Active Aging Reformer

Hi, everyone. It's Amy for another reformer class, and this class is, very appropriate for active aging population. As you know, I like to teach to that demographic. It's good for anyone though. There won't be any flexion. There's a lot of decompression.

Pretty hip specific, arm specific, spine elongation as always, and some standing balance. So come on along. You are gonna need a few things for this class. I have a weighted dowel, but you don't need a weighted dowel. Use just a regular stick or towel if you have that. A set of hand weights and I'd like you to go up on the heavier side. So I'm using five pounds today.

If you don't wanna use five for a specific reason, you can always go lighter but I wanted to build in a little bit more strength component with the hand weights so that's what that's for and a gondola poll for some balance work. Okay? So come on along. We're gonna set up a reformer on I have got a blue here on the balance body, but just on one spring. For your your home reformer or your other reformer. And so let's step inside the frame of the reformer and we'll walk up. I want you to grab the shoulder rests We're gonna start off with a really lovely decompression and stretch here. So not the normal footwork, we'll get there.

Spine Decompression

But I want you to right away kind of liberate yourself to get stretched. Let the reformer help stretch you. To spend some moments, start some lateral posterior breathing. You're creating a lot of space between your pelvis and your pal, rib cage right there. If you wanna send some weight into your heels, more than your toes, you can do that. I'd like you to think about not overflaring the rib cage in front, although it is gonna feel a little open. Okay. Resist the urge to tuck your tailbone.

Now, I'm feeling like it's allowing me to move more so you can kinda come along if you want. I'm going lower now. I'm trying to zip up my abdominals. And then feel the focus in your back muscles. Okay? So there we are. Now I'm gonna change my hand position right now.

They're right up on top. I'm just doing this flight change. Hands around the corners. Thumb up on top so that's put our upper arm in external rotation. That's a better environment to do some scapular work.

Alright. So let's begin with the shoulders in elevation and the upward rotation. My arms are straight. I'm letting the spring drag my arms forward. Then just to contrast that, let's do the scapula movement where we're gliding them down depression and retraction. We're just gonna go back and forth between those two.

Scapular Glide

Scapula down and back. Scapula up. Scapula down and back. Okay. Now we're ready to bend the elbows. So I want you to feel like you get that really good sense of reach out.

Scapular Glide w/ Carriage Pull

Scapula, elbows, elbows, scapula. So tapping right into that mid upper back. Keep reaching your hips back through those risers two more times. Scapula, elbows, elbows, scapula one more. Alright. Now I'm gonna put my hands back up on top. Let it myself kind of just drag get dragged forward. Okay. And just stretch. Now, peek up.

Tricep Pull

Pull and release. This time without letting the scapula go up. Oops. See. Okay. Ready. Let's go again and pull this time. Hold and release. Okay guys. Let yourself walk toward the reformer.

Once it's nice and secure, let's get a little weight bearing on the wrist. So this is a nice environment. It's a little bit squishy on the front side. So I've got actually got the heel of my hand more around the back edge of the shoulder pad. Pretty nice and just set yourself there shoulders over wrists so get your alignment.

Footwork Toes in Front Support

We're gonna get ready for some footwork. So begin to lower your heels. However far they go, some of you're gonna be able to get them down right away. Some of you won't fine and then rise back up so let's just feel a little bit of the weight shift. You can inhale heels down exhale heels up.

So when the heels go back, there's a little less weight on the wrists. Heels rise. There's much more rate on the rest on purpose. Two more. And lift. This last one, I want you to go down.

Lift again and then just go a little higher so that you're creasing and flexing at those metatarsals maybe rocking a little bit. Make sure to pick up those abdominals, put them inside. There we go and then shift your hips back. You can kind of think this is a downward dog stretch if you like that queuing from the yoga world. This is just a nice stretch for the back of the legs. My head is now right between my arms.

I'm just gonna do one more reach of my sits bones back toward the risers. And then to come up guys, bend your knees, put your hands on the frame of the reformer. I'm trying to do this out without any real big flexion in the spine as you know as I introduce class with. Okay? We're gonna move on to footwork now. Alright. So what I want to talk about with footwork just really quickly, not the high bar. Set it down a little bit lower and I want that lower because we're gonna go heavier weight.

Heels

Let's put it in our hands and it's gonna go underneath you guys like this and I want you really, really concentrate and discipline yourself. I've done this before. Wrap your whole hand on that bar. Get your arms close to your body. And and embrace the bar. Okay? Now with the we'll start heels parallel.

