Class #1161

Challenging Tower Flow

40 min - Class
101 likes
Loading...

Description

Micheal and Ton return to Pilates Anytime with a challenging Tower workout. They teach exercises that make you work hard while making you feel good like the Airplane, Tower, and much more. They also show little tricks you can use to get the equipment to assist you more.
What You'll Need: Tower

About This Video

Aug 15, 2013
(Log In to track)

Transcript

Read Full Transcript

Hi, I'm Michael and I'm tone and welcome to our tower class. So I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go. They ready to go? I assume so. I think so. So um, we have it set up with the rollback bar with the short springs, the short yellow in this case, um, probably a little bit higher than maybe you're used to in a normal situation. We have the LEK springs set up for the leg springs when the hips go up into the air. So adjust your tension accordingly and then the arm springs all the way at the bottom and we'll change some of those settings as we go through the workout.

But that's where we starting with. Okay. So we're going to start with lying down in your back with your hips towards the wall units. I'm going to start with holding on to the arm springs. So just hold onto your arm strengths and move out a little bit. Your legs are going to be Ben, so just start with the arms straight up. And when they're up they should not be any tension on it, but they should not be dead either.

So now bring the arms down to a 45 degree angle and just hold it there and feel what it is. Make sure your collarbone stays nice and long, and then bring the arms back up. We're going to bring it down to 45 and we're going to stay there. Keep the arms absolutely still as you stretch your right leg out over the floor and then pull it back in. And now do the same thing with the left just out and pool it. And we really keep that nice spine. Nice imprinted right.

Press the right leg out and bring it back here. Okay tone. Use your words and left leg out and bring it. And let's do one more set right like out and bring it in and the left leg out. Bring it back in and bring the arms back up and relax the arms for a second. We're going to do exactly the same thing, but we're going to move the legs simultaneously. So bring the arms up, bring it to 45 hold it. Start with the right leg.

Pressing out now is that it comes in, stretch the left leg out and change and change. Keep reaching along with the arms and change and change and I think it's three. Bring the legs in and bring the arms back up. I'm going to start with the first exercise again. Go to 45 now you're going to slide the right leg out and the left arm down at the same time. Yup.

But your thinking caps on and then bring it back up and then change to the other side. The other arm stays at 45 right? So there's always tension on both springs. Just one moves and the other one say stable and press it out and bring it back in. We have one more set to go. We tune long. Look at you walking around and around and then bring it in and release the arms for a moment. Well, you know what's going to happen. We're going to move it simultaneously. Arms and legs at the same time.

So bring it at 45, right leg goes out, left arm goes, um, you're already upset. And then change and reach and walk and change and change and one and two, and then one more time and relax it back in. Arms. Relax. Bring your legs up into a tabletop position. So we're right at 90, 90. Bring your arms down to 45. We're going to do the same start. So just the right light goes down and bring it up. Keep it bent. Yes.

And then the left leg goes down and bring it in. And right now make sure that when you move, that you move from the hip. There you go. And that you don't touch the floor just with the knee bending from the knee. You really want to make sure you move all the way from the hip and then relax the arms back up.

Bring them back down to 45 and then we're going to move, um, simultaneously. So the right leg goes down and then switch one and one reach a little bit further away from you. There you go. And reach. And Are you abdominals working? Ah, okay. That's a good thing. And then relax back up. There you go. Right. Light goes down, left arm goes down. And for some reason it feels very bizarre with the legs starting at 90.

So just be aware of it. So right leg, left arm, and bring it back up and then change one. And I know, all right, when the feet come off the edge of the floor, everything changes, right? And push down and up. Don't let the spring come all the way home. And Are we even, oh, okay. So relaxed the arms. Okay, so now for the last time, we're going to move everything simultaneously. So good luck. Bring it to 45 right leg, left arm starts.

And now just change one and one. Don't let the spring come all the way home and reach and reach and reach one more set in and in. Bring it all the way up and relax the arms down and place your feet on the floor. Well, that looked great. Um, we're gonna use the rollback bar. So you're gonna let go design springs. Bring them back and come sitting up.

