Mat Class with Hand Weights

Hi. My name is Caitlyn Tower, and I'm so excited to be here today with you guys. We're gonna be going through a reformer on the math class. All you need today is two lightweights, one to three pounds works. And then socks for your feet or a towel would be great. And let's get started. Go ahead and lie onto your back.

We're gonna place the weights onto either side of the mat, and you're gonna just start lying all the way back hug the knees in towards the chest, giving them a nice big squeeze, and let's take the hands stacked behind the back of the head. Now you're gonna curl up as if your head is lifting up onto a headrest. Squeeze your heels together toes apart, and you're gonna press out reach, scooping your stomach in and up, pretend like you're pushing on a spring, and then bend back in. Again, reaching out stretch and in. And press and and and if you need to modify today, you can take your legs higher, do what feels best for your body, and reaching out, press and and squeezing those heels together tight. And in one more time, reach and and lower your head down, squeeze your legs all the way together, curl your toes over heels under, bird on the perch the feet round up.

Same thing pressing from the arches, reach and pull back in, and reach and pull back in. Three more press and and and last two push Curl up a little higher one more time reach and and hold it here, lower your head down. Flex your ankles all the way back. Now we're gonna curl back up again, lifting your head rounding up and over, press out from your heels. We reach and pull back in and reach and pull back in, inner thighs squeeze hugging the legs together, lift up a little higher reach, and then flex back through the pinky toe side reach and and and two more out.

And and in last time reach and and lower your head one more time, go back to your v heels together toes apart and let's stretch open your achilles. So we're gonna round back up for your tendon stretch pressing out. Now hold here. Lower your heels under that imaginary foot bar. Lift your heels up again under and up, under and up. Stay around it, under. And up two more under and up last time, under, and upend your knees back in.

Hug the legs in. Good. Let's go into your 100. We're gonna reach for your weights. So Start with your arms up to the ceiling.

Your legs are gonna extend out as if they're reaching along across the reformer. Now before we do anything, see if you can stretch your fingertips up to the ceiling, letting your ribcage just gently glide into the mat. And we're gonna exhale curl up lifting the head, the legs, and pump the arms full breath in two three four five exhale to three four five again in and exhale out Now as we go here, see if you can lift up a little higher as if you're opening the spring a bit more, and then we're gonna go ahead and lower slow. And hold it there at eye level, exhale to three, four, five, again, breathing in, and exhale to three, four, five, open the chest, and exhale to three, four, five, one more set. And exhale two three four five.

Bring everything in head down legs and let's take your weights down by your sides. Press your arms all the way down. Roll the shoulders back to open the chest. Heels together, toes apart. Let's go into short spine. You're gonna press out to 45 degrees.

Reach holds here. Take your legs up to 90. Now I want you to go up and overhead reach. Try to get the hips over your shoulders. Keep pressing through the feet. You're gonna bend the knees, holds here, roll everything down, upper, middle, lower, tail.

Holding at the bottom, reset yourself, press the arms down, feel the back of the ribs pressing into the mat and gliding back. We reach out in one. The legs come to 90. You lift up and over in two. Stretching, push your feet into those imaginary straps, bend the knees three. Control, roll down four. Again, reach out in one.

You've got this. Lakes to 92. Lift up and overhead, three, bend the knees, roll it down. One more time, reach out. This class is slow and steady, it's gonna get all the right spots, lift up and over, bend the knees, roll it down.

Good. Grab onto your weights. Bend your elbows in by your sides. I want you to push your elbows and really your triceps into the mat. Lift your head up curling in. Press your arms and legs out, push the arms down.

We're gonna open the legs, squeeze the legs, bend the knees, bend the elbows stay curled, reach out, scooping in, open close, bend and bend curl higher reach open close and in in again reach open close in and in one more reach. Let's add beats. Crisscross eight seven six five four three two one, bend the knees, bend the elbows, rest the head, hug your knees in towards your chest. Good. We're gonna flip onto your stomach. Place those weights at the front edge.

We're gonna go into swan. So lying all the way down. Head is at the front edge. We're gonna bring the arms a little bit in front of your head today. Squeeze your legs together, and we're gonna hug the blades onto the back as you lift head up, chest up, lifting, roll those shoulders back and try to really pull your center in and up, bend your elbows coming all the way back down.

Again, we lift up shoulders onto your back, lift head, chest open, squeeze your legs tighter, and back down. One more time like that. Lifting up shoulders onto your back, lift head, chest up as high as you can. Pull your body energetically forward and all the way down. Now grab your weights.

