Reformer Workout

Hi everyone. I'm here for a reformer class today. I have a ball for some jumping and tossing. So we'll need the jump board and the ball, no other props. And let's go ahead and get started. I'm going on a two red start, pretty moderate and let's begin with a short warm up. So I want your head rest completely flat, feet near the top of the jump board.

I've got my heels up there and just go ahead and rest the ball right on the top of your knees. [inaudible] and just feel your shoulders come back toward the mat, your ribs nestled down. So this would be a fairly full body workout. Let's just take a nice deep breath in through our nose, slightly. Press in on the ball to engage your arms and your chest.

And as we exhale, I'm just going to have us do a really small pelvic tilt. So stretch and open up the lower back and inhale, exhale, come back down. Another breath in and exhale. So do you start to press in on the ball with your arms, start to feel the abdominal muscles deepen in against the lower back. And long up underneath your ribs and roll back to neutral three more. Even though I don't have the ball between the knees, I am trying to sense a little inward pressure or contraction of my inner thighs. Feel free to go about halfway up your back if you'd like to.

Inhale and exhale as we unroll. Two more and roll again. [inaudible] inhale and exhale and unroll. Let's go one more this time it's going to change just a little bit on how we unroll from the mini bridge positions. I want you to roll down the right side of your back so however much of your back is exposed. Roll down that side so you're in a little very small rotation internally.

Let's go back up that right side. I'm going to go about halfway up my back and go down the opposite side. Just want to move my body and this articulated warm up, just slightly different, getting more on the side of the spine where the fossette joints are. Let's go each side. Again, I'm on the side of my joints of my spine. That's good. One more down your left. You may feel in doing that slight rotation that your oblique muscles are waking up. So that's what I was hoping you'd feel.

I'm feeling that right through the center. And let's go ahead and unroll. All right, we'll do a slight foot war map. So I want you to go ahead and extend your carriage. Go ahead and just set the ball on your tummy for a second parallel feet and let's go ahead and just rise to a Relevate and heels down and heals up heels down about 10 times. Feel as though you're trying to really not just pop the heel up, but po, Po, I'm thinking heel up door to my sit bone all the way at the back of my leg.

So to tap into the whole lower extremity hip to foot, the ball on my tummy reminds me to drop the stomach in a little bit rather than push it out and then stay up here. I want you to just slightly bend your knees and extend kind of 10 slight little pulses, keeping your heels lifted, level pelvis, kind of starting to tune into your hip joints, your knees and your feet. Okay. And two more. Nine and 10 I usually start my jumping from straight legs. We have to bend our knees in order to jump.

So let's go ahead and have the ball right above the chest first, we're just going to bend a little spring land and stand 10 times. Then jump land and stand working those feet. You're not doing a large jumps yet. I want you to articulate the feet. Put as much thought on articulating your feet as you. You do your spine, 26 bones in each foot. Lots of articulated joints to play with and think about.

So I'm in parallel for two more. Last one, we're going to do the same thing. 10 little small jumps in Pele's v slight press in on the ball. Shoulders are back. Bend, little jump, land and stand. And that standing moment in between each jump is a recollect of the abdominals.

A chance to squeeze the heels together, inner thighs, a little bit of squeeze in your seat. I talk a lot about landing the heels in a jump. Please try to land those heels each time. Really let your joints be kind of buoyant and resilient. Couple more.

Last one. Alright, I'm going to have a step out into the top corners. I happen to be on the larger jump board, the wider porn so I can take advantage of that if you're on the narrower one, just tows in the corner. So same thing. Ple, a jump, roll and stand. Bend, push, articulate and stand. So even though here, uh, nothing fancy with the ball yet, but I am feeling the integration of my upper body with my lower body and five more working. The articulation of the feet. Easy hip joints. So these smaller jumps, a great way to get centered in the whole spine. Two more and last one. So let's go into some consecutive jumps than a heel toe. In start with the ball at the chest. We're going to toss the ball straight up.

Hopefully I won't drop it. And just the easy jump and jump and jump. 10 of these, four, five, six, seven on, two reds, eight nine. I'm going to go right into Pilati Zvi for ten two, three, four, five. Just really monitor. If your ribs are wanting to thrust up, try to keep them stable and down. One more, and then the wide V.

