The best exercises for strength and mobility aren’t ones that look fancy on social media; the ones I love are simple, repeatable and scaleable, which means they’re effective and can be performed at any age.
These five combo moves only require one of the best yoga mats, and, if you want to add one, a dumbbell.
I train clients of all ages, and I’m seeing a real uplift in people over 50 taking far more notice of mobility training, longevity practices and anti-aging routines. It’s about steering away from what might take off on TikTok and focusing on functional fitness instead.
While stretching can give you some flexibility benefits and feel good short-term, I strongly recommend looking at your mobility as you get older, using a range of movement and strengthening exercises, as this will help keep your joints and muscles robust to withstand muscle atrophy, bone density loss, or injury.
I’m sharing my go-to exercises below, plus some benefits you can expect.
If you experience pain at any time, stop and rest. If you’re working with an injury or health condition, I recommend seeking advice before starting these exercises.
Watch: 10-minute mobility routine
The routine: Perform each exercise for 60 seconds, take a brief rest, then repeat for a second round.
What are the benefits?
Each of these exercises focuses on a different benefit, so let’s break it down briefly, move-by-move.
Each of these exercises focuses on a different benefit.
Shoulder raises: Using a light dumbbell, begin in a seated or kneeling position with your arm by your side. Start by arcing the dumbbell in a sweeping position to an overhead position, moving laterally. Then, lower the dumbbell in front of you until it almost reaches your thigh. Repeat in reverse by raising the dumbbell overhead in front of you, then lowering it to the side.
This primarily works the lateral and frontal heads of the shoulders (your deltoids). You’ll also recruit your core muscles to stabilize your torso as you move, plus recruitment of the upper back and chest. For a more strength-focused exercise, you would lift heavier weights closer to failure, but this is a mobility exercise, so lift lighter and focus on maximizing your range of motion.
Bear squat x downward dog combo: This short “flow” combines two reps of a bear squat, two forward leans, then two downward dogs. It’s great for mobilizing your wrists and ankles and works the quads hard in the kneeling position, then stretching the back of the body in the downward dog position, including your lower back and hamstrings.
Start in a tabletop position; it’s important to stack your shoulders directly over your wrists with your hips over your knees. Tuck your toes, squeeze your core and lift your knees to hover just above the mat. Moving horizontally, sit your hips back, return to center (twice), then do the same moving forward over your wrists (twice). From here, lift your hips up and back into downward dog (you guessed it, twice).
Reverse tabletop sweeps: It doesn’t look like much, but your hips and spine will love you for this move, as you stretch out your entire body and help gently mobilize the spine. If you have a back or shoulder injury, check with a qualified expert before trying this move.
Start seated with your knees bent and feet planted. Place your left hand just behind your left hip. Press your hips upward toward the ceiling as you sweep your right hand up and back behind you, coming into a backbend. Squeeze your glutes to protect your back. Lower your hips to the ground and repeat on the other side.
Spinal rolls with wide seat: Again, your spine will love you for this, as a spinal roll provides a gentle massage along your back; by engaging your core, you can also control the momentum of the roll, slowing it down to really feel the exercise. The wide seat with reach will stretch the hamstrings and groin and you might also feel this along your mid to upper back.
Start on your back and perform some rock and rolls up and down your spine with your hands lightly placed behind your head and your legs extended. See if you can lift your legs up and behind you as you roll back, then, as you roll forward, come to a seated position with your legs wide. Reach forward with your hands, then roll back again.
Glute bridge with leg lift: This move combines hip extension with glute activation and is a great strengthening exercise if you’d like to add load. For a mobility focus, simply draw your hips upward until you create a straight line between your shoulders and knees and squeeze your glutes to protect your back.
Press down through your heels, and move your feet slightly further away from your butt to engage the hamstrings more. From here, lift one leg into the air, then place it down and repeat with the other leg. Raise your hands overhead or keep them by your sides for support.
As you lift, curl your spine away from the mat, starting from your lower back; do the reverse on the way down.
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