I asked kinesiology expert and 15-time Ironman finisher, Jen Rulon, for a mobility workout to start in your 40s. Here’s what she said
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When we talk about mobility, we’re not just referring to how well you move. Mobility is how well your joint can move actively through its intended range of motion. Incorporating mobility exercises into your routine is important, especially as we get older, as it can help relieve chronic joint pain and stiffness, prevent injuries, and help build and maintain maximum muscle strength.
Mobility exercises are typically different from flexibility exercises or passive stretching. With a mobility exercise, you’ll actively be moving a joint through its full range of motion. This helps enhance the mind-muscle connection and work on the functional movement you need to help improve your posture.
Yet if you’re a beginner or returning to exercise following an extended break, it can be tricky to know where to start. To help, I spoke to Jen Rulon, a 15-time Ironman triathlon finisher with a Master’s degree in kinesiology. Rulon has over 20 years of experience as a fitness coach and has shared the following mobility circuit.
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Jen Rulon has a master’s degree in kinesiology (exercise science), 20+ years of coaching experience, is a 15-time Ironman finisher and Kona qualifier, TEDx speaker, and author of Self-Motivation Strategies for Women. Strength training for women in midlife and beyond is core to her coaching practice.
What are the exercises?
“You can do this heading into your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond,” Rulon explains. She advises you to focus on doing the simple circuit two to three times a week to start with, and you’ll soon notice a difference in your overall mobility.
You won’t need any additional equipment for this workout, but using one of the best yoga mats can help keep things more comfortable.
Glute Bridge: 10-15 reps
Why: The glute bridge opens the front of the hips, which can typically get stiff if you spend a lot of time sitting down behind a desk, and can help restore correct pelvic alignment.
Here’s how to do it:
- Lie flat on your back on your exercise mat. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Rest your arms by your side.
- Engage your core, sucking your belly button into your spine and tilt your pelvis slightly to press your lower back into your exercise mat.
- Drive through your heels to lift your hips off the mat until your knees, hips, and shoulders are in a straight diagonal line. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement for a couple of seconds.
- Lower your hips back to your exercise mat slowly and with control. Lightly touch your glutes to the floor before lifting them back into your next rep.
Scorpion: 60 seconds each side
Why: The scorpion stretch is a dynamic movement that opens tight hips, the lower back and chest muscles.
Here’s how to do it:
- Lie face down on your exercise mat with your legs extended behind you. Place both arms out to your sides in a “T” position, with your palms facing down. Rest your forehead gently on the mat.
- Lift your left leg slightly off the floor and bend your left knee to a 90-degree angle so the sole of your left foot points toward the ceiling.
- Contract your left glute to drive your left heel up and across your body toward your right hand. Lift your left hip off the floor as your foot reaches across, then let your torso naturally twist while keeping both shoulders flat on the floor.
- If you can, lightly tap the floor behind you with your left foot, hold for a couple of seconds, then slowly reverse the rotation back to your starting position.
- Rulon recommends doing 60 seconds on each side.
Pigeon pose: 60 seconds each side
Why: The pigeon pose is a fantastic exercise for opening the deep hip rotators and hip flexors. It can help improve pelvic alignment and squat depth, as well as relieve pressure on the lower spine.
Here’s how to do it:
- Start on all fours in a tabletop position. Bring your right knee forward and place it on the floor behind your right wrist. Angle your right ankle toward your left wrist, so your front shin lies diagonally across the mat.
- Extend your left leg back behind you so your thigh is flat on the floor and the top of your left foot is resting on the mat. Keep your hips square to the front. Don’t collapse on your right glute; instead, imagine you have a light on each hip, and you want to keep both shining forward like headlights.
- Inhale and press your fingertips into the floor to lift your chest and lengthen your spine.
- If it feels comfortable to do so, walk your hands forward and lower your torso over your front shin, resting on your forearms as you exhale. Hold here, taking slow, deep breaths.
- Slowly move back out of the stretch and switch sides.
Cat-cow: 10-15 reps
Why: The cat-cow is an effective, low-impact way to work on your spine mobility. By moving the spinal column back and forth through flexion and extension, it can help relieve stiffness caused by prolonged sitting.
Here’s how to do it:
- Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Make sure that your wrists are directly beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Keep your head and neck in a neutral position with your gaze down to the floor.
- From here, inhale and tilt your pelvis back, dropping your belly button to the floor. Lift your chest, gaze, and tailbone toward the ceiling, and draw your shoulders down away from your ears. This is the cow pose. Breathe here for a few seconds.
- Then exhale and tuck your chin to your chest, pull your belly button in toward your spine and arch your upper back toward the ceiling, like a stretching cat. Push through your hands to broaden your shoulder blades.
- Slowly move between the cow and cat, focusing on moving through each segment of the spine rather than rushing the movement.
90-90 hip switch: 10-15 reps per side
Why: This is an essential move for opening tight glutes and hip flexors. You’ll be moving your hips through internal and external rotation, helping lubricate the joints as you do so.
Here’s how to do it:
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Let both knees drop to the right side so they rest flat on the floor. Adjust your posture so that your front leg forms a 90-degree angle at the hip and knee, and your back left leg also forms a 90-degree angle.
- Sit up as tall as possible. Place your hands on the floor behind your hips for support if you need it, but as your mobility improves, aim to keep your hands off the floor.
- Think about keeping your heels pressed to the floor as you lift your back (left) knee off the ground and rotate it to the left side. Allow your front knee to follow the movement, sweeping both legs to the left.
- Pause for a few seconds, then rotate back to your starting side.
- Repeat for 10-15 controlled reps per side.
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