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Cathe’s Perfect30 Review - Perfect Flow: Mobility Basics
Perfect Flow: Mobility Basics is an excellent, gently active stretching routine that will really lengthen out those hard worked muscles. This workout is part of the Perfect Flow DVD, which consists of two 30 minute active yoga-based routines – one focused on mobility training and one on strength and flexibility.
Perfect Flow is part of Cathe Friedrich’s new PERFECT30 series that consists of six workouts on three DVDs plus a number of bonus add-ons and premixes. The series is aimed at advanced exercisers and is perfect for when you are tight on time but still want a solid, intense workout. Each DVD contains two 30 minute workouts, which focus on the main elements necessary for a well-balanced fitness routine: strength conditioning, cardio endurance and balance / flexibility. For more details on the PERFECT30 program, click HERE or check out my blog post – Your Ultimate Guide to Cathe’s New PERFECT30 Series.
Both of the Perfect Flow routines are excellent workouts that focus on strength, flexibility and balance challenges for the whole body. This one is a feel good routine and is a little more movement based rather than strength based like the yoga routine.
As Cathe states – “Mobility training is the ability to move your joint actively through its range of motion. It incorporates flexibility and strength and is a key component in assisting you in your strength training and cardio workouts. As we age our muscles get stiffer and our joints become less flexible, which can lead to muscle imbalances. These workout help to reduce muscle imbalances and reduce the risk of injuries by moving your body joints through a full range of motion”. This sums up the routine nicely, as it is very much about moving the body through its full range of motion. None of the moves are too challenging and they are not held for too long so you are just nicely stretching the body without getting uncomfortable. Many of the poses also incorporate movement, for example, moving the torso up and down or moving the body side to side.
The routine is a mix of a few standing movements (including neck stretches, rocking sumo squats and side lunges) with mostly mat based exercises. It starts off with more familiar and easier moves, before working up to slightly more complex moves. However, none of the moves were really challenging and if you have done any yoga classes before then most of them will look fairly familiar. There are a few new moves, I hadn’t seen before but Cathe does show some modifications, in case you need them. There are also a few strength based moves and I did feel the breaststroke wraps / superman move in my lower back and core. Overall, I felt nicely stretched out by the end and found it particularly good in stretching out my hips and upper back, which always feels good afterwards. I found the “Trace the rainbow” move really nice for opening up my upper back / torso and is not one I have done before. This is one I will definitely be incorporating into my regular stretching routine and is great as a standalone routine, if you just need a bit of self-care, or as an add-on after a tough workout.
There are also several different premixes, for this routine, and they enable you to just do the stretch elements or just the strength elements of this routine. Also there are Timesaver versions that combine elements of both the Yoga and the Mobility routines but are still only 33 to 35 minutes long. In addition, you can also add in the bonus core segment too, if you are looking for a little more core work with your stretching or use the Mish Mosh or Timesaver premix for Mobility Basics that are core focused. So lots of options here, depending on what you are looking for and the time you have available.
Overall, this is a really nice active recovery routine that will gently challenge the muscles through their full range of motion without putting too much strain on the body.
The Workout – Perfect Flow: Mobility Basics
Perfect Flow: Mobility Basics is a flexibility and strength based routine that helps to minimise muscle imbalances and reduce the risk of injuries by moving your body joints through a full range of motion.
This DVD also includes Perfect Flow: Yoga Strength and Flexibility (review HERE) and a Core Bonus Routine (Bonus Core).
What You Need to Know
(The information below is based on the main workout (Perfect Flow: Mobility Basics) not including any of the bonus add-ons).
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Perfect Flow: Mobility Basics is 31 minutes long. All exercises below are done on a mat.
