The Complete GOWOD Mobility App Review For 2024 - WillPower Strength & Nutrition (2024)

Are stiff joints and limited mobility hindering your CrossFit performance? If so, you’re not alone. Many CrossFitters struggle with mobility and effectively improving their range of motion. In CrossFit, optimal movement patterns are paramount, and a restricted range of motion can be a significant roadblock to achieving high performance and staying healthy in the gym.

In this article, we delve into the state-of-the-art GOWOD app. CrossFit Games’ official mobility partner, GOWOD, is designed to revolutionize how athletes approach their mobility and overall well-being.

We’ll uncover how it goes beyond traditional mobility apps and plans by offering personalized mobility flows, targeted body zones, and a comprehensive mobility test to create a tailored approach for every user.

Try the GOWOD app today with a 14-day free trial.

What Is The GOWOD App?

The GOWOD app is a state-of-the-art app designed to improve your mobility and enhance your performance and overall well-being through personalized mobility and stretching protocols. After subscribing, you will perform a guided mobility test and receive a mobility profile emphasized in your daily mobilization protocols.

In addition to daily, personalized stretching and mobilization sessions, you can target specific body regions using its “Per Body Zones” feature. If a particular body region is stiff or acting up after training, click the per body zones button and select the area you wish to work on. Based on your selection and available time, the app will generate a targeted mobility flow to help you relieve tension in that area.

The GOWOD app is the official mobility partner of the CrossFit Games, with over 1 million users and many of the best CrossFit games athletes utilizing the app daily to help them move better and increase their performance.

Top Benefits of GOWOD

Clarity Around Your Specific Mobility Deficits

One of the most significant gaps I have seen in fitness is measuring mobility. Most people who train have no issue getting baselines around their strength numbers, such as the Back Squat or the Clean & Jerk. But, when it comes to improving mobility and range of motion, going by how your body feels and using a templated stretching program is the approach too often.

Each joint has a normal range of motion that it should be able to move through, and when it doesn’t, it can create issues at the joints above and below it. The only way to ensure that you are making progress in your range of motion is to know where you currently stand and which areas need the most attention.

With the GOWOD mobility test, you will understand precisely how your body is moving so that you can target these weak points in your daily flows and reduce your risk of injury.

Improved Movement Patterns

If you are like me, then unfortunately, there is a good chance you don’t spend most of your day in the gym training. Unless your training pays the bills, you likely have other responsibilities that may not allow you the freedom for consistent movement and mobilizations throughout the day, resulting in stiff and often achy joints.

This would be fine if you didn’t love to train hard. If you do, prolonged postures can wreak havoc on your movement patterns due to stiffness that accrues in the body’s soft tissues and joints over time. Ever go through a long day sitting at the office and then get to the gym to train and feel like your hips or shoulders won’t budge? This is what I am referring to.

But with GOWOD’s daily routines and per-body zones, you can counteract this with consistent mobilization to keep your body moving well before and after your training sessions. So that your movement continues progressing, you stay healthy in the gym, and you can build your fitness to the next level.

Less Discomfort In Workouts From Stiff Joints

Your joints are designed to move and get nutrition from daily movement with and without external load. When your joints don’t get this movement, they can become stiff and achy, hurting your ability to train hard and perform your best.

The demands of CrossFit training on the body are high, which makes it great, but if you have to strap up with external gear like knee sleeves, braces, and belts to get through the day’s training session, what is it worth? By emphasizing your mobility and recovery through GOWOD’S personalized flows, you can ditch the added gear and move with less joint discomfort in your workouts.

One of the most significant impacts on my consistency in training was how my joints felt and if my body was ready to train that day. By consistently stretching and mobilizing and improving the way my joints feel daily, my willingness to get to the gym to train has increased dramatically.

Improved Efficiency of Movement and Increased Performance

If you value your performance, then the concept of movement economy is vitally important to you. Movement economy refers to how efficient your movement is or how much energy is used or lost due to performing the exercise. (1) Watching any of the best CrossFit athletes move, such as Mat Fraser, Rich Fronning, or Tia Clare Toomey, you will notice that every time they squat, hinge, lunge, etc., it looks effortless.

This is mainly because their movement economy is so good. There are no wasted movements, and their positioning is such that it takes the least amount of energy to perform the movement they are doing. Throughout a traditional CrossFit workout, this can add up to sustaining faster paces, more weight being lifted, and higher rankings on the leaderboard, as the person who can do so in CrossFit usually comes out on top.

Peace of Mind That Your Mobility Is Taken Care of

As a physical therapist and CrossFit coach, I design programs and make daily rehab and training decisions for my clients. Helping people overcome their physical challenges and reach their fitness goals is what I love to do, but it can be mentally taxing. When it comes to training and working on my fitness goals, the last thing I want to do is map out my daily mobility protocol.

Becoming a GOWOD subscriber has allowed me to take one more thing off of my plate and show up to the gym, train hard, recover better with GOWOD, and be on my day. I can focus on other aspects of my work and training, knowing that I am checking the box for my mobility training and staying on track with improving my movement patterns.