Start with them right in front of you. Press your weights into the ground for a moment and see if you can really think of pulling your body forward. We're gonna lift the weights up, hovering them up off the floor, bend your elbows in by your sides, reach back. And as you do so, lift up, head, chest, try to narrow your arms in, bend your elbows, and then come all the way back forward, lower those weights down. Let's go again. Lifting up, bend your elbows, reach back. Press your triceps up.

Punch behind you. Like, you're trying to punch the back wall. Bend your elbows reach back forward. Lower down. Last time, we lift up. Bend your elbows. Reach back open your chest bend the elbows in and back forward, lower. Open out to a t shape. Arms are stretching away from each other.

Head starts down. You're gonna lift both arms up. Pull behind you squeezing your blades. Open the arms back out and lower. We go again.

Lift, pull back, open your chest, squeeze the blades, and arms open. And lower last time we go up, and pull skoys, arms open, and down. Place those weights right by your sides. Let's sit back and take just a little stretch. You're gonna tuck your toes underneath, bend the knees, top of the head comes down, Hold on to the arches and try to stretch your low back out by pressing the low back up to the ceiling, breathing, and exhale release. Flip onto your back.

Hug your knees and let's get ready for back stroke. Grab your weights. Roll back down. Elvis come wide. Nuckles come together.

We're just gonna go the first direction here, lift up and over. Your ribs reach the arms up, hold. Open. Circle everything. Hold.

Hold stretch further. Bend back in. Again, reach up in one. Touch the ceiling. Open two.

Circle around three. Holt four. Holt five. Bend in six. Again, everything goes up, stretch, open, circle, scoop in, and bend. Rest head comes down, hug those knees and just to give your back a little breather, extend your legs out in front of you.

Open the arms outside to side, and take a moment here. Feel yourself stretching through your fingertips as your blades pull into you. Breathe into your back. You're gonna reach the arms sliding by your sides as you curl chin in, take your arms and legs up, hold here, lower your arms, and we lift lower, and lift one more down, and up hold here scoop and roll down low back, middle back, upper back, open back out. Let's go again. Arms come narrow.

We curl. We're gonna do big circles. We lift up to the ceiling. Keep your balance. And again, up and around. Up and around, reach up, hold, roll down.

We're gonna finish with your shave. Arms come in narrow. You curl up, legs, upper body, flip your palms. Bend your elbows just to the top of the head and press as you press, you pull in and two more press. And last time, press, flip your palms roll all the way back.

Rest, place those weights all the way down. Let's sit up. Take your legs. Hip distance width here. So we don't wanna be too wide. Take your arms around your rib cage.

Press your elbows into you. Curl forward. Take a moment here. This should feel nice on your back to let the low back stretch open. You're gonna roll back small today. Start small, push your heels down and actively pressing out through the outer leg through the outer hip and curl back up.

And, again, modification could always be hands behind the back of the leg, whatever feels best for you today, and exhale curl back up reach through the crown of the head, anchor your heels down. Let's go a little further. Roll back. If this feels good for you, why not press your elbows in? Curl back up one more time. You're gonna roll back and find a spot that you can hold.

Tail is under, chest is open, stretch your arms above your head, and lower down, and up, and down one more time, up, and down arms come back. You curl forward. Stretch over. Grab onto the outer edges of the feet. Pull the feet back and stretch forward. Good.

Stack your spine back up. Keep the feet flexed. Hands come behind the back of the head. Want you to lift up as tall as you can. Try to feel your elbows reaching out in opposition.

Hinge back, lift, lift, lift, and back up. Up, up. Again, off of your sit bones, stay lengthening up, and then your hips are gonna be constantly working, lift, lift, lift, and back up. Now we're gonna go to the side. We reach to your right holds here.

We're gonna take a extra stretch, bring your right hand down, stretch through your left arm, opening up the hip, bring the hand back behind the head, other hand behind the head, stack back up other side reach over. Hold. Left hand comes down. Right arm stretches away. Right hip is down. Don't lose that.

Hand comes behind the back of the head, and we come back. Now without taking the stretch, go back to the right reach and center. A little faster. We go up and center. It's small, but it's good. You're getting space through the q l, through the low back. And last time, up, and center. Now we twist, rotate, and come back. Otherwise, can you press your head back into your hands and your hands and your head, binding that connection, that energy through the back of your neck, and center, again, twist.

And back. Good. Let's take one more stretch forward. Grab onto the outer edge of the edges of the feet. Pull yourself forward. Flex the ankles back and stack back up.