But what's happening here because the dowel is right there by the back of my pelvis. The low bar is Havens it make me feel that It's okay. I want you to try to resist curling your tail away from the dowel. Okay. It's a little weird because it's right there on your skin but sit toward it. Extend yourself toward it. It's much better for your spine and your sacrum anyway.

Okay? So then here we go. Lastly, I promise, open up your collarbone, grab that bar and imagine that you're trying to pull it apart. And I didn't want you to use the thera band. I want you to have something solid. Here we go. We're pressing out. And use the back of those legs to press down against that dowel. We'll do 10 of them. Here's the second one.

So the dowels there for feedback. Use your hipic sensors to press down against the bar. And five. Six. I'm gonna exhale today on my press 8. 91 more time and 10. So let's come on in balls of feet parallel, take a peek, make sure you're nice and square.

Toes Parallel

Okay? And your thumb, if you like the thumb out, you can do that. Here's the ninth one. And the tenth one. So posture, posture, posture, right? With the stick. Pilates v, let's go balls of feet and then we'll also do a set from heel.

Toes

Take a quick beak. Make sure you're right in the center. The heels are together in line with your Havens and press. To every now and then, pinky finger up on the dowel, upper arm bones rolled back. It'll be elongated and strong. Seven and eight.

Heels External Rotation

Heels Wide Second

Okay. It's kinda nice to do every now and again that wide. Pinky finger of the hand. Up our arm bone rolled back and gets just ripping down those shoulder blocks. Five more and press and press. We want strong legs. We want strong hip strong hip extensors.

Turning out like this why you might feel a little different source deep deep deep underneath where that femur and hip socket live together. Okay. Amy thing in the toes up position. Make sure your heels aren't too beveled like mine are. You're gonna want the more turnout from your hips. Here we go for 10.

Toes Wide Second

Lower Lift

Here's your fifth and in. Remember, we wanna build strength. Here's four. Strength endurance, three and four all the way in next for three and rise. Rise get along in your body. Last two, Keep with it if you're burning up down there.

It's good for you. We have one more and then yes we're gonna take a little walk stride. Go right back out. Let's just do 20 changes. Brisk two, three. Make sure you're not hula or salsa in your hips.

Running

Heel - Single Leg w/ Weighted Arm Press

So again, I've got five today. They look like Fred Flint's tone hand weights. They're big. Okay. One heel on. It's your preference.

The other leg up in a nice clean tabletop and I do want you to dorsey flex the foot today. Just start pushing. Just start pushing. I'm gonna have you add lifting both arms up at the same time and bringing them down. Now, so part of what's going on to with the weights because they're heavier is one might want to lead versus the other one to try to keep them moving at the same rate. Okay? The same speed, the same speed. Amy now.

Last two just basic lifts with your leg presses. There's 10 on that side. Just a quick change. 10 here and we go in one. So all that work we did to open the collarbone and chest using your back for support to open that up, use that here. You don't want to lift the weight and curl your collarbone forward.

Remember, we're building better posture as well. So keep your your spine long. Three, two, and one. So we're gonna come back to the first foot You can go ball the foot or heel. It's your choice. I'm gonna go ball.

Toe - Single Leg w/ Bicep Curl

There's nine and ten just a quick change and 10 more. Two. We're gonna keep your hips even and square. And right now the bicep curl style I have is fairly traditional palm toward the shoulder. Seven eight. This is three red springs and 10 extra pounds in my arms.

It feels pretty darn good. Okay. Come back to the first side turned out excuse me with both feet on the bar. Now I'm gonna take my the bicep curl in a little different style. Okay. So it turned out legs to start with then lift one leg up. You've seen me do that before. If that feels whack, you can also just go to parallel.

Toe - Single Leg External Rotation w/ Hammer Curl

It's right around the back of that booty and the hip. So the curving arms are kind of messaging that. That's the angle. I want the muscle fibers to curve that way underneath my tush. Seven I'm externally rotating those upper arms, nine and ten. Other side for 10, just place the foot, check that you're right in the middle, lift the other one up.

Here we go and 10. And nine. Upper back nicely engaged, feeling those shoulder blade tips down your back. The collarbone really open. Nice open lung and heart zone. Seven eight nine and ten. Okay. We're still on three red springs.

Just put your weights here for just a second, put a heel on Now let's add a little bit of opposition. So I'm gonna take you out, push one leg out to the other leg up, flex that foot. Now raise the weight that's opposite of the leg lifted. Okay? Now this is some coordination. It's good for everybody, aging or not. This leg will lower straight down to the over the foot bar.

