• High Band Pull-a-Parts

• “W” Raises with band

• “W” Raises with DB’s

• Band W Raises 2.0

• Face Pulls with Band

• YLTW Raises

• Prone DB Row

• Suspension Strap Inverted Row

• Seated Cable Row

• Seated Cable Row (wide grip)

2) Anterior Pelvic Tilt & Cook Hip Lift

•  

• Dynamic Hip Flexor Stretch

• Rectus Femoris Stretch

• Glute Bridge

• Hip Thrust

• Single Leg Romanian with Glute Emphasis

• Romanian Deadlift

3) Ankle Mobility 

•  

• Ankle Mobility Drill

• Leaning calf raises

4) Toe Touch

•  

• Foot Rolling with Golf Ball

• Toe-Touch Progression

5) Shoulder Flexion & Behind the Back Touch

•  

• Crocodile Breathing

• T Spine Mobility

• Kneeling Cat/Camel T-Spine Mobilization

• Kneeling T-Spine Rotation

• Kneeling T Spine Behind the Head Reach with Stick

• Dynamic Pec Stretch with Stick

• Floor Slides with Breathing

• Posterior Shoulder Capsule Stretch 

6) Hamstring Flexibility 

•  

• Foot Rolling with Golf Ball

• Leg Lowering

• Glute Bridge with Foot Lifts

• Straight Leg Bridge

• Ball Leg Curl with Foot Lifts

7) Overhead Squat

•  

• Squat Stretch

• Squat EQI’s

• Butterfly Stretch w/ Shoulder Press

• Toe Touch Progression w/ Deep Squat

• Deep Squat Progression

8) Abdominal Coordination

• Leg Raise Progressions. Test with leverage progressions (heel lift, heel slide, single-leg heel drop, heel slide with other foot up, 2 foot heel drop, knees progressively straighter)

• Basic Crawling Pattern

• Cross Crawling

• FMS Lifts and Chops

• Bird Dog with stick

• Strict Bear Crawl

• Leg Lowering

• 1-Arm Farmer’s Walks

Part 4  I  Corrective Program Application

List one area that you need to work on based on part see Chart #3: Give at least 2 exercise (from Part #3 the list above) to address each area you need to work on. Chart #4