Now let's bend one knee in. You're gonna take your left leg straight in front of you, right leg in, hands underneath the knee. And I want you to really pick your spine up here. It's a little bit harder on the mat, but we're gonna do it. Try to lengthen up, pull the thigh to your chest. Keep it there, straighten your leg.

And just bend it and two more up and bend one more time, uphold. Take your hands up to your ankle, round in curling, stretching forward. You're gonna rock back. Try to get the leg up to 90 if you can, and then start to walk down your leg slow. Try not to fall back. Head hits. You round back in, anchor your bottom foot.

We lift lift, lift, get space in that upper back. It's tempting to hunch. I know. And walk down down down, down head hits, curl back up rounding, lift, lift, lift, lift, lift, all the way up at the top. And walk back down last time, we're gonna hold at the bottom.

Head is gonna hit. Press your arms down by your sides. Flex your bottom foot point your right foot, your top leg, circle across the body, down around and up. And I'm keeping it small because you really wanna find the control from your center and up, reverse, open, crossover, and up, try to stabilize your hips, and up and one more time. And up and hold. Curle your chin in towards your chest.

Hands come back to the leg. You walk up, lifting, lifting, lifting. Good. Cross your ankle all the way over your leg. Take your arms back behind you, curl forward, and stretch open the hip and come back up. Let's switch. Take your right leg forward.

Pull your left leg in. Sit up as tall as you can, and then we're gonna straighten the leg. And we bend again up. And down last time, lift it up, hold, walk hands up, curl your chin in towards your chest, flex that bottom foot point your top foot rock back. You ideally get that leg to 90, do your best. Walk down down, anchor your right heel, head hits, curl back up first one's always the hardest to get up and over, press the heel down and round.

Again, Take it back leg comes to 90. You walk down, down, push that right heel down, head hits, curl back up. We lift. You got this. You might find one side is a little bit weaker. And again, rock it back and walk down, control it, push that bottom heel down, anchor your arms for your circle, cross over the body, down around, and up over the body, and up just three and around push that bottom heel down, reverse, open, crossover, and up.

Open, push that right heel down so your hips don't move, and open last time, and a cross hold. Chin into chest, walk it up, lift, lift, lift, lift, lift, lift, rounding forward, stretch your back open, cross your ankle over, flexing the feet, arms back behind you, curl forward, opening the low back in the hips, Good. Okay. We're gonna flip onto the hands and knees and get ready for a long stretch series. Now your hands are gonna come about to the center of your mat. You wanna anchor the hands down The feet are actually gonna come off of the mat so you can slide. So make sure you have a good surface here that you can slide on. Bring your right foot back, left foot back, bind a really good press from your arms.

You're gonna reach back just a couple of inches. Don't go crazy and exhale. Pull forward. Again, reach back. Use your whole body press through the arms and pull forward. Just two more.

Reach and forward. Last time, this is not easy and exhale forward. Bring your knees down. Walk your toes back onto the mat. Talk your toes under.

Push your heels back. Stack your spine back up. Let your tail release down. Stomach pulls up. Arms are forward.

We're gonna take your down stretch with the arms up. You're gonna take your stretch up and then start to take it back. Energetically squeezing in between your inner thighs, go up instead of back. Arms come back. Hands come down. And let's do your up stretch.

Hands anchor down again. We're gonna go into a pike position, so hips are lifted. Head is down, you're gonna really round your head in and your tail under. You're gonna press out to a plank, chin is still in, slide forward, hold, curl head upper, middle, lower tail. Again, here we go.

Pressing out just three times. Down this a little bit harder than the reformer because you're really using your body to move all of your weight forward and back. Last time, press out. Reach, pull forward, chin comes in, head upper middle. Let's bring your feet flat onto the mat, anchor your heels down, push, push, push.

We're gonna lift left leg and right arm. You're gonna start to walk forward. Walk one. Now left arm, right leg and two keep it going opposite hand opposite leg and walk all the way to the front. Walk. We'll walk. Now we walk it back and back heavy hands, heavy heels.

Literally like an elephant and walk let's do it again forward forward scooping in and in and in reverse going back and back. And back. It's kinda fun. Back and back find your midline. Press down through the heels. Take one more stretch here, scooping in, and then rise up onto your toes for your air best.

Stretch your right leg back. Reach reach reach just holding. Pulling in through your center, press down through your bottom leg, bring it back. We switch. Right leg comes down. Left leg stretches back, anchor through your bottom foot, lengthen lengthen lengthen.