Best Features of the GOWOD App

When you subscribe to the GOWOD app, you will see how much the app has to offer to help you reach your mobility goals and optimize your well-being. After using the app for several weeks now and racking up 10-plus hours of mobilization, these are the top features within the app.

Personalized Mobility Flow

When you open the app, you will first see your “Daily Plan”. The daily plan is your personalized mobility flow that considers your mobility profile, your available equipment, and the time you have available to mobilize. Select the parameters for the day regarding equipment and time, and you are on your way to stretching right away.

The flows are always different from day to day, and attack your weak points in new ways to keep your mobility training from becoming stale.With each stretch within the days flow you will see a demo video, detailed instructions for the movement and a count down timer so you know how much longer you will be holding the stretch.

Targeted Body Zones

The targeted body zones feature is like having a Physical Therapist in your back pocket. Suppose a training session did a number on a specific area of your body. In that case, you only have to click the “per body zone” button directly under the “daily plan” button and select a specific region you want to work on. You can also save time by selecting either the full body, lower body, or upper option.

This is an excellent feature because although we all have areas that need the most attention, certain body parts can get worked up occasionally. For example, my priority is my hips, but I frequently use the per-body zone feature after shoulder intensive training sessions to keep them feeling good and moving freely.

Classic Flows

The classic flows are a new app feature that allows you to generate mobility flows based on common criteria. For example, when you scroll down to the classic flow buttons, you will have the option to select from the following options:

• Morning
• Bed Time
• Desk Job
• ​Travel
• Rotation
• Lower Back Wellness

If you wake up and want an additional flow to alleviate stiffness in the morning and get moving right away, then the morning flow would be perfect for you. If you spend most of your day at a desk and want a flow to do between projects or meetings, then the desk job flow is your best bet. Whatever additional mobility work you need, the classic flows can help you move and feel better.

Mobility Test & Profile

I have used other mobility platforms, but the biggest issue with them was that they were just another templated stretching program that everyone followed and hoped for the best. If your specific weaknesses aligned with what the coach was programming daily, it worked out for you. But, if not, you worked on areas that weren’t your priority and just increased the gap between your weak and strong points.

When you download GOWOD, the first thing that you will do is take their mobility test to establish your mobility score and mobility profile. The mobility test is a twelve-minute assessment recommended to be done without soreness on a rest day and after at least two hours from waking.

The mobility test assesses your:

• Shoulders
• Overhead mobility
• Hips
• Posterior chain
• Ankles

After various tests for the range of motion of each region, you’ll receive an overall mobility score.

In your daily plan, the app will use this mobility profile to target the area you need the most help with and incorporate equipment like a lacrosse ball, a foam roller, a super band, and more to improve your mobility score. Using your specific mobility score allows a personalized approach to your mobility compared to a templated approach.

Pre & Post WOD Flows

In addition to the daily mobility workout, you can perform pre and post-workout of the day (WOD) mobility flows. These are similar to the daily flows in that you can select the duration but differ in that instead of your mobility profile, they are based on the movements you will have done in your session.

The app will curate a session based on the joints and muscles most involved in your selected training movements. For example, selecting the overhead squat will give you targeted drills for the hips, ankles, and shoulders to improve your squat mobility.

Performing post-WOD stretching can help you improve your range of motion and promote recovery after training. (2)

Extensive Movement Library

Another reason I decided to join the GOWOD community because although I was a Physical Therapist, it can be challenging to come up with various stretches and mobility drills simply because there are so many possible options and ways to attack certain joints.

This led to boredom and staleness in my mobility work, leading to inconsistency and a lack of progress. The GOWOD app has over 250 exercises that it will pull from to create your daily plan and other mobility flows that will keep your mobility training fun, engaging, and consistent.

Equipment Incorporation Into Flows

Another way the GOWOD app keeps your mobility training as effective and engaging as possible is by using various pieces of equipment. When you see your profile, you can select all the available equipment you have, and the app will use this information when designing your flow.

You can select from the following options in the settings tab:

• ​Ball
• Foam Roller
• Super Band
• PVC Pipe
• Percussion Gun

Fortunately, none of these pieces of equipment are required. They are just another option for the app to incorporate into your experience. You also can deselect them if you find yourself traveling or at the gym without them. I have only incorporated the band and foam roller pieces of equipment and have seen great results thus far.

GOWOD App Pricing

The GOWOD app is reasonably priced and is the most affordable mobility app on the market today, which is ironic based on my experience using the platform. You can trial the app for 14 days free simply by entering your email address, which will give you access to a free mobility test and the 250+ exercise library. If you wish to continue using the app, upgrade to a premium account and cancel anytime.

GOWOD Premium Plans

Monthly:$11.99 per month

Semestrial:$59.99 per 6 months

Yearly:$107.99 per year

Try the GOWOD app today with a 14-day free trial

The GOWOD App Pros and Cons

Thus far, I have had an outstanding experience with the GOWOD app and don’t intend on canceling my subscription any time soon. I am staying more consistent with my mobility work, my joints feel better throughout the week, and my motivation to train is high. Based on my time with the app thus far, these pros and cons may help you decide between the various mobility apps on the market.

