Reformer Cardio Legs & Arms

Welcome to Pilates anytime. I'm Elizabeth Larkham, so happy to be with you for a reformer cardio, leg, and arm jumps. Let's get set up here. You'll have the head rest up. And we'll start with the long loops close by so you can reach them to prepare your hip joints.

When it comes to side lying jumps, you'll need a head cushion. I'm going to use the balance body aligner not only as a head cushion, but as an alignment tool to keep my upper inner thighs close together to the midline. You'll install your jump board and make sure that the jump board doesn't clatter around. We have this jump board on top of the foot strap and that helps to absorb some of the sound impact. We've also have the legs of the reformer on sticky mats so that the reformer doesn't slip and slide when you jump, take off and landing.

We'll start with a preparation for the hip joints so that you can be well prepared for internal and external rotation from your hip joints to your abdominals to your feet. Let's put on three heavy springs. You could put on three red springs or two reds and a green. When you lie on your back, you'll have the long loops around your thighs above your knees. Lasso the back of your legs, either at your knees or just above your knees.

Internally rotate, steer your inner knees together and flare your feet wide apart. As you exhale, drive your heels below spring level, point your feet and slide your calves the sides of your feet against the frame, bringing your knees wider than your shoulders. Internal rotation, knees together, heels apart, heels go down in the springs, point your feet and slide the little toe sides of your feet along the frame. We have two more of these internal rotations sitting bones spread wide and external rotation as if your sitting bone could narrow, pubic bone and tailbone heavy towards the carriage keeping a fairly neutral pelvis neutral spine. Reverse the direction now external rotation sliding the little toe sides of your feet along the frame below spring level, knees together feet flare wide apart.

Keeping your pubic bone heavy towards the carriage, knees wide to the side, sliding the little toe sides of your feet along the frame below spring level, you have two more of these appreciating the movement, the mobility of your hip joints in the acetabulum, and the connection of the hip mobility with the strength of your torso staying fairly level and steady on the carriage. Now let go of these long loops, and you won't need the loops anymore at all. We're not using loops or cords anymore. If you have metal on your loops, put the cords over the risers so they won't be clanking. Now it's time to prepare for your shoulders. Because remember we're going to alternate leg jumps with arm jumps.

How could you remember? I didn't tell you, but note that we're going to do leg jumps and arm jumps. You'll have a blue spring now come to perch with your sitting bones on the spring edge of the carriage. Your hands are behind you on the frame. Your arms are in external rotation. Have the idea that you could smile the upper lobes of your lungs, smile your upper ribs, and pressing your hands into the frame, slide the carriage forward and back.

The intention of this exercise is to prepare you for upper thoracic extension that will serve you well when it's time to be quadruped arm jumping. As you slide the carriage out, turn to look over one shoulder and then turn to look at the other shoulder. Rotation initially you look over your shoulder towards the ground. Two more on the next side. And then as you slide four times now, looking up over your shoulder so you have a modicum of thoracic extension, and cervical extension, and then rotate to look over the new side.

Things are looking up. Actually, sometimes they are like right about now. Keeping one hand on the frame behind you, rotation to look over that shoulder and have your hand on the outside of your thigh or the outside of your knee. So you're making a good connection from the bottom of your shoulder blade to the little finger side of the heel of your hand. The new side awaits external rotation of your arm, a bit of upper thoracic extension, Turning to see where the ceiling meets the wall on this side. You have prepared your shoulders and your arms for takeoff and landing Now let's prepare your feet.

This is push ups for your feet. For this, use a heavier spring. Let's say a red spring or a green spring. And you you may use the aligner that's optional for your upper inner thighs. This first preparation for your feet is I call doming on parade Start with your heels at the bottom of the jump board and swivel at your hip joints to steer both heels to your left.

