Mobility, Flexibility, and Meditation: The 3 Secrets To Longevity

By Shane Dowd, CES, CMP

I just had one of the best podcast conversations EVER!

It was with Dean from the Better Man podcast.

Dean is the author of several best-selling books and has been featured in big-name magazines such as Muscle & Fitness, New York magazine, and Men’s Health.

Here's what Dean had to say about our conversation:

While active mobility work is one of Man Flow Yoga’s biggest focus points, the truth is that most guys don’t do nearly enough mobility or flexibility work.

Why? Well, it’s not as “sexy” as lifting heavy weights in the gym. It doesn’t boost your ego as much. And it’s something that’s missing from the vast majority of exercise programs—both online and offline.

That said, building active mobility and flexibility are two of the best ways to improve your longevity and long-term health and wellness.

Perhaps nobody understands this more than today’s guest, Shane Dowd, founder of GotROM. Why? Well, Shane is a former athlete and strength coach who had a life-changing injury that forced him to adjust his approach to fitness—at just 28 years old. After his injury, Shane made it his life mission to help other men shift from a short-term performance perspective to a long-term, longevity one.

In this episode, Shane and I explore how mobility work can help you avoid injury, prolong your longevity, and even improve your lifts in the gym. We also dive into…

How changing your “fitness horizon” can help make your exercise routines more enjoyable and sustainable
Why it’s a good idea to focus on your flexibility instead of your strength—at least for a period of time
How mobility work can fit into your workouts and make them more rewarding
And we even explore the power of meditation; demystifying this practice and better understanding how it can eliminate negative energy we feel in our day-to-day lives Listen now.

Show highlights include:

Why you can get hurt from lifting heavy weights (even if you have perfect technique) (4:32)
4 words to ask yourself in the gym that will prevent most (if not, all) major injuries (11:35)
The “Time Horizon” mindset shift for building strength and longevity without sacrificing the health of your joints and tendons (13:03)
How your ego “hijacks” your brain in the gym and tries to derail your health and longevity (and why mobility work is the antidote to this) (14:36)
Why retraining your body to be more flexible and mobile makes every lift you do in the gym easier, more effective, and less likely to injure you (21:58)
The “SMC” secret to exercise that optimizes your longevity (27:47)
The “TSR” techniques for improving your mobility twice as fast as passive stretching (29:44)
How mobilizing your joints themselves—instead of the muscles connecting your joints—using this physical therapy technique brings your risk of injury to nearly 0% (34:28)
Why 90% of men should stretch before working out (even if the experts say it makes you weaker) (39:34)
How super setting mobility work with strength training motivates you to do mobility exercises instead of giving up like most men do (49:02)
Why meditation is one of the master skills of life (and why it’s easier than you think…) (53:08)
Why the “body scan” meditation technique can stop your addictive tendencies before they sabotage your life (1:03:53)
A free resource to start meditating and slowly eliminate pent-up negative energy inside you (1:11:12)
The “Two M’s” most guys ignore leave them injured, depressed, and broken (1:19:04)