GOWOD App Pros

Personalized Rx

Your daily plan is completely tailored to your mobility score and profile so that you know your work is helping you bring up your weak points.

Timing of Stretches

In the past, I used stretching programs that would have me holding positions for 5 minutes or more. This may be what some people are looking for, but it certainly wasn’t for me. The super-extended stretching durations have diminishing returns on flexibility improvements and ultimately hindered my desire to do the mobility form for the day. (3) Since I started using GOWOD, the longest I have held a position for is 2 minutes, which is more than enough to increase your range of motion.

Targeted Zones

You are locked into a specific mobility workout only sometimes. If a particular body region bothers you, plug it into the app and get the exact flow you need.

Duration of Flows

You can control how long you mobilize with 8-minute, 15-minute, and 22-minute flow durations. If you have more time, take advantage of the 22-minute flow; if you’re in a rush, go for the 8-minute flow.

User Interface

The platform’s interface is straightforward to use and navigate. When you open the dashboard, everything you need is right at your fingertips, and you can begin stretching with a few clicks. If you need to navigate to your profile, flows, and settings, they are each at the bottom of the screen to be seamlessly toggled through.

GOWOD App Cons

Self-Assessed Mobility Test

One of the things I noticed when performing my mobility test was that if I wasn’t a Physical Therapist and CrossFit Coach, the data I got from the test might be inaccurate if I wasn’t ultra-strict on how I was moving. Someone unfamiliar with analyzing motion, let alone their motion, may need help visualizing how much their joints are moving.

But, the app’s mobility test is scored through a slider function. As you move the slider towards a perfect score, the actual image will change with it to help you match how far your limb moved to the model on the screen, which minimizes inaccuracy as much as possible.

Rapid Side Changes

When performing a stretch that addresses each limb individually, you will have a period that allows you to switch sides. The app gives you five seconds to switch positions. If I perform a stretch like a pigeon pose, it is tough to get out of the pose and set up for the next one within five seconds.

But, you can shut this auto switch feature off so that when the timer goes off on one side, you can switch sides and manually start the timer on the other. To maximize my efficiency, I kept the auto switch on and either restarted the timer if I was behind or tracked how many seconds elapsed before I was stretching and added that time on the back end of the stretch time.

GOWOD App Alternatives

Pliability

Pliability is another mobility app that was formerly ROMWOD.

Virtual Mobility Coach

Virtual Mobility Coach is a mobility app created by Dr. Kelly Starret and The Ready State.

My GOWOD App Personal Experience:

Hip Impingement fixed in 2 weeks

I recently started using the GOWOD app after catching a clean awkwardly and feeling a sharp pain in my right hip. I was able to finish the session, but over the next several days, my hip locked up and affected my lower back and my right knee.

Ultimately, I diagnosed myself with right hip impingement but knew that what had happened was a result of neglecting my mobility work and thinking that my strength training alone would suffice, but this was incorrect.

I downloaded the app two weeks ago and was quickly reminded of how tight my hips and the rest of my body had gotten during my mobility test. My overall mobile score was 53%, which could have been better for someone who trains CrossFit and helps people build their mobility and movement patterns for a living.

But fast forward two weeks of consistent mobilizing, my hip is one hundred percent back to pain-free motion, and I am training hard again.

I attribute the rapid success to all of the features and benefits of the GOWOD app. I could have just set myself up on a mobility program, but the app’s scoring, smart reminders, and ease of use have made all the difference. My mobility work is now seamless and more enjoyable, translating into more consistency, better movement, and less joint pain.

Should You Subscribe To The GOWOD App?

If you’re seeking a game-changing approach to improve your mobility and overall well-being, the GOWOD app is an excellent choice. With its personalized protocols, targeted body zones, and many features, it goes beyond conventional stretching programs. The app’s ability to enhance movement patterns, reduce discomfort in workouts, and improve performance sets it apart from any other mobility apps on the market.

As a Physical Therapist and CrossFit Coach, my firsthand experience with GOWOD has been nothing short of positive. If you’re ready to elevate your mobility and improve the quality of your movements, general well-being, and performance in a totally personalized way, then you should give GOWOD a shot.

GOWOD offers an entirely free 14-day free trial,and if you are not satisfied, cancel the trial and be on your way. However, once you see what the app offers for yourself, you’ll be sticking around for all the mobility gains.

Click below to grab your 14-day free trial.

References:

1. Gleim, G. W., & McHugh, M. P. (1997). Flexibility and its effects on sports injury and performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.),24(5), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199724050-00001
2. Behm, D. G., Blazevich, A. J., Kay, A. D., & McHugh, M. (2016). Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review.Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme,41(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2015-0235
3. Behm, D. G., & Chaouachi, A. (2011). A review of the acute effects of static and dynamic stretching on performance. European journal of applied physiology, 111(11), 2633–2651. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-1879-2