Then swivel at your hip joints, both heels swivel right. Put your fingers on your pelvis and swivel at your hip joints, keeping your pelvis level and steady. Now we're ready for doming on parade going right up the midline of the jump board. Lift and spread your toes, plant your toes, lift up the toe knuckles, your metatarsal heads, and slide your heels forward. Making your way up the jump board, don't curl your toes under.

That's so eighties. It's 2026 now and it's time to activate the core of your foot. Once you get to the top of the jump board, reverse course and vault off the end of your toes sliding your rear foot, your heels down the bottom of the jump board. Swivel all heels to the left and with your fingers at your pelvis at your ASIS, you take doming on parade, moving up left to the upper left corner of the jump board and then retrace your path coming diagonally down to the right to the middle of the jump board. This is really ridiculous looking, but you will appreciate heels to the right that right about now.

This is very fatiguing for your feet. Remember it's for a good cause because you have a lot of jumping coming up and you'll want to get the most benefit from jumping with the best alignment you can muster. It's time now for push ups of your feet. Neither knee bends, both knees are extended. Put your fingers on your lower glutes, your abdominals grab your own butt.

And don't bend your knees. Now, lift your head neck and shoulders. Land right push, left push, right push. Look at your own knees and make sure they don't bend. Four more of these. One end, two end, three end, four end finish.

We are very done with this. Your hip joints are prepared. Your feet are prepared. And most importantly so is your brain. Now, let's just consider the springs that you're going to use for each exercise.

The spring that you want is the kind of spring that's going to allow you to spend more time in the air and less time on the ground. So the rhythm of your jumps will be up and up and up and up rather than down and down. The reason for, making the spring a little bit lighter than you might normally is that the all your tissues have a different resonance, a different frequency. Your muscles have a different resonance than your cartilage, your ligament, your tendon, and your bone. And ideally in this cardio workout, you will be doing good work for all the delicate tissues, including your tendons, your ligaments, your cartilage, as well as your bone and your muscle.

We'll start in now with two leg jumping. And for this, I'm using a red spring. You can use as you choose. When you come to lie on your back, You have the soles of your feet in the middle of the jump board. We have eight jumps in parallel, eight jumps in external rotation, eight jumps in internal rotation, the same pattern in the right lane on the right side of the jump board, and the same pattern on the left. Here we go, and one end. Two, three end. Four, five end, six, seven end. External rotation heals towards the midline.

Three end. For strike a match with the soles of your feet sliding on the jump board internal rotation, a strong zip up from pubic bone up underneath your chest bone same pattern in the right side of the jump word, one end, two, three end, four, five end, six, seven end, external rotation, one end, Two spiral the tops of the backs of your thighs towards the midline, five and six abs jump first and legs follow internal rotation one and two. Three end, when your feet are in the right lane, keep the left side of your pelvis anchored on the carriage, both feet to the left side, one end, two in parallel, three end, four. Five and six, seven and external rotation, one end. To, meanwhile, back at the pelvis, the right side of your pelvis is on the carriage. Eight jumps in internal rotation, one end, two, three end, four, five end, six, seven end, eight finish in the middle.

Quick. Make your way up to your arms springs now. So changing your springs from leg springs to arm springs You're kneeling on the carriage sliding your toes underneath the shoulder blocks. Bring your torso parallel to the ground. The heels of your hands are wide apart. Do a rehearsal, extend your knee, your elbows, and bend them. Just making sure that you're safe here, steering your sitting bones back towards your heels.

No one's wearing a helmet, you're not wearing a nose guard, a mouth guard, you've gotta use your abdominals and your glutes for jump swing clap and land swing clap and land swing clap and land swing clap and land swing clap and land. You have four more of these Greatful to have prepared your shoulders for jumping. Alternateate, land both hands in the middle. Land jump swing clap. Land jumps swing clap. Land jumps swing clap.

Another four of these, keeping your sitting bones back towards your heels. Two more of these. Both hands land to the upper right corner, land push swing, land push swing, land push swing, land push another four of these. Last two end, last one. Getting better with the claps.

