The basic movements that every gym goer learns within the first few weeks of training are the squat, deadlift, and bench press. Coincidentally, these movements also require the most mobility and flexibility to perform properly.
Most people will get to the gym, do a quick warmup consisting of talking to friends and checking their phones, then expect to jump right into sets of heavy compound movements. Now it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is a recipe to get hurt, but you'd be surprised to find out how many people do just that. Stretching and mobility work isn't sexy. Putting up big weights will get the heads in the gym to turn, but not doing a proper warmup puts you in a position to injure yourself and be set back months if not years.
We all know the guys that show off to their friends saying "my chest is so big I can't touch my elbows together!" or "my arms are to big to touch my shoulders with my fingertips!" Now I can admit, I have been that guy before. Everyone "oohs" and "ahhs" at your parlor trick, but unless you're 250+ pounds, you should not have these issues.
Having poor mobility WILL lead to injuries eventually. Just because you haven't have any serious problems yet doesn't mean it won't come back to bite you in the future. Over years of lifting it has become apparent to me that mobility problems lead to more muscle tears and strains than lifting with poor technique will. So take at least 15 minutes before every workout to foam roll muscles to break up scar tissue and then STRETCH! Don't mess around and BS it. Really make the stretch uncomfortable, and it will pay off in the long run.
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