Bring your feet up against the Poles and really press the back of the heels and grab your roll back bar on the outside. And we're just going to sort of stretch the spine. So let's take a deep breath in on the exhale. Think of curling the coccsyx under and just articulate through the spine, lengthening down, rolling through, just stretching out. Good. And roll that up.

Lifting the head. Lengthen and roll it down. Yeah, and two more. I'm really think of pushing those heels against the, as you roll down and just articulate through the spine rolling down. Now I actually come up, think of starting from the top of your head. Aim the top of your head out and let that start curling up through your spine. Good. And Go ahead and breathe and you can smile and roll down. It's not brain surgery, it's just the roll down.

Yes, it makes it easier actually, and come up last time. [inaudible] then once your operates, you're going to do is bring the bar up so it's going straight up. Pull it just back a little bit. So there's a little bit of tension and we're going to have flat back back. So we're just going to hinge back and think of hinge in from the hips and go back as far as you can, maintaining that flat back and come back up.

Good. And again, hinge back. Keep pulling the bar back. So you have that. Watch out that the ribs don't pop up one last time. Good. And come back. Now what we're gonna do is we're going to reverse side twist.

So what'd you going to do is take this bar and you're going to bring it just like as if you were doing the, sought the outside of your ankle. Now from here you're going to just then release it back up and find the other side and do the same thing. So you just get used to it. Find that outside, make sure both sits bones, really stay on the mat and again, twist over. Really keep that stretch, that oppositional stretch. And one more time just to find the position. Now that we found a position, we're going to go around the world, we're going to start that. Why?

So start with the bar coming down around your ankle. Now try and keep the bar there as you roll back, as long as you can along the thigh and then straighten it out and bring it to the other thigh and brewing it up and around and come back center and reverse. Doesn't that feel good? And keep it on the thigh, euro laid back, coming up and other thigh and stretch and bring it in. And let's do that one more time. See You bring it in from there. You roll back, stir writing it out and bring it immediately over to the other side and come back and again, roll it down.

Good. Keep that and come back up and we good. I just let go of the box for a second. You're going to come up onto your knees. You going to be a little bit further away. And what we're going to do is the kneeling test expansion obviously and we're, but we're going to do it with our palms facing forward. See what on the outside of the bar is fine as you can sort of your thumb can even with these bars cause they're a little bit shorter than your thumb can even be on the outside.

So you've got the width from mayor without bending the elbows. Inhale and bring it down to your thighs. Lift the stand and lift the chest and slowly bring it back in. Make sure we don't have the little butt. Drop the Sitz bones down. Bring the pubic bone forward as you Paul and keep that there and release. So as you do the chest expansion, if you think of bringing the sits bones down and bringing your pubic bone forward. Very nice.

I'm bringing it in and it was so good. I want to make sure, let's do it one more time to make sure it wasn't an accident and brewery back, but of course it was lift the chest. Yes, hold it. Yes. And breathe it in. No, you either will stay here or you can go back a little bit further. And what we're going to do is just pull it into your chest. So you're going to change the grip so you're not on the outside and you're going to pull it in. Now how is that? Because after this we're gonna do the whole hinge back. So okay, make sure you set yourself up to where you need to be for your body.

So pull it in and where you can get the most help from the springs. Release it and again, full it in. Good and release. Now comes the fun Paul that in and now hands back. Think of dropping those sits bones down, pubic bone forward.

Go back and I do not want the release. Stay in that plank and come back up by pulling in. Now a little trick as you go back, you've hinged back beautifully. See you're back here. Pull in a little bit more before you come up and it will help.

So pull up in hinge back, keeping that long spine mal. Pull the bar into where you a little bit more before you come up. Yes, you feel that? Do it again all the way. Pull it back. You got it and you can smile. There we go. Good. Pull it in a little bit more and come back and release the bar and just sit back down on your heels. Relax. Then we're getting ready for leg springs so we can get rid of the rollback bar. We won't need it anymore.

And actually we can get rid of the arm springs as well. There you go. We're going to start with the frog. So just lie down in your back and place your feet into the center, into the straps and um, lines that you're waiting for. Your arms are totally straight, right?