It's leg jump time now. Change to your leg springs. It's the same pattern as before, but alternating. You're jumping. Land right push, left push, right push, four more in parallel.

Articulating through your ankles and toes, external rotation, right push, left push, right push. Another four of these. Staying in the middle of the jump board internal rotation, one end. Two, meanwhile, back at the low deep abdominals, they've got work to do as fascinating as jumping is, the abdominals have to support you in the right lane in parallel, one end. Two, three end. For the back of your left pelvis is steady on the carriage. Remain in parallel and go to the left lane, the left side of the jump board, one end. Two, three end.

Four, settle the back of your lungs, the back of your ribs down on the carriage, change to the right side in x external rotation, one end, two, three end, four, five end, six, seven end external rotation in the left lane, one end. Two, Every so often, you could get a hold of your butt and remind yourself that that's where the landing gear is located internal rotation in the right lane to Three end. Four, five end. Six spending more time in the air. Less time on the ground left lane.

One end. Two. Three end. Four Five end. Six, seven end.

Eight finish in the middle. Make your way up from here. It is arm jump time now. As before, you are in Quadripet, However, this time, instead of remaining your torso parallel to the ground, when you jump, you'll come to vertical. I made a mistake on my spring choice.

I just needed a little bit heavier. Okay. Start with your hands wide apart. Your sitting bones back towards your heels, push swing come vertical, and land push swing clap, and land continue this motion. Connecting the bottom of your shoulder blades with the heels of your hands don't land on your knuckles.

They're not made for that push swing clap. And land come to vertical. Now alternate both hands land in the middle once, push swing and land wide. Alternateate land narrow Land wide. Four more land narrow.

Land wide. Land narrow. Land wide, both hands land upright on one side and up left on the other. Land wide. And another four of these. If I don't pay attention, I miss the clap.

Finish in the middle. It's leg jump time now. Change to your leg springs. No surprise to you. It is time for eight jumps on the right leg and eight jumps on the left leg in parallel, in turnout, in turn out, in turn in, start in the middle of the jump board.

One end. Two. Three and get your landing gear in shape. Sounds like it feels like that here. Next leg.

One end. Two. Three end articulating through your ankle and toes as you initially prepared. Right leg in the middle in external rotation. It's a fairly shallow knee bend just enough to cushion your landing and propel you up again.

Left leg by itself in the middle of the jump board. Internal rotation now, settle the back of your ribs, the back of your lungs, into the rib basket, That'll help you make the abdominal connection from the anterior rim of your pelvis to your lower ribs, left leg by itself in the center of the carriage. Center of the jump board, I'm sorry to say, in the right side now in parallel. Eight jumps in parallel. Meanwhile, back at the left pelvis, it's on the carriage too.

Steering your knee over your third toe, left leg gets its own turn on the left side of the jump board. When you steer your knee in the left lane, aim it over your third toe, not your big toe. Right leg in external rotation, one end. Two. Both legs are in external rotation.

You have a matched set. Left leg is in the left lane in external rotation, jumping in turnout. Right leg is in the right lane in internal rotation, meaning your heel is wide to the side of the jump board. Your toes are aiming towards the midline. Left leg gets its own turn in the left lane.

You're thinking we're finished. Oh, no. Not so fast. Now your right leg jumps in parallel in the left lane. So your right leg jumps over the midline, crosses over the midline, right leg is in parallel jumping in the left lane on the left side of the board. Left leg gets its own turn in the right lane.

Fortunately, you prepared your hips and pelvis well so you have mobility in your hip joints to support this alignment. External rotation, right leg is on the left's right foot is on the left side of the jump board. And left leg is on the right side of the jump board. External rotation from the top of the back of your thigh. Right leg crosses over the midline into internal rotation, a strong diagonal from your right shoulder, to the back of your right pelvis, to the back of your right heel.