I can't see the board. The ball is in my way, so trusting that I know how to put my feet on the ground where that ground is. Eight, nine and 10 all right, we're going to keep jumping, but I want to do one just slight spring change. Bring it down to red, blue instead of two reds, a little lighter and right about now I'm going to adjust my head rest, so I want to put that up first and support as I continue doing larger jumps. I want my neck more supportive. All right, so let's go into against straight legs. Hold the ball. We're going to do this same series of jumps. Toss a ball a little more.

Jump a little higher. Here we go. One. So get more into your legs. That's lighter. Spring. Get a little more energy. He use your legs and your feet more. Seven, eight, nine. Keep going. [inaudible] v one and three. Five, six, seven, eight, nine. Why'd we for 10 but then we're going to keep jumping. Okay. Three and four five, six, seven, eight, nine. And keep jumping. Just hold the ball and just jump into parallel and turnout. So what I'm going to do here in a moment is some scissor legs and just holding the ball up to the legs.

So I'm going to go into one foot in the air and scissor and ball up to the shin. Keep bringing the shoulders back, light. Press into the ball with the arms and the chest. So in this single spring for single leg jumps, excuse me, really work on the pushing off foot. It gets its own chance. Now, 10 more jumps. One, two, three, four. Settle the shoulders. Five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 and jumping. I'm going to pull the knees in toward my chest wall a little more over my shins.

Here we go in, in, in, in four 10. Whoa. Excuse me for making all that sound. Seven eight. Keep going. We're going to do knees toward one shoulder ball and opposition for some obliques. Six, seven, eight, nine. Other side for ten one, two, three and four. Then we'll alternate it guys and six when we pull those knees up.

Eight. Let's do 10 alternating over the top, over the top three, four and five and six and seven. We have a more 80 side to four, five, six, seven and last one. And take a little breather. Okay. Come on up. Move the ball off to the side for a moment. We're gonna do some sideline jumping. I think I'm going to just keep the ball tucked in here. So come on to your side and I want you to, I'm on a blue now, everybody, sorry.

We're going to use yourself straight. Legs. Bend the bottom knee, bend the bottom arm. Start jumping in parallel so it's a lot lighter. Little less, uh, intense in the legs. A little more thought on your extension of your spine, the support around your obliques and your back. One more parallel. Let's do easy 10 in turnouts.

You can absolutely try this heavier spring. However, I wanted it light because we're about to do a little kick with this leg. I need some air time. So two more. Eight nine 10 are three more and nine I'm going to keep jumping in turnout and then kick the leg up and land up. Let's do this 10 times three. Hopefully you won't hit the top of your reformer here and fi try to keep the bottom leg back. You may want to start creeping forward, but try to keep your bottom hip extended. We have nine and 10 we're going to go back to just parallel and kick the leg forward with the little bend to kick and then kick the sand can help you on the shoulder rest.

[inaudible] trying to land that foot as parallel as possible without dropping the knee last too. I may win the award today for knocking the reformer. Okay, let's do the other side. Some schools and people make you pay lots of money for making sound. Suppose I have to pay myself quite a bit for knocking. Okay, so parallel bottom like Benz, bottom arm Benz 10 in parallel, one get organized and your alignment on your side. Feel the abdominals, the Supine, the back. Oh, nicely lined and working together. My bottom leg is working. My hamstrings contracted. My glutes are slightly active.

Last you plain jumps. Turn it out for 10 try to keep turning that file. Open knee toward the ceiling. Three bottom waistline isn't resting. You're lifted five energy in the leg. Eight, nine let's go for the the kick or the bottom. Ah, here we go for 10 so it comes up and down up and make sure you get that Jim. Part three.

Got To get the leg down pretty quick to land on the foot. Five, six, seven, eight, nine and then land. Go back to a parallel jump couple times and then we do the kick for what? I'm going to kick the me the window here guys. One kick it to bend the knee first and kick four push from your hit your rear end here, jumped from your glutes. Seven, eight, nine and last one and land. Okay, so let's come on.