And rest. Bring that leg down. Take a quick stretch. Keep your toes tucked under around your spine. Hands come to the outer edges of the arches. Top of the head comes down.

We breathe in. You press your low back to the ceiling. Finding a nice, nice, round shape and exhale. Good. Let's flip over her stomach massage.

So we're gonna scoot to the front edge, and I always like a little tactile feedback. So You can fold your mat or just keep your hands at the front and really pretend like you're holding on to the front edge of your mat. Scoop in. You're gonna press out sliding along the mat and just pull back in no lower lift today. Your goal is to keep shoulders over your hips and pull back in. Again, reach as those legs push away, you pull back through your center and in just two more reach stretch and in, and last time reach and and now hold.

Your mat can come down. You're gonna take your butt forward arms behind you. Go into two fist. Roll your shoulders back, lift, press out, reach, and bend back in. Open the chest. You got this reach, sliding the feet along the floor.

The press of the feet should lift you up and in, again, reaching out stretch and in one more time reaching out. And in now hold, take your arms forward, shoulders are onto your back three times pressing out. Scoop, and in, and reach out. Scoop, lift up. Keep that lift one more time. Reach. And in arms come back to 90 right in front of you.

We're gonna twist over, look over that hand and bend back in. Other way, twist reach and back. One more each side twist. Reach. And in last time, twist And and now we're gonna do arm circles to add a little bit of a challenge. I want you to pick the feet up, take the arms up, and let's go into this. You're gonna circle three.

Two. One row verse three. Two, one, hold. Take those arms higher. Circle three, find your balance, two, and one, reverse three, two, one, rest. Bring those feet all the way down. Let's flip onto the knees.

We're gonna jump right into chest expansion, tuck your toes under, press your heels back, grab onto your weights, take your arms forward, energetically pushing the heels back squeezing the seat. You're gonna reach your arms behind you, open your chest, look to your right, big inhale, look to your left, look center, and control back again. Pull. Open the chest. Look left. Squeeze the seat.

Look right. Look center and back again. Pull. One more each side. Squeeze the blades, lift, look, center, and back one more time. Open the chest. Squeeze.

Look back to center. Arms come back up Now point your toes pressing the feet down. We're gonna do an archival version of thigh stretch. You're gonna pull your arms all the way down by your side, squeeze your seat, open your chest, hinging back, back Back, open the thighs, come back up, and arms come forward again. Arms down by your hips, squeezing your seat, press your feet down, scoop in, and back. Arms back up. Just one more. Pull, lift Press your feet down and lift back up, tuck your toes under, right into arm circles, hands down by your sides, lift your arms up and open, and up and open and up.

And open now stretch back up, hold. We're gonna lower your arms down for your bicep curls since we're on the mat. We're gonna actually take a stretch for the forearms, flex your wrist back, pull your wrist back forward and bicep curl up and down. And even though these weights are pretty light, you wanna start to create that resistance in your own body resisting up. And like someone's pushing you, You have to press down, down, down, down, and open the forearms, press the wrist back, and back up, and down. And last time up, and down rest.

Place those all the way down. Let's flip on to your back for your long spine. Lie all the way down. Head hits. Arms press down.

Roll your shoulders back. You're gonna push out to 45 degrees. Take your legs up to 90. Roll up and overhead. Now try to pike up to the ceiling like it's a jackknife.

Open your legs out to shoulder distance width, lift up higher, higher, highest. Keep that. Keep pressing your feet up, and we take it out as you roll down. So much control. Squeezing. Let's go again.

We're just gonna stick with this first direction here. We lift up. Can you go up higher? Higher highest open. Scoop in, push those feet up, reach, reach, reach, and squeeze last time. Up and over reach, pike up. You got this scoop open, toes to the ceiling, roll, roll, roll, squeeze together, hug your knees and take your hands behind the back of your head. Let's go into circles.

Press out. Stay here. We're gonna open little circles squeeze together and up. As you move the legs, try not to let your pelvis get rocked around. It's so hard. One more time, reverse down, open squeeze, down, open, squeeze two more, and up, and up, bend your knees and rest your head for a moment, shoulders down your back, and exhale curl back up frogs.

We're gonna press out, stretch, and then very similar to our footwork here. Now you should have more connection through your center, through your back, We reach and and two more reach and and and last time reach and and rest the head hug your knees in. Give them a little rock from right to left, letting your low back just release here. And we're gonna go right into your run. Take your hands behind the back of your head, curl back up, we round.