Left foot is in the right lane, one end. Two, meanwhile, back at the left pelvis, it and the left shoulder are anchored down on the carriage. Even this long sequence comes to a finish. Come up quickly now, change to your arms springs. Now you'll add not only coming up to high kneeling but also rotating while you're up. What does that look like?

When you push off the jump board, you'll come to vertical and as you come up to vertical, you twist, you rotate to look behind you and then land parallel to the ground. Push swing and land, push swing look behind and land, push swing look back, and land push swing look. For more of these push swing turn, and land, push swing turn. You don't have to clap, swing is sufficient. Push swing turn.

Land in the middle. Push swing turn. Land middle, push swing turn, land middle, push swing look back, push swing look back for more of these, five end and six end. And seven and and eight. Land in the upper right corner and look over your right shoulder, land in the upper left corner and look over your left shoulder.

Land right push turn. Land left push turn. Land right push turn. Land left push turn for more. Land push swing turn.

Land push swing turn. Last two end, last one end. It's time now for side lying leg jumps, change to your leg springs, off with the arm springs, Reach reach for your head cushion and come to lie on your side. When you lie on your side, set up for success so you slide both sitting bones off the spring edge of the carriage. Then when you come to lie on your side, you will not be impaled by the shoulder blocks because this is not the day for your mammogram.

Okay? Your foot is in the middle of the carriage. Lift up your ribs and lift up your waist. We have eight jumps in parallel. One end.

Two. Three end. Your ceiling pelvis is forward. Five end. Six, seven, and external rotation steering from your sitting bone to your knee, to your second toe. Four more of these.

Internal rotation, aiming your big toe down in the direction of the ground and your heel up towards the ceiling. Meanwhile, back at the abdominals, use them to lift up your ribs and waist. Alternate land in the front of the plate and the back of the plate. In parallel, two more external rotation at the front and at the back. Land front push and back push front push and back.

Front internal rotation as you might predict. Nee and toes aim towards the ground, lift up your ribs and lift up your waist for more of these. Finish in the middle, come up to sitting, actually sit up, put both feet on the ground, stand up. You have new legs to stand on, walk around on them, Then approach the carriage, both sitting bones off the edge, come to lie on your side with your head supported by the head cushion, lifting up your ribs and waist, your ceiling foot is in the middle of the jump port, one end, two in parallel, three end, four, five end, six, seven end, external rotation, knee and toes towards the ceiling. Internally rotate now, steering your knee and toes towards the ground, your heel towards the ceiling, keeping your ceiling pelvis forward.

Alternateate land once at the front and once at the back in parallel. Keeping tone right about here, externally rotate. And finally, internally rotate. Your ceiling pelvis is forward, especially when your leg is back. Make your way up from here.

It is quadruped time now, but maybe not what you're thinking. This is going to be quadruped with leg springs, your hands on the shoulder blocks, and the soles of your toes at the very bottom of the jump board. Bringing your knees very close to the spring edge of the carriage. Strike a match with the soles of your feet on the jump board. Kick your heels to your sitting bones. Alternate right foot once, left foot once.

Aim the inner aspects of your elbows towards each other and lift your ribs up to the ceiling. One leg does eight jumps by itself. Change feet now, change legs. You could have the idea that your abs jump first and then your foot and leg follow. We'll stay in quadruped for single arm jumps.

Decrease your spring now, a reasonable spring for single arm jumps. As before your toes slide under the shoulder blocks, your hands are wide apart and your torso is parallel to the ground. Now bring your right hand into the middle of the jump board you'll jump from your right hand and land left. Come to vertical, land one arm, swing clap, and land the other, swing clap, land one, swing clap, land the other four more, swing clap, land one, swing clap, land the other. It's pretty anemic clapping.

