THE SCORECARD
Men's Health Fit: Full squat in control
Above average: Halfway down
Ordinary: Less than halfway
Mobility is a quality great athletes hone but most regular guys ignore. That's a mistake: "The more mobile you are, the better you can move your joints through their full range of motion and the less likely you are to be injured," says kinesiologist and rehab expert Dean Somerset, C.S.C.S. This test, he says, "will expose limitations in your ankles, hips, neck, and upper back—places where most men are bound up." A lot of people fail this test because they have a rounded back or inflexible ankles.
THE TEST
Stand facing a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes 2 inches from the baseboard and turned slightly out. Keeping your feet flat, chest up, and back naturally arched, see how far you can lower your body without touching the wall or falling backward.
BOOST YOUR MOBILITY
Loosen your back with self-massage. Lie on your back with a foam roller placed perpendicular to your spine just below your shoulder blades. Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor. Support your head with your hands, and move your head, neck, and upper back forward and backward over the foam roller four to six times. To loosen tight ankles and calves, try the ankle mobility lunge. Stand in a split stance with your front foot about 6 inches from a wall. Now bend your front knee to touch the wall without letting your front heel leave the floor. Do this 8 to 10 times. Switch legs and repeat.
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