Perfect 30: Perfect Flow

Perfect Flow is part of Cathe‘s Perfect 30 series. Perfect Flow contains one 30 minute mobility workout, one 30 minute yoga workout and a 9 minute core bonus. The other two workouts included in the Perfect 30 Series are Perfect HIIT and Perfect Pump. I won’t be doing Perfect Pump until the beginning of December but Perfect HIIT has already been reviewed here. This is a really nice collection of mobility and flexibility workouts. I found nothing on this DVD difficult but I felt everything–in a good way. I love flexibility and mobility workouts and I do feel both workouts contain more of that than body weight strength. They are both feel good workouts in my opinion. I know that I will use the mobility workout far more frequently than the yoga workout, but I think I will also sometimes do them back to back for an hour long workout.

Mobility is 32 minutes. This workout is well chaptered so I used Cathe’s descriptions of the exercises you are doing, adding to it if I felt the exercise needed further explanation. What an excellent mobility/flexibility workout! I loved it! Some of the exercises, #14 (90/90) especially, are very reminiscent of exercises in Mark Lauren’s mobility workouts–but gentler. This isn’t a gentle workout, but it is a feel good workout. Perfect for recovery days. I will definitely be using this workout frequently.

1. Shoulder circles/rolls (circle straight arms; basic shoulder rolls with arms at sides; place fingers on shoulders and bring elbows together in front of chest then open elbows wide)
2. Neck stretches
3. Squats (start with basic bodyweight squats then hold at bottom of squat, legs wider and elbows on insides of knees, shift hips around in this position)
4. Forward folds (you are alternating forward fold holds with the deep wide squat at the end of #3; hold forward fold rotating torso/hands to one ankle and then the other ankle; hold one ankle with opposite hand and extend same side arm up toward ceiling in a spinal twist; return to the deep wide squat at the end of #3)
5. Side lunges (hold side lunges while extending same arm as bent leg up to ceiling in a spinal twist)
6. Kneeling wrist stretch (on all 4s, do various wrist stretches and mobility exercises changing hand placement to vary the move)
7. Cat/cow on all 4s
8. Hamstring stretch (one knee bent on floor, the other extended straight in front of you, heel on floor, toe flexed, fingertips on floor on either side of leg, round back in cat/cow while holding this stretch)
9. Thread the needle (basic thread the needle pose but Cathe varies hand placement and head placement; ends with another cat/cow and a child’s pose)
10. Trace the rainbow (lay on side in fetal pose with both arms extended on front of you, trace top arm overhead and to other side of body so arms are in T and spine is twisted)
11. Groin stretch (get on all 4s and open knees wide with soles of feet together, push glutes back toward feet, then extend torso forward lowering hips toward ground while keeping knees wide)
12. Hip circles (get on all 4s and circle one bent leg in hip joint)
13. Reverse table top
14. 90/90 hands down/lean back (sit with legs in pretzel with hands on ground behind hips, keeping feet on ground, raise both knees, rotating them to the other side, continue rotating legs side to side; add lifting one arm off floor and reaching it to side in the same direction knee is pointing as you hinge forward, the leg movement remains the same, only the upper body changes to deepen the stretch; leg movement still remains the same but now when you rotate, place both hands on floor in front of front knee so you can twist your spine while in pretzel; finally, continue the leg movement but arms raised, so it is a lower body only move)
15. Downward facing dog to front lunge (while in a deep lunge place hand of same side arm as front leg behind head and lower elbow to ground beside foot then rotate elbow to ceiling, looking up toward ceiling
16. Downward facing dog to pigeon (while in pigeon you while hinge forward, lowering face toward mat then raising back to start)
17. Prone quad stretch (lay on stomach and elbows with legs extended straight on mat behind you, stretch quads by holding ankle of one leg and pulling it into glutes)
18. Superman (still laying on belly, place tops of hands on small of back then circle them around until they are extended in front of you (chest/head are raised), pull elbows back toward ribs while also raising legs off floor)
19. Scorpion (still laying on stomach, arms extended out to side in a T, lift one leg and bring it over other leg, touching toe to mat and keeping arms in T on floor)
20. Child’s pose; cobra

Yoga for Strength & Flexibility is 32 minutes. This is a very nice yoga/flexibility workout. It is more flexibility than it is strength and I found it very enjoyable. It is more of an intermediate yoga practice. I found everything doable and I felt well worked and stretched out by the end. I really loved the warm up. It felt very good. This workout is not chaptered nearly as well as the Mobility workout but I am using the chapters anyway for the breakdown.