Heel - Single Leg w/ Arm and Leg Opposition

Get the leg lifted. Get this arm lifted. Alright and here we go. Open and up. Open and up.

Open and up, and open and up. I'm not really giving my coordination as well on this side. Did you see that Havens? My leg didn't want to go down as low and 10 and down, bend your limbs and come in. Okay. Oh well. Gotta practice it. So come on up. We're gonna be done with those.

Whole Foot

It's a great shoulder stretch and tricep stretch for this underneath arm. And we need our triceps to be flexible in and long to help the shoulder move in the the arm move well. K. Tuck this one in here. You're gonna take this foot on. You have to see your heel in line with this sit bone, what I'm not is toes to the front of the bar. Okay?

We've done that before, but this is different. So this gives you a chance to really pause here for a minute. Push this heel into the foot bar and really feel your effort of extending the hip opening this line. It might even feel like you're getting some abdominal stretch through here. Okay? So then just take a moment and reach this arm over your leg. Then just enjoy.

In fact, we'll take this arm overhead and feel like we can get this side of our body even longer as well. And then bring this down. Okay? So for now just keep it here, we're going into ankle flexion. Now, don't lift that heel. Really try not to take your heel off the bar yet. There's gonna be another exercise where you do get the heel lifted but stay right there for a minute and drive your heel into the bar. You're gonna feel it here and use that to extend. Okay. And the other thing we wanna monitor is that the ankle isn't the eviating getting naughty and going in that like that.

So right in the center of your ankle. And press your hip should be nicely stacked, a sense of lee elongation that axial length that we always talk about for and three. Palms up here. Two and one. Now when you push out hold this time, stay with a strong hip extension and raise your heel a little. Some of this can go a lot and that's not what we're after actually in this exercise. Think about two inches.

Toe Parallel w/ Heel Lifted 1 Inch

Thaya stays parallel to the floor. Two more. Okay. We're gonna stay up at the top. There's one more sequence. So now from the femur through the knee shin ankle foot, we're gonna externally rotate. Okay.

Toe External Rotation

And three and two and one you get the whole drill. Last time you guys were gonna take it and hold it hold it Let's go back for that stretch again. Can you clasp both hands? Can you stretch? Get as long in both sides of your waist as you can. Good and release.

Okay. And let's take it to the other side. So roll it on around lying down. Got your arm long. Palma's face up. I can't see you all. You can see me a little bit maybe or not.

Whole Foot

You have to pretty well gauge on your own if you can't see anything. A strong long leg. You may wanna feel like you're pulling that up into your body more than pushing it out of your body because that actually can unravel your pelvis. Okay. So we're going into bending straighten of the hip and the knee Alright. Before we go, I'm gonna take my arm over.

I did do that extra stretch. I know on the first side because I remember feeling so good. Okay. Now we're ready. We'll pick it up. Eight more This first round heel has to stay down.

So that's the amount of dorsi flexion you have in this exercise. You can always increase it. But don't cheat it. Okay. Keep that heel down and really push. You focus on the hip extensors again.

Deep. They're super important. Last two and then we will lift the heel. Which is here now. Again, as you lift, not the highest lift, you can. Try to stabilize what you just felt and continue bend and stretch and bend and stretch.

Toe Parallel w/ Heel Lifted 1 Inch

Toe External Rotation

Here's nine and ten. We're gonna hold it. One yummy stretch one more time, see if you can get your hands and clasp together stretch. Push your foot against the bar and then come all the way in. Okay, guys. We're gonna go back to the first side lying on our side, but we need and the head rest up for this one and one blue spring only. So take off those two reds, so just get your blue. So we're doing some.

Bend and Stretch

The the first little sequence guys just put your head down and lengthen this arm and just feel that. Okay? Now I'm gonna take this arm and reach it in front of me just right in front of my shoulder straight. Palma's facing the foot bar. Okay. Now, bend your elbow and straighten your elbow. See if you can do this movement without moving the carriage, but do keep the collarbone expanded. Just about five of them.

It's an interesting exploration and some core connection. Like obliques and abs. Keeping your body steady. Carriage pretty steady. Okay. And then elbow ends.

We're gonna go five elbow extensions here. Just one and two three four five. Magic. Play with the thought every time you pull the strap, you stretch yours fighting longer. And last time you're gonna keep the arm now long but we're gonna change it so palm face down again and then arm up so toward the ceiling and then arm to hip, lat tricep.

Tricep Press

Up and Down

Arm Circle

But to get out of it bend the elbow that's gonna go right up on the post. You can see it, put it there and then up. Around we go to the other side. Wee and down. So thread your arm through. Bend the elbow, make your pillow so your head isn't hanging and then you can put your hand on the post if that makes sense.

