Workout: Mobility and Strength

The combination of strength and mobility challenges in this workout help create results that are greater than the sum of the movements. How? The mobility drills create space in your joints, and the strength drills are designed to create spinal stability and resiliency around the joints.

Warm-Up

Bird Dog

• Begin in a tabletop position with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders.
• In one move, bring your right hand out in front of your shoulder so your arm points straight in front of you as you extend your left leg behind you, pointing your left toes away from you.
• Keep your core braced to keep your spine long and back flat as you hold for a count of two, breathing in and out through your nose.
• Release and repeat with your opposite arm and leg.
• Breathe in as you reach and out as you return.
• Continue for 45 seconds; repeat on the other side.

3D Lunge Reach Series

• Stand with your feet under your hips, arms at your sides.
• Step forward with your right leg and lunge forward with both arms reaching forward.
• Step back to start, then lateral-lunge with your right leg, arms reaching overhead to the right side.
• Step back to start and then transverse-lunge (lunge back diagonally) with your right leg with your arms rotating across your body. Return to start.
• Perform all three lunges on the same leg and then switch legs.
• Continue for 60 seconds and repeat once more.

Workout

Perform each move for 30 seconds and rest 30 seconds. Complete three sets and advance to the next move.

Push-Up With T Reach

• Begin in a prone position with your hands outside your shoulders, toes on the ground, forming one long line from your head to your heels.
• Perform one solid push-up. At the top of the push-up, open up to one side, reaching your top hand toward the ceiling.
• Bring your arm back down into your push-up position, then perform another push-up as you T-reach to the opposite side.

Half Kneeling Medicine Ball Chop and Lift

• Start in a half-kneeling position with your left knee down and right leg up, as if you were about to propose to someone.
• Holding a medicine ball with both hands, start the ball down by your left hip. Drive your pelvis forward as you reach the medicine ball up and across your body, finishing over your right shoulder.
• Bring your pelvis back to the starting position as you bring the medicine ball back down to your left hip.
• Attempt to perform in a rhythmical fashion, gradually increasing speed and tempo.

Reverse Lunge With 3D Arms

• Stand with your feet under your hips.
• Step back with your right leg into a reverse lunge and reach both arms back overhead.
• Step back to start, then step your same leg back into a second reverse lunge, reaching both arms overhead as they sway and reach away from your moving leg. Return to start.
• Take a third reverse lunge with the same leg as you reach your arms overhead and twist your torso away from your moving leg. Do all the movements on the same leg, then switch legs.
• Repeat, alternating legs.

V-Sit Roll Over

• Start in a seated position on the sitting bones of your pelvis.
• Lean back with your torso and lift your feet off the ground. Practice balancing in that position. If you can, grab your legs with your arms.
• Lower yourself toward the supine position without letting your hands or feet touch the ground. Roll over onto your stomach and then roll onto your back.
• Lift yourself back into the seated V position. Hold to balance.
• Then lower to the ground and roll back in the same direction.

Bicycle Boxer

• Lie on your back in the supine position.
• Lift both legs off the ground and lift your shoulder blades off the ground. Cycle your legs in and out, and at the same time, punch your opposite hand toward your opposite knee.

Cool-Down

Quadruped Breathing

• Start in a tabletop position with your hands on the ground directly under your shoulders and your knees on the ground under your hips. Relax your feet so the tops of your feet are on the ground.
• Take a deep breath in through your nose for three seconds. Your belly should move toward the ground. Hold for a count of two.
• Then breathe out, also through your nose. Your belly should move back in toward your spine. Hold for a count of three.
• Continue for 60 seconds, rest 30 seconds, and repeat twice more.

Photo credit: jacoblund, Getty Images
GIFs: Tom Casey, box24studio.com
Model: Sherri Swan, 24 Hour Fitness