I know, but at least I'm touching. Now your right hand lands on the upper right corner, and then your left hand lands in the upper left corner swing, land upright, swing, land up left, swing, land upright, swing. Now your right hand crosses over the midline to the far left corner, swing. This takes much more conscious discipline to land from the bottom of your shoulder blade rather than recruiting extra upper trapezius. Push swing land. Push swing crossover. Push swing crossover, keeping the integrity of your shoulder girdle.

We're going to stay in quadruped, but change to your leg springs because now it's time to put one knee in the middle of the carriage and the other heel at the top of the jump board. In parallel, one end, two, three end. Four Five end, six, seven end, external rotation, one end, two, three end, Four aim your inner elbows towards each other. Don't let your elbows hyper extend. Internally rotate now.

Whichever side of your pelvis belongs to the jumping leg aim your lifted side pelvis, the jumping leg pelvis towards the opposite knee so your pelvis doesn't rotate. Change now. Your jumping knee is now your supporting knee and your supporting foot is on the, jump board. Two end. Three end.

Four, five end. Six spread wide between your shoulder blades, puff your lungs up to the ceiling, external rotation spiral. Draw your low front ribs up towards the ceiling. Internally rotate now. Whichever leg is jumping, that same side of your pelvis aims toward your supporting knee on the carriage.

Finish. It is time now to prepare your shoulders and legs to go out for the rest of your day. First, we'll take use take good care of your shoulders. As before, you've sit on the spring edge of the carriage with your arms in external rotation. Your legs are supported on the carriage, lift up your ribs, smiling the upper ribs, the upper lobes of your lungs.

You'll be able to slide the carriage further than when we started. This helps to give some slide to the fibers on the front of your shoulders in your anterior chest because it wouldn't be good to leave your cardio feeling all zippy and then sit down and default to laptop neck and computer posture. Looking over your right shoulder, bring your left hand to your outer right thigh. Looking up to where the ceiling meets the wall behind you, another four of these in external rotation spiral of your arm, Turn to your left. Your right hand comes to your outer left knee or your outer left thigh.

Another four of these, pressing from the bottom of your shoulder blade into the heel of your hand. Change to your leg springs now. It's time to remind the front of your hip joint that all this hip flexion we've been focusing on now is going to be left right here on the reformer. Bringing your knee shin to the shoulder block. Your supporting foot is forward.

You can have one hand on the foot bar, the other hand on the carriage, or you can put your hands on the frame of the reformer. As is, useful for you to feel supported, each person has different limb lengths, different torso lengths, and probably has different reformer heights so you get organized so that you can lower the front of your thigh, the front of your hip joint in the direction of the carriage. Notice which foot is on the ground, shift your ribs towards that foot and turn towards your grounded leg so that one arm is behind you holding on to something that belongs to you. Rotation here. Now your foot may be a long way, but maybe you can hold on to your pant leg or your leg warmer.

Rotation here, lowering the front of your thigh, the front of your hip joints sliding your shoulders a long way from your neck and ears. Last to end. Last one, careful letting go. Slide your knee along the carriage, come to vertical, appreciate that you have two very different legs now, walk around on them, and slither on in for the next side. Position your shin on the shoulder block, the top of your thigh, near the top of your knee where it meets your thigh onto the carriage, and then organize in a way that you're comfortable on this side so you can coax the front of your thigh, your hip joint down in the direction of the carriage.

Shiff towards the foot that's on the ground, rotate towards the grounded leg, bringing your hand behind you, towards your thigh. Continue to lower your thigh, sliding your hand further to the back of your knee or your calf or your ankle shin foot. We have two more slides here. Easy on the dismount slither up to standing. Appreciate that you have not only two legs, two new legs, but a whole new self to stand on and walk out into your day.

Thank you so much. Please take a look at the tutorials that accompany this class and also at the class links that bring you to other jump classes I've recorded for Pilates anytime. And as always, leave me your questions, your comments. I'd love to be in touch with you. Thank you so much.

Bye for now.