So just find a nice place where the arms are totally straight, but the hands are still slightly higher than your shoulders. So you can press yourself down and anchor yourself. There you go. Start with the legs bent. DL Bone stays on the mat and just press it out to a 45 degree angle. And then when you come back in, bending the knees, make sure that the tailbone stays heavy on the mat, bring it in all the way, allow it to come home. So peress it out, pushing through the heels. And then when you come back in, bend the knees, let that just fold into the hips and press out.

So you open the hips and then it folds back into the hips. So don't think so much of bending and straightening the legs. Think more of opening and closing the hips rather than the knees. Bring it back in. No, press it out and stay there. Do not move the springs. Curl your body off the mat.

So curl and lift the hips wide, the springs moving the springs. We're not going to move. And then roll back down. You did find Cassick life and Ben [inaudible] of course she was hidden by everybody else. Um, progressive that so there is no actual proof and curl up. All roll back down. Now the trick here, now that you've tried it is not to pull on the arms, but to push, right? So the more you push into the bar, the more tension the spring will have, the more it will help you to come up, right? Tricks of the trade and bring it back in.

Now push it out. Cruel up and hold it up without moving the hips. This time you're going to make five leg circles circling one, circling to circling three and four and five. Stop. Roll down your body and then bend the knees back in and then we're going to reverse the circle.

The trick here is to think of lifting the hips as the legs go down, so press it out, push out to come up. No, we virtue circle and every time the legs go down, think of lifting the hips a little bit because otherwise they're going to go down with the legs. Keep pushing, not pulling. After the fifth one just gracefully roll down. Keep the tail but on the mat and bend the knees back in. Push it out immediately to curl up and now we're going to make little steps and you can actually let your body go up and then walk down. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight up to three, four, five, six.

Keep this hips up as you go down to the for a hover above the mat and come back up to three, four, so goes low. As you dare to go your hover above that mat, come back up one more time. Go down, down, down, down, down. Stop the beats and roll through the spine and then bend the knees back and relax the arms a little bit. Just shake them out. Ah, and then we have the beats to go. So Therese the arms, push it out. Leave the legs where they are and curl up without moving the springs without moving your body. We're going to do little beats and we go between one and two and three and four and don't Zack, those hips down and one and two and three and four and five.

Do not go higher and done two or three and close the legs all the way. Six, seven, eight stuck and roll through the spine and Benji's back. I think we're ready for the airplane. Even if you're not ready for the airplane, we're still going to do it. Holding on to the bars with your hands. Bend the knees towards your ears and lift the hips up. Press the Lixa legs up and push the hips forward.

Catch the attention of the spring. Now go straight down, not rolling down. Go flat down your land is one piece, right? So [inaudible] back in. Curl it in towards you. Lift the legs up, catch the spring. Now push yourself out and you land in one piece and Benji's back. Curl your tailbone. Lift the let's dress it up it up. President up, president up now touch and go up right away.

Bend your knees UE and look. Koresh landing. Push it out, lift up. Love, love, love left. And then journeys and neural back down. One more time. Push it out, lift up. There you go.

And roll down and relax. Good. Relax your arms for a second while she got it up. Take your feet out. We're all waiting and what you want to do, we're going to do side leg a springs, so you want to make sure I'm going to lower your springs. You guys are fine. And what we're going to do is face the camera. Of course for the first side up, what you want to do is grab the leg spring, so the lake spring is right behind you in line with your body.

For the first exercise, what we're going to do is bend the bottom leg, so the bottom legs gonna be bent at 90 now the spring will be on top and you want to stretch the other leg out in parallel in line with your body mount. In this position, before we even start, what I want you to think to help hold the balance, think of pushing the kneecap down into the mat. You feel how that helps. Now flex that foot and what you want to see is push. Make sure the leg is red underneath. This is just a prep to set it up, push the heel away and you'll feel the downside of the waist. Lift up where it actually should be and we all sort of hang out.