Bend and Stretch

Holding integrity of your posture across your chest and your upper back work. Two more. And of course, recognize that both sides are different the way it feels in your body that should Okay. Now we did five elbow extensions. So here we go. Triceps like Amy.

Tricep Press

Up and Down

Arm Circle

Let's put the strap on the post. We're gonna keep the blue spring. Come on up guys. I have one kneeling exercise not always the best to be up on our knees for very long. So this we won't be, but I want you to come into a semi kneeling position, not high, not all the way down. Halfway. Okay. And what that gives us is an opportunity to create that diagonal line from head to tail.

Semi Kneeling Tricep Press

Alright. So holding good. You held it. You held it with me. You're nice and long time. So can the neck elongate? Yes it can. You have to effort reaching your neck longer away from your shoulders.

Keep that. Let's go for 10 more movements of those elbows so good to keep the back of the upper arm strong, the back of the shoulder strong. Five more times and one. And to make sure to keep those stomach muscles in three and four and five. Okay. Excellent. That's all. That's all we didn't need to do kneeling on our knees so everybody just put those straps down round your, don't round you back. Okay.

Front Support Knee Raises

Find your front support position shoulders over wrists. Now let's get a little more concept here on the weight bearing that we're not locking those elbows out. Okay? Amy elbows have just spun right toward the front shoulder foot rest, foot bar. Angle them in a little bit. I'm actually thinking more about pulling the re the shoulder blocks off the reformer to keep more connection into the stability of the scapula and the upper body.

Okay. Where to focus? Look right at the footbar with your eyes. Stand strong on your arms and your feet. Okay. I'm gonna take my outside leg, the one that's closest to you up first. You can really see as I bring my knee toward my chest. Right? Not to move the pelvis side to side. It can curl under.

And you can add a little lumbar flexion. If you need to, pull your stomach deeply in and as you stretch the leg back, hopefully your hips don't go side to side. Other one slowly. Stare at that foot bar. Your standing leg is very strong.

It's not gonna turn out. You're gonna keep it parallel. Let's breathe in and 10 times. And in. And in. Seven standing long standing leg, very strong and nine and ten. Okay. Rest off your wrist for a minute.

You all know by watching this, it's hard for us teachers to I can do this at the same time. Okay. We're gonna come back to that front support position one more time. But instead of leg in, take your leg. I'm gonna take the outside leg. Just pull it a little bit and stretch it back through where the shoulder rests are or the risers.

Front Support Hip Extension

Hold integrity of your position and then in. Now I'm gonna try to take my leg a little higher because I want my hip extensors to really actually do some more work. They'll pick up my leg. You will feel your back muscles. It's part of you. It's okay.

They're supposed to work. Right. Lift. One more. So it's a stretch. Engage to pick it up stretch, engage, and that's enough. Okay.

Step off that. Shake your wrists. It's good for you though to bear some weight. Now We're on a blue, yeah, some standing balance, some hamstring work, and some ankle flexion stuff. Okay? I'm gonna grab the dowel, the gondola pole, I'd suggest you all grab yours too. I'm gonna put it in the same hand as foot that goes up.

Standing Hamstring Pulls

And however far you pull the carriage towards you is how far you pull it in. But I've got my other hand pulling down on the dowel like I could stab it through the dirt to allow me to go taller up and that this arm maybe feels good to the side. Pull and pull. My kneecap goes straight up. I'm gonna add a little coordination so you could keep going with that or as you bend this the working knee we're gonna make this also a working knee and bend it and straighten it. I need a hot backward and bend it and straighten it.

Standing Hamstring Pulls w/ Plie

What I'd like to try, Havens try is Relevate this foot as we bend the knee and pull this one in. Let's see what shows up. I think we can do it. This is gonna help push this down. Here we go. Let's try five of them.

Standing Hamstring Pulls w/ Releve

Look some place else in the room. Turn and look. It's gonna be fun. Turn and look. Let me turn and look at the ocean. What's it doing now? Center, that's enough lower your heel release the carriage.

We did it. Alright. Other side. So switch hands. That leg is the working leg because it's gonna bend and straighten. Standing legs also your working leg because you're using it to balance a pawn.

Standing Hamstring Pulls

That's including everybody. We're all aging and we're all active. Seven and eight, nine and ten. Okay. Second layer, if you want to, we added a bend of the street, standing Amy, bend and stretch our mouths. Bend.