I'm sweating and in way rolling back around for some arm work on our side, staying with the blue, organize yourself a little similar here, bottom leg back. In fact, I'm going to just step out, extend that bottom leg, top leg. Then can just rest here. Take your strap palm facing out toward the jump board. Arms straight up, and get yourself organized so long through your spine, out your tail. You're not tucking your hips. And we're gonna press the arm towards the leg.

And so working as single arm lat press, add duction VR three and four, four more. Here it's Kinda nice to work a single arm and seven and hold here. Now turn your poem to keep it facing the jump board. I'm reaching my fingertips towards you. Now I'm going to press my arm, my hand, toward my thighs for eight, seven. Feel free to scoot your legs forward. It seems a little more comfortable that way. Five working in your lap, your tricep, your rear shoulder.

Seven and eight. Let's bring it in and we're gonna make a little circle. So I'm going to go toward you again just in line with my shoulder up toward the ceiling without moving the carriage and down for this direction. For runt up presses, important to not have that arm go behind your shoulder so I can still see it in the peripheral of my eyes. They're safer range for the shoulder. If it goes behind you, a little out of range, reverse and press great. Would it activate the abdominals? And I'll be doing one more pattern line on this side and that's gonna be an external rotation. So I want to Tuck my arm, my elbow closer in toward me and rotate my forearm.

Lift down, lift and down for eight repetitions. Three carriage moves a little bit, four and collarbone stays open. Hopefully the shoulder does it. Roll in seven last one, eight and rest. Okay, let's do those face in the other direction. So transition quietly. Hi My head rest all the way down and lying on that bottom arm. It feels okay.

Feel free to lift that head rest if you'd like. Get a sense of alignment as you set yourself up quietly. Here we go. All right, so arm is off palm facing the jump board. Both last are engaged but primarily left. Here we go, single arm one and to three four making sure you start the movement deep in the upper arm. The upper back on the side hand is nice and relaxed. Seven staying down on eighth the Arms gonna sweep forward. Paul, ms still thesis the feet and the jump board and you're pressing towards your thigh. So if I was supine would just be supine.

Arm pull, three, four. I'm feeling the heat in those shoulders. Six, seven right alongside the body. Eight. Let's come forward and start the circle of forward and up. Press it into the leg, moving it forward as it are except carriage stays still. When the arm presses in, here's three and press and four other way straight up toward the floor, n n and up toward the wall and n and three and in last one in and now the external rotation. So elbow tucks in.

I'm thinking of my palm coming down toward by thighs and back. So I'm kind of backhanding you guys to theory. Keeping an open collarbone for hi, six work in the rear, shoulder rotator cuff and eight and arrest. Okay. Little more arm work and we're going to sit facing the back of the reformer. You can either come onto a red or blue than a stay with my blue today and just have an easy sitting position nice and tall and let's thread our elbows through the loops and to start with your hands in a little bit of a prayer position here. Okay.

And for just a moment, let your shoulder blades get moved forward, almost like the ropes are pulling you forward and I want you to really just simply to adjust your shoulder blades and slide them back. You can crack the wall nut a little bit and then let the shoulder blades glide forward. So it's just some scapular glide more rotator cuff work. I'm trying not to let my forearms and hands move too much. It's a fairly small movement on purpose. You stabilized so much but it's really nice to let them move now and again as well. So I'm going to do four circles, shoulders up, back down and forward and up, back, down and forward and three and for, I'm going to reverse it down, back up and forward, down, back, up and forward.

Really focusing and around the shoulder blade and around the shoulder blade. Okay, a little awkward, but Chai bicep curls scoot back. They're right on the edge. Arms up in line with the shoulders. You May, depending on the length of your straps, have loose straps. Nice and Taut on my free form or once again, bring the shoulder blades on the back and let's do eight bicep curls. Somewhat easy.

It's all right. The work on lifting your spine taller, you empowered and how easy it is to sit or that is work for you to sit. One more. I'm going to move easily into just a tricep presses. One triceps and lats again and two. This is going to come in handy in a minute. This little arm press for more five, six and seven. It's been an alternate bicep tricep just for patterns.

So we're going up for biceps one and triceps one and two. You've been at moving three, lifting your back tall. Last one and four. All right, so I'm going to stand up on the reformer. I need my head rest up so it doesn't bang. Keeping on the blue spring.