See even the train agrees and you really want to make sure the leg is really right underneath you. It's a misconception and a lot of us, we put our legs forward. Now let the spring pull it in and just call apps back in. Nope, not bent. Just that the spring come back in and yeah, the hip. So now push it away so you feel that length just to get the experience of it and then release it back in. Now that we've got it out there, hold it, keep it parallel. Keep the downside of your waist up. And all you're going to do in parallel is lift your leg up and down.

Do not rotate at all from the hip. It is parallel. So unless you've got a very strange body, your leg is not going to go up very high. Okay. And lift and go ahead and breathe and you can smile to the camera. You know you've got a pretty smile, so you might as well use it and lift. Good, good. And relax it down. Now keep it there. Now, especially for this next exercise, really think of the front knee pushing down.

Slide the leg back behind you. Okay. Off The mat at least 20 degrees. That's walking girls. There's no extension in your bag. Now push more through your heel, more through the heel, more, more. Yes. Now keep it there and go up and down in parallel trying to find the floor but keep pushing through the heel. See, do not collapse the downside of your waist.

You feel that good. Keep it behind you. The tendency is you want to bring it in front. Uh, if you do it right, it does stretch like Christy said. And who doesn't want a stretch? Get it back there. There we go. Is smiling and she's stretching ahead and bring it back in.

Now from here we're going to do half circles or as some people call them half Rhonda Xom. So whatever term you're used to, what you wanted to think of doing is break the leg front and keep the tension in the spring. Just bring it front and then you're going to bring it up. And then Lord, Ooh, nice pop and bring it down. Stay parallel with a little bit of rotation as you open for the circle. It's easier with a little bit of natural rotation. I'm leery of sane rotate. Cause then you get the whole ballerina thing. And I don't want that.

It's just your natural rotation. Bring it in. Good. And bring it down. Now reverse that circle, bring it back and bring it down. Only a half circle. So you go back and bring it down, back and down. Yes, just half circles. Good and relaxed. Now from there you're going to bring the legs to the obtuse angle. So bringing both legs forward. From here we're going to do bicycle.

So you're going to kick the leg front bend and stretch it long out to the back. And so we're going to go front bend, stretch it long and out the back. Yes. One more time. Front Ben, stretch it long to the back and now we're going to reverse it. So bring the legs back together and we go back bad. Stretch it to the front. Last time. Back Bend, stretch to the front last time back.

Then stretch the front, bring the legs back together. Variation on the theme with a little bit of turnout. So we're going to kick the leg front, then the leg first from there, then open the hip. And then stretch it out long to the back. Bring it front, bend it first, open that hip, and then stretch it out long to the back. Last time. Bring it front, Ben's just around Rach and brewing it out.

Bring the legs back together and reverse that. Go back bend and then open and stretch it to the front. You go back, bend the open, stretch it to the front. Go back and make sure you've been with the leg and back there. First cheater through ratchet long to the front and bring it back down and bend that leg. Take the spring out and guess what? We have another side.

Just check out your legs. Got Good God. Okay. Then for the set for the prep, Hook your leg in. Make sure your leg is 90 okay. Really think of through that heel again to help you balance more.

Really think of that front knee pushing down math. Flex that foot, push out through the heel and you'll feel the whole downside of your waist lift where it stayed. Pretty much. It's a lost it on the bicycle, but you have another side here, the child. So push through and then we lease it back in. I now push out just so you can feel this is good when you're relaxed. That's bad. Good, bad.

Now we want to keep good so hold the good and go up and down and it's in parallel. [inaudible] really keep thinking, pushing this knee. Uh Huh. If you really push that front knee down in this position, you'll feel what I'm talking about. Yeah. Thank God. Keep pushing. Good. Try harder.

I push through your heel. God last time and I leave it down there. Yeah. Push down with the knee. Bring the leg back behind you at least 20 degrees cause that's how far the body should go. A healthy body without any extension.

Now keep that push to the heel. Thank you. And now lower and lift. Good. No, most of us, unless you have really big feet, should be able to [inaudible] I have the whole foot flex then off and your toes shouldn't touch down. Yes, I met you and lower down and don't collapse. Keep pushing through your heels. No, she doesn't. She's doing really well. Sure she is. I'm bring it down and bring it up and then bring it in now. Half circles, half Rhonda Sharms so we go natural rotation up and then and half circle jazz, three times flex. They're pointed. I don't care.