1. Warm up (deep breaths with wide plie squats; side lunge side to side with arm circles; more wide plie squats with deep breaths; standing cat/cow; lunge side to side while circling clasped hands from floor to ceiling; alternate reaching arms overhead; lower into wide plie squat while continuing to alternate reaching arms overhead with side bends; arms change to sweeping them side to side with spinal twists; deep sumo squat with hands on floor, alternate forward fold with sumo squat; hold wide leg forward fold, hands cupping opposite elbow and slowly sway torso side to side)
2. Sun salutations (forward fold into deep lunge into downward facing dog into plank into cobra, repeat down dog into cobra, return to flat back forward fold into chair pose, straighten reaching arms overhead and arch back; repeat everything starting with other lead leg; step back into crescent pose, pivot into goddess pose, return to crescent then return to standing; repeat crescent/goddess pose series with other lead leg; repeat crescent/goddess on both sides at a faster pace)
3. Balance (divers pose–lower into chair pose, raise heels, hinge forward and straighten legs while extending arms to to side in a T and keeping heels raised the entire time)
4. Standing strength (downward facing dog, raise back leg into 3 legged dog into warrior 2, pivot into warrior one then reach both arms straight in front of you while also leaning torso forward, raise torso straight while also raising arms overhead, then clasp hands at small of back and pull them down toward floor, stretching shoulders and chest, return to down dog and pedal feet; using same leg as first sequence (back leg), lift leg to 3 leg down dog then step into side angle pose into reverse warrior, legs do not change position but side bend then return to reverse warrior, lower into side lunge stretch with hands on floor then staying low, walk hands to other leg while shifting into side lunge on other side of body, continue shifting side to side; repeat both sequences with other lead leg)
5. Hips openers (sit on mat in butterfly pose; seated figure 4 stretch; modified half lotus pose with a spinal twist and side bend)
6. Core work (reverse table top; seated straight leg forward fold; reverse table top; seated straight leg forward fold; get on all 4s, raise one bent leg and do a partial tricep push up; continue the tricep push up variation but raise into a plank; start in straight arm plank, cross one leg behind the other placing foot on floor, rotate into a side plank variation raising top arm to ceiling, raise and lower straight leg then return to straight arm plank and raise and lower other leg; repeat the plank/side plank series several times at a brisker pace then repeat on other side of body; child’s pose; wrist stretch; lay on back, legs raised and knees bent, arms are extended straight overhead, circle arms out to sides while extending legs straight at about 45 degrees, bend knees again and bring hands behind head, lower feet to floor (knees still bent) and do one basic crunch; repeat crunch series several more times)
7. Forward bends and twists (seated spinal twists with one leg extended straight and other leg bent and crossed over straight leg; keep legs the same and twist torso to other side; one leg is still extended straight, other leg is bent and open to side, insole against inner thigh of straight leg, hinge torso forward into forward fold; repeat entire series on other side of body; seated forward fold with both legs extended straight in front of you; open legs wide, still straight, and hinge torso forward)
8. Final resting phase (happy baby pose; corpse pose; sit cross-leg and take deep breaths reaching arms overhead)

Core Bonus is 9 minutes. This bonus starts with Cathe and crew laying on the mat. Cathe shows modifications for some of the exercises. Wow! What an awesome core workout! Every exercise in this workout is done to a very controlled pace and Cathe works the entire core, front, back and sides in unique and effective ways. I found it challenging and I felt every exercise but it was all doable.

1. Banana hold, while in banana hold raise one leg and touch foot with opposite hand, repeat on other hand/leg
2. Rotating piston planks (start in straight arm plank, rotate hip to side and bend knees lowering hips toward heels, alternate sides returning to plank between each side)
3. T raise superman (lay on stomach, arms out to sides, thumbs pointing toward ceiling, raise and lower arms and chest, feet/legs remain on mat)
4. Glute bridge leg drops (lay on back, knees bent and feet on floor, raise hips and hold, lift one leg toward ceiling, open and close leg out to side)
5. Side plank angle extension (knee side elbow plank, reach top arm overhead and extend top leg straight, pull top knee into chest and bring top elbow to meet knee, extend leg and arm straight again while turning and lowering palm toward floor, Cathe says not to lower your chest to the floor but it sure looks like that’s what she’s doing)

Premixes:

1. Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Core Bonus 41:12
2. Mobility Basics + Core Bonus 40:22
3. Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics + Core Bonus 72:16
4. Mobility Basics Strength 10:46
5. Mobility Basics Stretch 20:40
6. Yoga Strength & Flexibility Strength + Core Bonus 25:54
7. Yoga Strength & Flexibility Stretch 20:08
8. Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics Express #1 33:22
9. Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics Express #2 35:51
10. Yoga Strength & Flexibility Core Focus 24:30
11. Mobility Basics Core Focus 14:47
12. Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics Core Focus 29:59
13. Yoga Strength & Flexibility – Core Work Replaced with Core Bonus 35:13
14. Mobility Basics Core 33:54