20-Min Full-Body Reformer

Hello, everyone. Tracy Malley here. Got a great little class lined up for you today. We're gonna start on the reformer, of course. We're gonna do a little warm up, but our warm up is going to be leg work. Yes.

Because this is the larger most groups that's gonna get our body nice and warm, get that oxygenated blood going around the total body. So for our first set up, we're gonna have two red springs here. We're also gonna be needing a ball for some of the next exercises. So I have a ball handy ready. And the headrest for right now can actually be slightly lifted here even though We won't be using it very much, but we're going to roll down and just place the heels on top of the bar here. And just to start with, we're going to reach the fingertips towards the bar. As we open up through the shoulders here.

We're gonna take a deep breath in. On the exhale, we're gonna go into a lovely pelvic tilt. It's almost like your sit bones are going right underneath you and moving towards your heels so you've got that heel and sit bone connection there because we're gonna be working a lot of the leg work, a lot of hamstrings, and also of course your core here, your abs. So think of reaching your fingertips towards your heels on the exhale, your pelvis is that wheel and the wheel is turning. To really connect, to those lower abs, pubic bone to belly button has the sit bones roll underneath you. We're gonna be needing that a lot, especially when we up in our stomach massage today.

That feeling right here, can you feel that lower abs? Remember that because you're gonna be needing it in your stomach massage one more time. Breathe. And then come back to a neutral position. We're gonna start on your toes here. We're gonna exhale push away.

Just start to push away, get into a little bit of a rhythm here. It's very light because we're gonna be going into single leg. So let's do about a few more here just to get ready. Now think of your quad join away from your kneecap super important, tailbone anchor down, somewhat in a neutral position for you. Let's just do one more. Now we're gonna reach the right leg up straight up to the sky and lower it down towards the bar. We kick the leg up, we flex both feet, we point, we bring it down.

We lift, we flex, we point, bring it down. I'm going to ask you to do two more of those. Now, one more. Now from here, we're gonna lift up your head neck and shoulders and start to incorporate the upper bodies or clasp your hands. We go up, flex, pointing down. Now you can see why I was on those two red springs, because now it feels a little heavier, doesn't it? Cause we're going to incorporate the abs here in that nice little flexion.

Let's do four more here. So we go four flex point bring it down and a three flex point bring it down two more and up and flex point last time hold the flex position point the toes. We circle, bring it down, lift it up. We go circle. Bring it down, lift it up.

We go circle. One more time. Keep that pelvis as still as you can. Reverse. We go in, lift, down, bring it up. We go around, lift, down bring it up. Two more try maintaining that stability in your pelvis.

It's nice and quiet, da, da, da, da, bring it up. Now we add rotation with the opposite arm. We're reaching in that rotation towards the corner of your reformer. One, reach, breathe one, exhale. In our exhale. Can you give me one more?

Hold it here. Imagine someone's pulling your hand in that rotation. Hold it for four, for three, for two, and for one. Hand goes back, and then we lower the leg. Bring your hands down, ready for the other side.

So we go up, flex, point notice you make a notice here how light the spring feels, remember, we're gonna be going up into flexion in a minute, so that's gonna change that whole dynamic of your spring tension. Alright. So ready. Take the hands into lace the hands. Let's go. We go. Flex, and they'll look towards your toes, so you're lifting up and over.

There we go. And up, flex, point, da, da, da, you feel that rhythm Let's do four more. It's super important to get rhythm. Rhythm is part of Pilates. We up, we flex that heel through.

Dada, lengthen that leg. One more time and up, flex point. Now we go up, circle up, bring it back. So we're going away from the middle line one. And down, so we kick that leg, keep that pelvis relatively still.

If we can, we're taking the leg away from the midline. Now reverse it. So midline, it goes in up and down. Up circle towards that pubic bone and down. One, circle. There we go. It's a challenging to keep that stability, Tah, bring it down.

And just lift that leg up, and now we're gonna add a rotation or rotation. I'm back. Oh, rotation. So you're reaching to the corner of your reformer so that shoulder blade is rotating around and reaching for the corner of your reformer. So you got that nice oblique twist.

Can we do one more for good luck? Are we ready? We're gonna reach forward. Imagine someone's pulling your hand and you're rotating, but keeping your pelvis relatively still. Your hip bones are facing the sky. For four, for three, for two and one, rotate back and then lower that leg down.

Now, from here, come into your little v position here. We push out and back. So in your first position, Let's just do one more. Now lift your head neck and shoulders back up again. We're ready. We're in a little pass a position here.

We go up flex point, par ce, up flex point. So you're feeling that pelvis has been challenged a little bit more now because we're going one diagonal and back. So we go. One little diagonal. And if you don't want to flex your foot, you don't have to. The little flex makes it a little bit more challenging. Now look towards your toes.

