This workout is part of Cathe Friedrich’s Lift, Move & Restore program. This program contains workouts for people who are fit but aging and want to take things down a notch but also want to age well. She notes that these workouts can also be used as recovery workouts for advanced exercisers.
Functional Mobility Fusion is a very enjoyable and feel good workout. The first time I did this workout I did the premix that combines the main workout with the the Low Impact Cardio Bonus. What a great workout! The mobility workout is active and does it all–gives you flexibility, mobility, a little bit of strength and elevates your heart rate at times. Add the cardio bonus onto the end for a quick and fun low impact calorie blast. The only negative is there is no cool down or stretch at the end of the cardio. It just ends. So I tacked on a feel good total body stretch from YouTube to finish it off. This is definitely the perfect workout to use for an active recovery day.
Functional Mobility Fusion is 42:28 minutes; 14 minute warm up (#1-11) and a 2:30 minute cool down. Equipment: fitness mat.
- Spiderman reaches (start w/ hands at shoulders palms open and facing forward, do a side bend while reaching one arm overhead (other arm remains at shoulder), alternate sides)
- Chest expansion (place fingertips on shoulders, round back and bring elbows together then open elbows wide out to sides)
- Elbow circles (fingertips are still on shoulders, draw large circles with elbows)
- Shoulder cars (large shoulder circles, Cathe gives specific directions on thumb angle; add a stretch by lifting hand up behind the back)
- Mobility squat (lower into a deep squat with hands on floor between feet; raise hips so you are in a forward fold with hands still on floor; remain in squat with elbows against inner knees, draw small circles with hips; raise hips into forward fold again)
- Cat/cow
- Cat cow hula hoop (draw a circle with torso as you do cat/cow)
- Wrist stretches (still on hands and knees place back of one hand on mat keeping arm straight; place palm on mat with fingers facing behind you; with palms still on mat turn fingers toward each other then turn them so fingers face out to sides)
- Child’s pose to body wave (start in child’s pose, flow forward rounding spine into cobra)
- Hip circle cars (on all 4s, lift one bent leg and draw a large circles)
- Downward dog into thoracic rotation (start in down dog pedaling feet; step one foot in so you are in deep runners lunge then rotate torso toward front leg, reaching arm to ceiling)
- Wood chops / scare crows (stand with legs a bit wider than hip width, squat swinging arms down between legs and when you stand, pivot slightly to one side while swing arms up overhead to the side you are pivoting toward, repeat on other side then remain standing w/ arms in goal post, keeping arms raised to shoulder level and straight from elbow to shoulder, lower hands/forearms forward then return to goal post)
- Walk out plank combo (start standing, squat and place hands on floor, walk hands out to plank, alternate tapping one hand to opposite shoulder 4x then bring one leg forward and tap toe to floor outside same side arm, alternate leg 4x, walk hands back to feet, stand and lift arms overhead wide and pull elbows down towards sides)
- Front lunge combo (alternating front lunges once each leg, when you lunge out again, raise out of lunge into a knee lift, lower foot again into lunge then step legs back together)
- Plank walk (start standing, squat and place hands on mat, walk hands out to plank, walk hands back to feet so you are in squat again then walk back out to plank)
- Adductor rock (get on hands and one knee, other leg is extended out straight to side, in this position push hips/glutes back)
- Thread the needle
- Adductor rock thread the needle combo (get into adductor rock position then lower one elbow to mat into a thread the needle)
- Child’s pose scorpion combo (child’s pose with arms extended in front of you; downward facing dog; lower to knee plank and do one tricep push up then lower body to mat and extend both arms to sides, lift one leg and bring it over the other leg trying to touch foot to floor and also trying to keep chest and arms on mat)
- Arm swings (swing both arms overhead then swing them back down and behind you while also lowering into a partial squat)
