Mobility

Usable range rather than passive flexibility — the difference being whether you can produce force in a position, not merely arrive at it. Work is largely isometric and slow eccentric, holding end-range positions under light load so the nervous system stops guarding them.

The ranges prioritised are the ones a desk-based week costs you: hip extension and internal rotation, thoracic extension and rotation, ankle dorsiflexion, and overhead shoulder position. Those four also happen to be the four that most often limit a squat, a press and a deadlift, which is why this class sits on the timetable next to them rather than as an afterthought at the end of the week.

It suits everybody and it is the class we recommend most often to new members who are not sure where to start. It suits people who sit for long periods, which in this city is most people. It suits lifters whose positions have stopped improving.

It is not a treatment session and it does not suit someone with an acute injury or unexplained pain. It is also not a stretching class in the sense people usually mean — you will be working, quietly, for most of the thirty minutes.

Five minutes raising temperature — bike, or a short circuit of easy movement. Cold tissue does not respond well to this work.

Fifteen minutes of the main sequence, usually three positions worked in depth rather than twelve worked briefly. Each has a loaded component, a hold, and an active portion at the new end range.

Seven minutes of integration — taking the range you have just found into a pattern, so the body has a reason to keep it. A squat, a hinge, a reach overhead.

Three minutes lying down, breathing, with the lights down. Short, deliberate, and the part people mention most.

Positions are regressed by shortening the lever or supporting the limb, never by asking for less effort. A beginner uses blocks, straps and a wall freely; an experienced member works the same shapes unsupported and with added load. Because the class is low intensity, nobody needs to sit anything out — the scaling happens inside the position rather than by swapping it for an easier one.

Comfortable clothing you can get on the floor in. Bare feet or socks — no shoes. Mats, blocks, straps and bands are all provided. Water. Nothing else, and you will not need a towel.

Once or twice a week, every week, indefinitely. This is the one class on the timetable that works best as a permanent fixture rather than a block you finish.

It pairs with everything and competes with nothing. Put it on the same day as a heavy session, after rather than before — mobility work immediately before lifting can leave you feeling loose in a way that does not help under load. The evening slot at Al Quoz exists precisely so it can follow the 18:30 Strength class.