You're always in that flexion. Duh. Dah bring it down. Now take that leg underneath it. Reach that opposite leg up and then take that leg down and up.

Amazing. Those are your abs working now press up with that underneath leg. There we go. And if you take that leg down as low as you can, we're keeping that pubic bone to belly button, that deep sea curve that we did right at the beginning one more time. Hold it there, drop that leg down, come into a little first position here, hands drop down, push back out again. Give yourself a little bit of a break.

Pretty intense there. If you're really focusing on that pelvic tilt, the wheel is a your pelvis is that wheel and your sit bones are going underneath you. Right? So you get that real strong connection. Are you ready to go again? Alright. Let's go. Hands into lace, press your hands against your head and you're heading to your hands.

You've got that nice connection there, elbows forwards in your peripheral view. There's your and reach flex. Point, passe. One. Flex. Now as you take that leg out to the side, watch the opposite hip doesn't follow through.

Imagine it's pinned down into your reformer, and then you go up, flex point passe, up, breathe, look towards your feet is. There you go. So that's that lift, flex. Let's just do one more. Reach, pass a bring it here. Take that leg down. Ready reach that leg up, and we drop that leg down and up.

And down and up. So keep that head lifted, and you're gonna lower that leg as far down towards that bar as you can maintain the stability, the opposite leg, is going straight up to the sky. Can we do a couple more? Oh, one more. Hold it here.

Drop that leg down. Drop the other leg to join. It was still lifted. Let's enjoy that lift, feel those abs connection that sit bones coming underneath you holding it there, lower your hands down, and then the head follows along. I'm hoping you're feeling warmed up after that because I certainly do Alright. We're going to come to the right side, roll ourselves up, and we're gonna take it down to one red, one blue.

You could keep it at two reds if you wanted to, but I'm gonna take it down just a little bit lighter. Just to challenge my hamstrings a little bit more. We're going into semi circle, but this time the semi circle is a single leg variation. So we're gonna come down. We're gonna put your knees right over the edge like this hanging down place your hands on the shoulder blocks and push the shoulder blocks away.

So roll the your arms are straight, your arms are connected to your back, draw the shoulders away from your ears. Step up, step up, toes on your bar. We're gonna be in a parallel position here. Now from here, we're going to lift that right leg up. We're gonna go up into your bridge.

And we're all there. From here, we're gonna push away. We roll down one segment at a time with your vertebra and we come back and we roll back up again. So we push away See if you can get to full extension, one vertebra at a time, and then we bring the carriage back up again. Let's see if we can go a little bit more fluid, or we can take it slower All that we need to know is that when we're rolling up, we're trying to keep the carriage quiet, and when we're rolling down, we're trying to keep that quiet.

So we've got that beautiful control and that spinal articulation, beautiful work, and hold it here. So we're all there. Arms are straight. We're all there. We roll back down so take your sacrum into the well. Push away.

Now we come up when we bring it back. Doesn't that feel good? And we roll down. So drop that tailbone down. Push away, tilt the pelvis all the way up and bring your butt down. So you can go a little bit more fluid there.

Always a little bit challenging, going from here to there. That's the hardest part. Right? There we go. Keep those arms straight. Can we do one more? Holdy here. Now, bring the leg towards your head, toss it down.

Head, toss it down. There we go. That long lever Let's do a couple more, one more. Drop that leg down and hold it here. Now, squeeze your glutes a little bit more. I need to come up a little bit higher. Did you see the adjustment I made?

Pupic bone to the sky here. So get those hips up. We're all there, arms are straight. From here, take that leg straight up. We're gonna push out.

We curl down and bring it back, roll all the way up. Push away, curl, and bring it up. And let's see if we can go a little bit more fluid. Remember the carriage is quiet as she goes up, quiet as it goes down. Otherwise, we don't want any movement. We want to have control.

Remember, you're controlling the carriage, not the carriage controlling you. This is what the beauty of Pilates is. And lift up. Ready reverse it so we go down, push your way slowly come up, hamstring, close that carriage, one vertebrae at a time. Remember your spine is like the string of pearls, We breathe in space and life between every vertebra and let's move, move.

And you go at your own pace, We're gonna do one more, bring it in, get your booty a little bit higher, toss that leg down and up, bring it towards your chest. There we go arms, stay straight. Okay. Let's do a couple more. Arms are straight.

We've got this. Bring that leg down hips up one more inch. If we can, let's see if we can bring our arms around. Press that pubic bone up to the sky. I like to go into external rotation here so you can go into your diamond because it just feels so delicious through the front of your thighs and you hit flexor, so pubic bone goes up, shoulder blades go down, and we enjoy that stretch.

Reach your hands back. Pull yourself back. There's no sexy way of getting out of this, but we do our best. Let's turn to the side We're gonna sit all the way up. We're gonna take one deep breath, and we're gonna move on to the next segment.

