How to Exercise with Hypermobility

Understanding Hypermobility

Hypermobility is a condition where joints can move beyond the typical range of motion. This increased flexibility can be beneficial in sports like gymnastics, dance, or figure skating, where greater range enhances performance.

However, the same lax ligaments that provide this mobility also make people with hypermobility more prone to injury and joint instability. That’s why it’s essential to support hypermobile joints through conditioning and strength training to reduce the risk of injury and maintain optimal performance.

Hypermobility Facts and Keys to Training a Flexible Body

• Localized or Generalized: Hypermobility can occur in a single joint or multiple joints. Having one hypermobile joint doesn’t necessarily mean the whole body is hypermobile.

• Inherited or Acquired: It can result from an injury or be inherited, as in conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

How Stability Works: Ligaments and Tendons

Stability in the body is provided by ligaments and tendons, both made up of collagen fibers and forming part of the musculoskeletal system.

• Tendons are tough, inflexible tissues that connect muscles to bones, transmitting movement and causing joints to move.

• Ligaments are strong bands that connect bone to bone, supporting the joints and guiding their movement. They act as natural limiters, preventing undesired motion and protecting the joints.

Both tendons and ligaments can be affected by hypermobility syndromes, which makes muscle control and strength even more critical.

Control Is the Key to Safe Range of Motion

People with hypermobility often move beyond what’s considered a normal full range of motion (ROM). For everyone—but especially for hypermobile individuals—muscle control throughout the entire range of motion is vital to avoid injury.

When joints are hypermobile, their stability depends more on muscular control than on ligaments. The greater range of motion increases the risk of overuse, dislocation, and misalignment injuries.

To counter this, focus on:

• Strengthening within the range you can control.

• Gradually increasing that range as control improves.

• Only adding resistance or weight once you can maintain control with lighter loads.

This progressive approach builds both safety and strength.

Strong Joints Are Stable Joints

By strengthening the muscles and tendons that support and surround our joints through their full range of motion, we improve joint stability and help prevent future injuries.

Weights aren’t required — resistance bands, yoga, and pilates can all be equally effective. These activities use body weight to develop strength, balance, and control.

Classifying Hypermobility

The Beighton Scale is the standard tool used to classify hypermobility. It scores from 0 to 9, assessing mobility in various body parts.

• Higher scores indicate greater laxity.

• A score of 4 out of 9 or higher classifies someone as hypermobile.

Exercises That Help Stabilize the Joints

Here are a few exercises that can improve stability in people with hypermobility:

Scapular Clock

Hip CARs (Quadruped)

Squats with Elevated Heels

Single Leg RDLs

Prone Ts and Ys

These movements emphasize control, alignment, and muscle activation—key aspects of training for hypermobile individuals.

A Different Way of Training

Hypermobility is not a limitation — it simply requires a different approach to training.

Some of the world’s top athletes, like Simone Biles, Patrick Mahomes, and Michael Phelps, are hypermobile. With proper rehabilitation and a tailored training program, it’s entirely possible to perform at the highest levels while keeping your joints healthy and strong.