Shoulder circles / rolls
Neck stretches
Rocking side to side sumo squat (in deep sumo squat w/ elbows on inside of knees; gently rock hips side to side)
Forward folds
Side lunge w/ chest opener (alternating side lunges w/ 1 arm reaching up to ceiling & other hand on floor)
Kneeling wrist stretch
All fours cat / cow
1 Leg hamstring stretch w/ cat & cow (stretching 1 leg in front of you w/ toe pointed towards ceiling; leaning back on other knee & hands either side of leg; raise & lower into cat / cow)
Thread the needle (start on all fours then reach 1 arm under other; switch sides. Variations of this move w/ palm faces down & up plus adding a torso stretch)
Trace the rainbow (lying on side with knees bent at 90 degrees & arms straight out with 1 arm on top of other; gently open top arm in an arc over head to other side of body & back again)
Groin stretch (frog stretch -sitting back in wide knee childs pose then come forward onto forearms stretching hips)
Hip circles (on hands & knees; circle 1 leg around w/ knee bent 1 way & then other)
Reverse tabletop (hands & feet flat on floor w/ knees bent & chest facing ceiling)
90/90 hands down / lean back (sitting on bottom w/ knees bent in mermaid position; rock them side to side; progressing from hands on floor to hands up)
Downward dog to front lunge & chest opener (downward dog then step forward into static lunge position; open 1 elbow & torso up to ceiling w/ other hand on floor)
Downward dog to pidgeon pose (downward dog then bring 1 knee bent in under body; moving upper body up & down in that position to increase the stretch)
Prone quad stretch (lying on stomach & leaning up on 1 forearm; reach back & grasp 1 foot towards bottom to stretch quad)
Superman breastroke wrap / W’s (lying on stomach with arms & legs straight out; bring arms around to clasp them behind back then straight out in front & pull them down into a ‘W’ position)
Scorpion pose (lying on stomach; lift 1 leg over behind you to touch foot to floor on other side of body)
Bonus Add-Ons
Bonus Core
Bonus Core is also included on this DVD. This bonus core section is 9:17 minutes long and does not include a warm-up (as Cathe is assuming you are adding it on to another workout) but does include a very quick stretch at the end. You will need a mat, if you are on a hard surface, for this core bonus.
This is an interesting and rather unique abs bonus. The routine includes a number of different moves that are yoga and mobility inspired, which work your core from all angles and in slightly different ways. The aim is to engage all of the core muscles from the thoracic region to the hip flexors and glutes. This is what makes it more challenging, as you are often extending or balancing in the moves and, therefore, having to maintain a greater level of stability through the whole core region.
This bonus consists of five different moves, including variations, such as, side plank angle extensions and rotating piston planks. The routine is a mix of easier and slightly harder moves and I actually often felt more work in my upper body (e.g. T-raise supermans) and glutes rather than my core. I am not quite sure what to make of this routine, as I didn’t feel that my core was actually worked that hard. The only two moves that I really felt the work for my core was in the first and fourth exercise. One is a version of a banana hold and the other was the glute bridge leg drops, as you are really having to stabilise the core area when you drop the leg out to the side. This is also where I felt the work in my lower body too. The reps are not too high and there are breaks in between each move so it is not a very intense routine. I was definitely expecting something much harder given the short timeframe and how much Cathe packed into some of the main routines. Therefore, I am not sure I would return to it that often, as I just didn’t feel that it really worked my core very effectively. Although, I do think it worked well added to the Mobility Basics routine, as it is very much in the same style as that workout.
Overall, a short and different core bonus.
The moves:
Banana hold into opposite hand to foot (lying on back; lift arms & legs in hollow hold then reach 1 hand to opposite foot) – mat – 6 sets
Rotating piston planks (start in straight arm plank; push hips back to one side then straighten & over to other side) – mat – 4 sets (2x slow & 4x fast)
T-raise superman (lying on stomach w/ hands out in a T-position; raise & lower arms while keeping feet on floor) – mat – 2 sets (2x slow & 4x fast) & 3 sets (1x slow & 2x fast)
Glute bridge leg drops (raise into 1 leg glute bridge & slowly lower top leg straight out to side & back in) – mat – 8 reps each side
Side Plank Angle Extension (in a side plank w/ lower knee on the floor; reach top arm / leg out & in) – mat – 8 reps each side
The routine ends with a 20 second stretch.
Premixes
Perfect Flow has 14 premixes on the dvd.
(Premixes are extra bonus workouts included on the dvds that use the main workout as the backbone and then add, remove or change the order of elements to create a new routine. The premixes are also available on Cathe's On Demand streaming service).
Basic Premixes
Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Core Bonus - 41:12 mins
Mobility Basics + Core Bonus - 40:22 mins
Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics + Core Bonus - 72:16 mins
Timesaver Premixes
Mobility Basics Strength - 10:46 mins
Mobility Basics Stretch - 20:40 mins
Yoga Strength & Flexibility Strength + Core Bonus - 25:54 mins
Yoga Strength & Flexibility Stretch - 20:08 mins
Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics Express #1 - 33:22 mins
Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics Express #2 - 35:51 mins
Yoga Strength & Flexibility Core Focus - 24:30 mins
Mobility Basics Core Focus - 14:47 mins
Mish Mosh Premixes
Yoga Strength & Flexibility + Mobility Basics Core Focus - 29:59 mins
Yoga Strength & Flexibility - Core Work Replaced with Core Bonus - 35:13 mins
Mobility Basics Core - 33:54 mins
Take Action
These workouts are available as a bundle or individually on DVD, download or through Cathe’s On Demand streaming service ($19.99 per month, which also includes access to all of the Cathe Live archived classes).
Check out my reviews of each of the other workouts in this series by visiting my Cathe DVD Reviews page HERE.
If you liked this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Legs & Core Down On The Floor (#291) – HERE.
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