I once you pretty light everybody and stand up please. Your hands on the edge of the jump board. Relevance and route so quickly, heels together, scoop. Now it's really light. So be very mindful that to over push but feel like you're pressing your hamstrings back toward the back of the reformer and then pulling your toes forward, hamstrings, back, toes forward. So on the lighter tension, there's a little more demand on how the control is happening here I'm going to take four more. I'm using control is how I should say that. Seven and heat.

So I'm going to repeat that but with my feet crossed, one foot in front of the other, pretty close with my high inner thigh. And let's just go back and forth. Same thing but whatever. Like is your back leg focused on that hamstring more than the other one? Okay, and just focus on the back leg. Hamstring four more. Three, two and one.

Now what I want to do is have this mover pelvis a little bit in a swivel like fashion as you're pushing. So I'm gonna Swivel my back hip back to push the carriage. Take that back hip and pull it forward. So it's on my body right now, right hip, back, right hip forward eight times, right hit back. You should be feeling deep in your lower obliques. [inaudible] I'm trying not to have my upper body shift off the alignment of my arms. So in other words, my upper body shouldn't be traveling back much at all.

Seven [inaudible], [inaudible] and eight. Okay. We are going to widdle our waste [inaudible] away with these things. So change feet, left foot behind, right foot in front. Eight plain ones. Focus here to push. Here we go for eight one have a little more weight on that foot if you want to know my truth here.

Just a slight bit more weight on my back foot. Five pulling the stomach up away from the floor. Seven carry on with the rotation that back hip swivels back, back. Hip swivels. Swivels back. Swivels. Front and back and front and back. I some good rhythm in your low back and your sacred, healthy for the sci joint.

Last time here and in. Okay, let's come down on our knees so we're not done jumping. I'm going to have us jump from our hands for a bit, but what I want you to do first guys, kneel down. You can have your knees separated. You want to get fairly low and start some jump. Okay?

Now I happen to want to see where my, where I'm going. So I am looking right at those springs. I don't want you to look up, okay? Look down. If you're going to look somewhere, don't close your eyes. Okay? Now let's add lifting the chest arms. Just press back.

There is that kind of simulated tricep press. You've got to get your chest down pretty quick to land your hands, press okay, okay. Push with those arms. Push your body weight back. You can stay like that. Or I'm gonna come all the way up on my knees for a little added balance. Work Up. You got to land. This is a lot more. Um, reaction time. Squeeze your glutes up there. Really push your hips forward.

Press your arms back. Great for the back of the body. Let's go eight more guys, we're kind of nearing the end after this jump. We're gonna do a little Cleopatra. Wow. For more press press we can think. Choi McCardy for this one, I got this from Troy. I cannot take credit for that. Thank you Troy.

Hope you're watching. Okay. Cleopatra, stack your knees, the stretch a little bit and on the jumper other hand on your fingertips in turn profile. So I'm going to push away from the jumper but what I want to do is actually try to tip my pelvis a little more on its side like that. Depo bleak work. Press away and in this going to try to really exaggerate the stretch along this inside edge of your body. No one would come up. Lift that side lift.

You might even feel increased. Side bend on your other side. Most likely three of these. Ah, and the counter stretch. Place your hand on this shoulder rest, lift your arm higher. Bice, a bite year and the side bend without compression. Lengthen linkedin and linkedin. All right, the other side.

And then one final yummy back stretch and back exercise. Knees and ankles are stacked, hand is down, shoulders are in place. Profile. So try to lift this hip up towards your ribs. Get onto the left or insight hip and exaggerate the length you're putting on that side and lifted even more to bring your carriage home, hip open. It's to rush into that shape and last one and lift and place your hand center by set by year and a long, long sight that. All right.

Get your ball one more time if you'd like to. I'm going to just rule it out. I'm going to lie on my back and just cool down with an easy back bend. Open up my hip joints. Let my back just arc over and reach. I'm going to do like three arm circles each direction. Join me if you'd like to and open, open up that chest. So we did a nice full body workout, kind of the larger muscles here today. Well, let me know how it goes.

I'm always interested to hear what you have to say. Ah, probably best to finish guys sitting on the floor. I'm just going to squat right down. Pick your head up and then [inaudible]. Okay. See you next time. Thank you.