I'm mark and Sarah and just keeping the natural rotation not over rotating just to loosen up the hip last time. Then we're gonna reverse it, go back, lift it up and around and burry it down. It's a weird feeling to the back when you're only doing a half. It's not very big, but that's okay. And why are we collapsing? Girl in pink, there's two of you so they don't know which one you're in. Blue. So here the clear and stretch and all that that bring both legs to the up to say angle again. I lovely model in pink.

We'll show how pushing through the heel keeps that light then and from there kick front band the bicycle stretcher long to the back and front band stretch long to the back. Oh that was interesting. And a stretch long to the back and bring it in and we're going to reverse it. You still have nine bicycles to go. Hold on Ben and stir it to the front and go back. Ben, stretch it through front.

Yes and fuck. It must be your long leg band, Suresh, big feet stretch along. I am bringing there now from here with the opening, so go front bend. We have the turnout, then open. Stretch it long to the back. We go front than stretch to the back and one more time to the front ban. Oop it and stretch. Bring the legs back together and now we're going to reverse.

We go back Ben First and then we open. You knew I would get back to you. Answer Surratt and go back. Bend, open and stretch. Last time we go back. Then stirrer too long and bring the legs back together and let's just do a little test. Do we collapse?

Maybe just a little bit and then Ben, just something to think that leg and take your leg out of that spring. Thank God they're over just on your back and shake out your legs. Then we're getting ready for the tower. So some stretchy stuff. So, um, yeah, just you might want to get rid of your spring so they don't get caught in the, not in your way with your hands and everything. Um, make sure your safety strap is on the top. Um, we're going to use on this piece of equipment, the red one, right? So one red. Yes, sure. Barry.

Um, do you have in the bottom? Oh, she, yeah, in the front there? Yeah. Oh, okay. So, um, just lie down on your back underneath the spring, underneath the pick aside, you're like, I don't know which one. I like it more on the ride. When my springs on the left, that throws me off. So make sure you're lying in the middle, um, about where the bar is by your throat. The more you're going to lie away from it, the more of a stretch you're going to create. So you can always adjust. Bring your hands together onto the bar, push the bar up, and then place one foot on either side of your hands.

There we are. Once you feed a secure, you can take your hands off and hold onto the pulse. Do more. You straighten out IV arms, the more you're going to be away from it, the more of a stretch you're going to get, right? So you can always adjust accordingly. Stretch the legs out and make sure you tailbone your coxix is heavy on the mat. Just flex your feet.

Feel that stretch and I'll soften the knees, making sure that the tailbone stays on the mat. Continue to bend the knees, but do not curl off the mat. Now to straighten the legs, think of pushing the coccsyx further down into the match, or you push down to straighten and then point the feet on the top. Flex the feedback down, soften the knees and feel that heaviness on the machine. Press the left hips down to straighten the legs. You get that nice stretch down there, then points defeat and then flex the feet.

Stay Bent, bend the knees and relax. Now keep the legs bent. Really lift the hips up and curl over so that the legs, the thighs come parallel with the floor and then straighten the legs up, bend the knees back to parallel with the floor. Push with the arms and roll down from this angle. And here we go. Let's go a little faster so that it really is a massage for the spine.

You don't want to go too slow, so straighten the legs back out. Flex the feet, stay heavy on it. When the bend the knees, curl the hip up. Go to parallel, press it up, bend it back down and keep it parallel as you push with the arms. And now push your your chest away from your Chin as you roll down.

Once you're there, stretch the legs back out. Now let's keep the leg straight this time so point the feet, curl up with the leg straight. There you are. Bend the knees without lowering the hips. Stretch the legs out again. Now push with the arms and roll the hips to the end of your mat.

Keep reaching out. Keep reaching out. Keep rolling away from the unit. Once the tailbone is down, flex the feet. Keep the tailbone heavy as you bend the knees back down. How are we doing? Press the hips down and straighten the leg. Point the feet, curl yourself up. You Go. One, cheer up. Bend the knees once.