Bring your legs parallel and together. Press out lower one heel, and we switch, reach, and switch, and switch, like you're really digging that heel underneath the foot bar stretching open the back of the leg, four more, four. And three. Two. One, hold the knees and rest the head. Open your legs out a little bit wider than your hips. We're gonna flex the feet.

Now pretend you're squeezing a magic circle. You're gonna round back in and press out reach. And pull in in in. Again, press reach and in in in. Again, push through the heels.

Pull back in two more. Push through the heels. And in last time, reach and in lower your head, hug your knees and give them a nice big squeeze. Let's sit all the way up, and we're gonna do a front split. So flip onto the hands and knees. Now tuck your back foot under, the toes under, you're gonna sweep the opposite leg forward. And I want you to actually start hands onto either side of the leg.

We're gonna just lunge forward like it's a front split opening up the front of the right hip and leaning back. Again, lunging forward. It should feel nice after all this abdominal work. One more. Lunge, and back no hold. Arms are gonna stretch up.

Take your hands behind the back of the head, and we lunge forward. Press and back scooping in. Press And back last time, press and hold, stretch your arms up to the ceiling, lengthen up and back, lift, lift, lift, arms come back down. We switch. Take your other leg forward. Tuck the back foot under hands come on to either side.

We lunge forward and back. And again, lunging forward. And back one more time. Lunch and back now hold. Stretch your arms up and behind the back of the head lunging forward and back. Try to really press the hands into the head and head into the hands, keeping a hold of your back body here one more time.

Scoop in through your powerhouse. And now we hold, stretch your arms up to the ceiling, lift up and back, lengthen, lengthen, try to keep those hips square. Arms come back down. Now that is the end of our reformer, but we're gonna stand and finish with a arm weight series, grab onto your weights, stand all the way up, heels together, toes apart, arms down by your sides, lean forward onto the balls of the feet, stretch your arms up to shoulder height. We're gonna pull the arms in three to one and pressing back to 30 again, pulling in to three and pressing back to 32 more. Just like that. Again, you're creating this resistance through your body, like you're moving through a thick mud or thick honey. And press and I'll pull it up. Hold.

Open your arms out in your periphery straighten your arms and pull back in. And again, lift long through your back and pull, and press two more in, and press last time in, and press now bend your elbows in. Bring your arms forward all the way down hold here. Roll those shoulders back and we pull up all the way to the shoulders and press down. Again, pulling up, reach, and down, and two more up lengthen your back and down one more time up hold.

Flip your palms. I'm gonna face sideways so you can see me. You're gonna go hip distance width, bend your knees, lean forward into a table position, shoulders, in line with hips, and we're gonna punch. Reach one arm forward. Hold one arm back hold. Try to reach longer through your arms and bend switch reach. Opposite arm and switch reach.

And back in reach. And back one more each side reach back, last time reach, and back arms come down, heels together, toes apart, roll back up, low back, middle back, upper back, and you're gonna take your right arm forward all the way up, lift, touch the ceiling, and side bend over. Let your bottom arm just reach down. Let this be a moment to open your side ribcage here. And coming back switch.

Left arm comes up. You lift up to go over reach reach your bottom hand to the floor. Maybe one side is tighter and coming back switch. Reach up and over. Now hold. We're gonna bend the top arm.

Rotate the head, scoop and straighten the arm, look back forward, and come up switch. Other arm comes up. You lift, you exhale reach over. It should feel really nice. Hold, bend the elbow. Turn the head.

Reach down for the floor with your opposite arm. Look back forward straighten the arm out and come back up. Good. I'm gonna face sideways one more time. You're gonna bend your knees hinge forward at your hips bring your arms down and we're back in this table position. Open for your hug.

We stretch squeezing your blades and exhale back together. You inhale, inhale, inhale, exhale, exhale, exhale, inhale, inhale, inhale, inhale. Exhale, exhale, exhale. Try to stay leaning forward. Two more. And exhale.

Last time. An exhale. Drop the head. Go back to heels together toes apart. We roll up, low back. Middle back, upper back, and we're gonna bring the weights all the way together lean forward onto the balls of the feet.

We pull up all the way to the chin and you exhale press down down down down down. Again, can you get more length in your spine here? Keep lifting up and exhale. Press two more. We go up. And press last time up. And press now take your arms all the way up to the ceiling reach, and we're gonna shave bending behind the head and press and bend and press and two more. Bend. Press try to go all the way behind the head. Bend.

Press take your arms back forward. Open out to your shoulders. Big exhale lower your arms down, lift, lift, lift, lift, lift, and keep that lift with you for the rest of your day. Thank you.