- Arm swing lunge combo (start at the bottom of stationary/static lunge w/ arms extended overhead then shift/pivot to side into a side lunge lowering hands to floor beside back foot, return to standing w/ legs together and do 2 arm swings (#20) then repeat the lunge combo on other side of body)
- Mountain climber/three legged dog (start standing, reach arms overhead then lower into forward fold, step feet back into down dog, lift one leg into three legged dog, bring that leg forward so you are in a runners lunge then step feet together so you are back in forward fold, return to standing, repeat this sequence on same leg then repeat the sequence 2 times on other leg)
- Crossback lunge serve (step one foot back into crossback/curtsy lunge and hold placing opposite hand on front thigh, open other arm out to side and behind you, alternate sides)
- Crossback spiderman reach combo (stand w/ legs wide, lower into squat touching fingertips to floor between legs, stand and reach arms overhead, repeat this and when you are standing again do spiderman reaches (#1); do #23, once each side, then do the squat/spiderman reach combo)
- 90/90 (sit on mat with both knees bent and feet on mat, lean back with hands on mat behind hips, lower both knees to same side so that legs are in a pretzel position on the mat with knees both bent at 90 degrees, alternate sides)
- Repeat #10 but w/ hands raised and extended in front of you, do one each side then sit on mat with knees bent and feet on mat and do one sit up, reaching arms overhead at bottom of sit up
- Leg drops (lay on back on mat with knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, lift hips and extend one leg to ceiling, keeping leg straight, open it out to side then raise it back to ceiling, hips remain elevated isometrically the entire time)
- Table top roll (sit on mat w/ knees bent and hands on shins, roll back then roll back up to glutes, place feet back on mat and hands on mat behind hips, raise hips as high as you can and hold; when you repeat you will do it faster and only hold tabletop briefly)
- Final resting pose (sitting cross-leg, hinge torso forward over thighs; lay on back on mat, place hands on belly and do belly breathing; sit cross-leg on mat again and take a deep breath)
Low Impact Cardio Bonus is 14:26 minutes. The workout opens w/ Cathe and crew marching in place.
- Hi/lo jab (do quick air squats, raising into toes at top of squat while punching high and low with one arm, alternate sides when punching)
- Hammer down reach pull (stand facing the side, pivot to front into a lunge while punching one arm down beside front leg (opposite arm as front leg), stand pivoting back to side while doing a knee raise while pulling both arms down to knee)
- Repeat #2 on other side of body
- Repeat #2 & 3
- Side lunge abduction combo (step one leg out into side lunge while reaching one hand to floor, push out of lunge while lifting leg out to side (adduction) and reaching arms overhead, lower back into side lunge, when you push out of side lunge again do one crossback/curtsy lunge)
- Repeat #5 on other side of body
- Prisoner squat elbow to knee (stand w/ hands behind head, squat and when you raise out of squat raise one knee and bring opposite elbow to knee, alternate sides with a squat between each knee raise)
- Lateral skate / Hamstring curl (alternate these two moves)
- Step together step knee (stand w/ arms in goalpost, do one side step (step together) while also doing goalpost chest fly arms then raise inside knee while tapping knee w/ opposite elbow, every third knee raise is a 3 knee repeater)
- Opposite hand to foot reaches (stand w/ legs wide, squat while reaching one hand down toward opposite foot and when you raise out of squat do a low impact hop (only heels raise), alternate hands/sides each time you squat, this is done at a brisk pace)
- Front kick back kick (one front kick + one back kick w/ opposite leg)
- Repeat #11 w/ legs swapped
- Tap reach / speedbag (4 alternating overhead punches + 4 alternating cross punches + 4 alternating down punches + speed bag arms)
- Puddle jumpers / knee drive (puddle jumpers = wide low side steps, knee drive = knee repeaters, alternate these two moves)
Premixes:
Main program + Bonus 52:35 minutes (this tacks the bonus onto the end of the main program, skipping the final resting pose)
Double Cardio Bonus 27:33 minutes
Timesaver #1 – Warm up + Low impact cardio 20:16 minutes
Timesaver #2 – Warm up + Basic Mobility 18:18 minutes
Timesaver #3 – Warm up + Mobility Combos 30:53 minutes
Mish Mosh Scrambled 36:45 minutes