Do not let the hips droop down and I really use the arms to push yourself away from the Poles. Push, push, push, push, push, push, push, push, push, and you get a really lovely, lovely, lovely stretch. Flex the feet and soften the knees. Now straighten the legs. This time keep the feet flexed and I with the flex feet. Curl up. Do not point your feet. Oh, that feels different. Keep pushing through those heels all the way to the top.

Once you're on the top, you can point your feet and then keep the leg straight and roll down right away. Push, flex the fee, lower the leg, push the hips down to straighten the lay. Keep the legs straight, keep the feet flexed and curl up. It gets you a little lower in your abdominals, right? And then point your feats, bend the knees lifted up and then roll yourself down.

Good. We have one more variation to go bring the rule. Let's start with the right leg in the middle of the bar and take the left leg off and just keep it straight and it just going to be on the other side of the bar. It's not really touching, but it's there, right, so don't lock it. Just be there. We go to curl up with his one leg on top of the bar, so rolled up. Do not move the bar as you bring the free leg down, trying not to move and trying to touch the mat at the same time. One always needs to goal and then come back up and come back down with that leg.

We're going to do three kicks, lower the leg and back up and one more time. Lower that leg, come back up and then reroll down. We have technical difficulties. Oh, too much low back. Yes. Yeah, change it. Just unplug it and put it back again. Always works for the computer. Air We go. Sorry. Okay.

Okay. This is roll back up. Try not to push for that free leg into the pole. Now lower the leg down. Keep that leg really active. Bring it back up. So keep the leg active on the pole. Keep pushing the pole up as the leg goes down. Right. Don't keep it in.

Keep that spring open and I'll roll down, roll down, roll down, roll down, roll that load down. Okay, that's enough of that madness. So you're going to bend your arms and push yourself through for the monkey. So, um, have your shoulder slightly off. I own, yeah, just banking these. Michael and I always used this spring setting or the body position.

Bend the knees, holding onto the Poles. That when you're here, that the bar, the heels and your sits bones are pretty much lined up. It doesn't always work. But Hey, you have to start somewhere. So now keep the elbows bent, right? So you keep your chest against your thighs. Now straighten the legs up. So the legs straightened, but not the elbows. Girls. There you go.

And now bend the knees and then roll back down. So the leg straighten. But the elbow stayed bent. So push the bar up. Stay close to the chest. Now bend the arms even more and pull your head up to the foot or two to the what is called. Push rollbar. Then soften the knees and roll back down and push up.

Pull yourself up to the push through bar. Keep pulling and are slowly. Flex your feet. Keep pulling up. Don't let the leg back signal of the vexing villa the love. Loving those knees enrolled on. We have one more chance for perfection. [inaudible] bend the elbows and touch the bar and our flex the feet and keep pushing the forehead. Oh, beautiful. Right up to it. Right up to it. Right up to it.

Soften the knees. Roll back down. Take your feet off, carefully. Slide underneath the machines or your head clears the bar. Just bend your knees into what you for a little stretch. There you go, and you're all ready to go. Thank you very much. Have you enjoyed it? Thank you.

Comments

Great class and I love the cues thank you Ton and Micheal xx
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Beautiful class again! And guess what, Michael & Ton will be in Finland in two weeks! Cannot wait!
So thrilled to take this one...can't wait to share too! Lots of gems here...from the 45 degree arm seq at start to the simple hip prep in side leg series and ending with sgl leg tower. Love love love
Wonderful class! Great hip openers, back stretches. Love the single leg series!
Linda: thank you. Glad our cues helped
Jennifer: Thank you.
Donna: we love the single leg series as well.....
love it guys! well done :)
Great Class!!! You guys are so fun!!!!
Wow! What a fun class!! Thank you!!
Really fun workout
You guys rock, love the simple but so effective hip cues and beginning arm sequence will be very useful for many clients thank you
1-10 of 13

You need to be a subscriber to post a comment.

Please Log In or Create an Account to start your free trial.

Footer Pilates Anytime Logo

Move With Us

Experience Pilates. Experience life.

Let's Begin