We're going to be using the ball for this one. Now keeping the spring the same, a red and a blue. Love the ball because it gives us that a little bit more support in their lumbar line and we're gonna go to a classic, the stomach massage with a little bit of a twist, of course. So let's move ourself forwards as far forward as your sit bones can go and your flexibility will allow. Let's place the ball just below, just on your lumbar spine here and you feel there, they'll lower back. And then from here, we're gonna pop your feet in a little v position so your heels are together.

And I want you to think of reaching your hands forwards and rounding. So you want a rounded position from your crown of the head all the way to the tailbone. And all I'm gonna ask you to do is just push out and in. So I just want you to move. So as we move in, I can help cue you a little bit more to get into those lower abs. Remember, what we're just talking about, the wheel, your pelvis, the sit bones are going underneath you.

So rest your lumbar spine, you lower back into that ball and try and reach up and over in that rounded position. Now from here, we're gonna reach the arms forward, sit up a little bit taller and reach back and in. So we're just gonna keep the heels elevated. No flexing for now. We're gonna do a couple more. Now I'm gonna ask you to twist and then the other direction you're twisting.

Now look at my gaze. I'm following My hand. Remember, your eyes move your spine. So follow your hand as you're reaching out into that little rotation, but still in that c curve position with that lower spine here, pubic bone to belly button. Let's do one more.

Now, we're gonna go up into a little extension, lifting the upper left and come back. Now we reverse it so we go away, lift up and bring it back. Let's do that again. So it's that upper extension through that mid thoracic spine. We bring it back.

We go back the other direction. And then we bring it back. Now adding on to that as grab your right leg, we push away, we lengthen and we bring it back. So here we're going to incorporating some flexibility here You're in external rotation at the hip so the femur's turned out. You're still in that pelvic tilt, and we just do a couple more.

One more. Hold it there. Hold. Now we're gonna try and release. Tap it down and up, down and up, down and up, down and up for more I'm being really mean here, four, and three, and two lift from your core. Hold it.

And bring it back down. Beautiful switch, grab hold of your leg. Sit bones coming underneath you, pubic onto belly button, ready push. Remember, if we start The position correctly, start the exercise correctly, you're gonna have more success in your exercise. So it's how you start, you continue your journey, and you finish exactly the same way.

That's called discipline. Are we ready? Keep going. That leg should be lengthen. Joinned away from the patella there. Oh, lengthen.

Are you ready? One more. Find that strength, find that secret, reach the arms out. You are strong. You tap it down and up. Down and cup.

Down and up. Four more. And four, and three, and two, one more. We grab hold of that leg and we come back amazing work, bring your feet down. Move the ball just a little bit lower back. So it's kinda just below your thoracic spine, just above your lumbar spine.

Place the hands behind your head, interlace your hands, bring your feet up onto the bar. We're gonna push away and back. Now press your head into your hands. Look where your elbows are, they're in your peripheral view, and we're gonna keep them there so your upper body's connected to your core. Your lats, your serratus, and then your core because we're gonna jump now and we're gonna need that upper body connection.

Are you ready? Little baby jumps. Little baby jumps. Testing the water. It's teeny tiny. You really gotta find the lower abs here.

And if you don't feel comfortable, just don't jump. Just move in and out. It's still working those abs. Try and land as quietly as you can. Breathe.

Breathe three more three. XL two. XL one. Hold it. Moving just a little bit lower. So now the ball is right in your thoracic spine now.

Can you feel where that ball is? Just skew me on down. There you go. A little sexy little walk here. Let's do your v position here, lift up and over, push out and in. That's it. Keep that ball there. Are we ready? Little baby jumps.

If you feel in the future that your ball is slipping a little bit, sometimes going some anti slip underneath your ball kinda helps it from slipping. Keep that elbows in your peripheral view. Keep that connection with your lower abs. Squeeze those inner thighs. Zip up.

Three more zip, two and one. From here, guess what happens? Doesn't that feel good? I'm gonna be really nice to you because you worked really hard and going to that lovely extension. Just rest here, arms are wide. Remember when you're doing that previous exercise, you zip up from your inner thigh to pelvic floor to really join in those abs.

That's why their upper body is super important to connect your lats, your serratus, intercostals, that intra abdominal pressure is there. Your upper body is just as important as your lower body. It's a whole body approach. Beautiful work, guys. Reach your arms up.

Bring the knees in. Roll yourself up. Let's come to the side here. Sit us house up. How are we feeling? Hope you're feeling really good.

We're gonna roll ourselves up. Do a little stretch here, and then take a seat back onto your reform. I'll roll yourself back up again. And give yourself a little shake. Awesome work, everyone.

Look forward to seeing you back here again. I hope I inspired you in your practice or actually in your teaching too.