Standing Hamstring Pulls w/ Plie

Alright. So earlier we did that little releve fit on the foot bar for this reason. Ben then working me on the on the shoulder block, raise up to a releve rise up. And lower with control. Exhale your way. Push down on the stick.

Standing Hamstring Pulls w/ Releve

Okay. Turn and look someplace other than front. You've got it. One more vision change. And then lower your heel and rest. Okay. We did it. Awesome. I'm gonna turn towards you guys and keep using your dowel. Lower your head rest.

Single Leg Releve in External Rotation

So here you are. This leg is straight underneath your hip. You may or may not eat the towel but may as well start with it and all I want us to begin with is pressing this foot down to lift the heel. Okay. We'll take this arm out. Feels kinda nice gesture.

Okay. And that's all it is. We're not moving the carriage. It's a challenge for your balance. This foot could be pushing and the heel could be pushing down. As you rise this one, you can get fancy with your dowel.

Some of you're gonna wanna use it for arm work if you want. Okay? I'm gonna keep going with my eyes closed. That's my challenge right now. That's why I wanna keep holding the stick. Five more.

Really nice for your sense of where are you over your standing leg in your body. Last one I'm gonna hold it. I'm gonna open. I did pretty good. I started veering a little bit not bad and then down. Okay that's all.

Other side. Turn around Put up. Relatively natural turnout. I've backed myself up against the frame. There we are. Dow is at my ready. I'm using it. Push this foot down, rise up the other heel or lift up the other heel.

Okay. You can't tell if I'm cheating though. My eyes are open or closed. They're still open because we did a set with eyes open. I really feel the push off strength of your ankle down there and your foot. Okay. I'm gonna close my eyes here.

I'm now closed. Still doing the work. You can trust your teacher. I'm challenging myself. I'm pulling my heel down.

I'm lifting it up. Going for four more. Three, two, whew. Last one. How'd I do? Pretty good. I didn't move as much as the first side.

Pretty good. Okay. Keep playing with that stuff. It's really fun and add different challenges in that when you feel ready and when you feel like your clients ready to start moving a little bit or move this with your heels. You guys will get creative and it's all for a purpose of challenging that standing balance. Okay? I'm not quite with that.

Side Splits

Makes a difference. Okay. So here we are. Foot real close to the edges and I want you to slide your carriage out and then once you're there, hold it. Hold it. Don't go anywhere. We're used to moving in and out.

Just hold. So you have that moment to isolate right in there in the side of your pelvis as the stabilizers, right? And then bring it back in just five times. We are gonna hold with each one hold. I'm feeling like I'm pushing this heel out that way, that heel out that way, and then in. All this is organized three more times. Press and hold and hold and hold. Suddenly it feels right to do this with my arms and hold and hold and hold and one more with two straight legs, press and hold and hold and hold.

If you wanna keep holding you can you can keep working that pattern or bend both knees. This is gonna go out here now. All your weight I want you to put on this leg. 9595% of it. Okay. And then isolate this carriage leg right from that hip, that lateral strength again. Stand tall, shoulders stay over hips, Four, five. You can keep going if you want. However, I'm gonna move the dowel to this hand, bend both knees still.

Speed Skater

All that good dorsey flexion we did. Prepares us for things like this. There's four and five. Okay. Staying both legs.

Side Splits

Concentrate again that connection right in the side of your hips and that both heels are pressing out and you'll really it's it's just so instant right into the pelvis right there. Okay? And then carry on. We'll press for out and hold it for three, two, one, and in. And we're not tucking our tail. One, two, three. Twice again. One, two three and one two and three. Next set down on the outside, bend both knees.

Speed Skater

Last round of this exercise is move the stick now. This leg stays bent. You stabilize it and you push from the platform side, come back to it and push off of it. Right again, trunk stays over the pelvis, ribs over hips. Four, Good one last time and then we're last exercise that we're gonna do guess what? We gotta go back into that well area for a quad stretch Step in again.

Quad Stretch

I'm gonna take these two hip bones I'm gonna bring them up and into Amy. That does it. And then engaging up posterior hip again to press the femur forward. Let's try this. If you're ready for it, and just hold and hold should feel pretty good and hold. Yeah.

Okay. Other leg everybody then you're almost done. Let's tuck those toes You can start off in your normal. That's fine but then let's change at hips up, hips back in, puts in a little more posterior tilt. If this bothers your knee, abort, you don't need to do the exercise, find the other way to stretch your quad. And then just be.

Take a few breaths. Alright. One more together. Alright. We did it come off your carrot. Thanks everybody.

Let me know what you think. Keep building your bones. Keep building your bones. Strong bodies. See you later.