Stretching and mobility work have never been my favorite parts of a fitness regimen, despite being incredibly important to maintain a healthy body. A busy schedule and a new baby usually give me enough of an excuse to skip them, but some recent setbacks in my postpartum recovery have forced me to refocus on these aspects.
Needing a little guidance and motivation, I turned to YouTube for a mobility routine to follow. I landed on personal trainer Marie Steffen’s recent “weighted mobility” workout and was instantly intrigued. While I’ve used weights to assist with stretching in the past, I hadn’t done so in a while and thought it might make things a little more interesting. So, I grabbed my dumbbell and gave it a try.
How to do Marie Steffen’s weighted mobility and deep stretch workout
In addition to a moderately-heavy dumbbell, you’ll also need a yoga mat for this routine. Several moves are done in a kneeling position, so you may also want a towel for extra knee cushioning.
Steffen’s workout starts with a brief warm-up and then moves into six circuits of exercises and stretches done for 45 seconds each. There are 15 seconds of rest between each exercise, where Steffen demonstrates the next movement and often offers a few form pointers. She ends the workout with a one-move cool down.
I knew my mobility and flexibility needed some attention, but this workout was a big wake-up call. Here are a few other observations I had after finishing Steffen’s program.
1. It was harder than I expected
When I hear the words “mobility” and “stretching,” I don’t expect to break a sweat. However, by the end of this workout I was definitely wiping away a few sweat beads. There are a lot of squats and lunges in the mix, and while Steffen moves slowly and encourages you to do the same, you’ll be working some major muscle groups.
The movements were tougher than I thought they’d be, but I enjoyed the format. Steffen would start each circuit with one move, introduce a second move, combine the two into a third move, and then end with a held stretch. Since I got to “practice” both parts of the movement separately, I felt like I could really focus on increasing my range of motion once they were combined.
2. I had to modify some of the positions
I have to admit, I’m envious of Steffen’s mobility. She could get into each position with ease, and I had to modify a lot of moves to be able to do them.
The biggest challenge for me was the cossack hold. I couldn't sink my hips down to the mat as much as she does, so I had to reduce my range of motion and keep my hips high. I don’t know whether my lack of range is a result of pregnancy or just tightness that’s always existed, but even with the modification, I felt a stretch in all the right areas.
I would have loved to see Steffen include modifications for some of the moves that required a good base level of mobility to do. Not only would that make the workout more accessible, it could also serve as a way to measure progress.
3. My tight spots surprised me
There are some areas of my body that I know are tight, namely my hips and back. What this workout helped me to realize was just how tight my shoulders are. Taking the dumbbell behind my head for the halo caused some impingement in both of my shoulders each time I did it, so that’s a sign I need to step back from my overhead presses for a while.
Less surprising but still eye-opening was my struggle with the straddle hold. It felt like I barely had my legs open at all before my inner thighs started to scream. Again, I’m not sure if this tightness was exacerbated by pregnancy, but it’s definitely another area that needs some attention.
If it’s been a while since you’ve had a good stretch, you may be surprised by your tight spots too.
4. I felt fantastic the next day
I thought I might be sore after this workout, but I actually woke up the next morning feeling great. My usual all-over stiffness wasn’t as severe as it usually is, my lower back was relatively pain-free, and my shoulders had loosened up. These benefits lasted until I headed to the gym for a lower-body workout.
I’ll be returning to this routine again soon. It’s comprehensive, easy to follow, fun, and very necessary.
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