Express Reformer with Ball

Hi. I am Lara Hanland here for an express reformer workout. Using a nice little squishy ball, I like to have mine slightly deflated. We'll begin with some core work seated on our reformer. So I have three red springs when I am ready. For my leg and footwork to come and also to secure the carriage. Head rest is up, straps are attached here, and then those feet will swing around to the ledge. Scooting pretty close to the front, placing this ball between our inner thighs, and then taking a hold of the back of those legs.

Roll your shoulders back. Think of a beautiful lift and gorgeous posture to begin with a deep inhale. As you exhale squeeze into the ball, round and contract back beginning to open up through the spine. We'll do that again drawing the heart and chest forward, taking our gaze up, letting those knees open, and exhale squeezing into the ball, waking up in her thighs, low belly to round and contract back. One more time here today.

Deep breathe in feeling the length. XL deep core contraction to round back. Now if you need more support, you could always allow your shoulder blades to rest on your shoulder blocks behind you. Reach your arms forward. We squeeze tighter into the ball.

We take our elbow tap. Elbows pull back to maybe tap the reformer. XL belly button pulls back. We extend our arms long. Inhale to bend.

XL to extend. For three, squeezing tighter into those inner thighs for two low belly beneath that waist band scooping back a little deeper one more inhale and exhale to hold. Give that ball another tight squeeze for a breath in. And then exhale twist to the right, right elbow draws back towards the reformer, inhale reach center, exhale to the left pulling back in that left oblique, knees stay square, hips stay square, working into a little bit of rotation here warming up through that waistline, inhaling, exhaling on the twist, one more center, and left. Come back to center to stay and hold.

Squeeze the ball tighter, pull the belly deeper to round and curl your body all the way back up. From here, we'll remove the ball, little more work for our low belly, bringing the ball behind the sacrum, lengthening through the spine, make sure it's secure as you begin to hinge back. We wanna find a lift between the hip and the rib. So we're in a long flat back versus contracting, really lift your heart and chest forward. Maybe the arms reach forward for more challenge.

They come to the base of the neck and skull for support. And he'll see if you can lower a little further over the ball without arching the spine or losing the core connection, and then think pubic bone to sacrum, navel to spine. We scoop through the waist to round chest forehead to the thighs without losing the connection of low back to ball. Inhale lengthening back to the flat back, exhale low belly scoops in to curl forward over the ribs. Deep breathe in. Deep breathe out.

Some great work we often do with the ball on the mat. Can easily be done here on the reformer. Really nice way to wake up the low abs before we get moving for three, exhale scoop and curl for two. And up. One more time back center and forward.

Do you know our little twist inhale back? It's small, low belly first, then right oblique straw back, inhale back center, heart lift. Exhale lift and twist to the left, inhale back center, chest and collar bones stay open, drawing back in that right oblique center, up and over to the left. Last time each side, lift and twist center, lift and rotate back to center to hold one more breath in. Low belly draws back. We curl all the way back up and sit up tall, removing that ball.

Already feeling a little warmer. Ball comes between our ankles, so low in the legs, scoot your hips further forward right to the front of that carriage, reach your arms long in front of you, take a breath in, and then exhale this time we'll round and roll all the way down onto that carriage. Once you arrive, shoulders are against the shoulder blocks. Head is in the headrest. I like to have mine on a little bit of a lifted height.

Palms release down by the sides, and then we'll bring our heels onto the bar. So toes are flexing to the ceiling, knees straight up to the ceiling, gentle squeeze of that ball, inhale pressing out again using a little bit heavier weight here, three springs, maybe even a little more, exhale creasing at the hips, using glutes and hamstrings to pull the carriage in. Inhale we press out. Exhale use the breath and the belly to pull the carriage in. The work is happening on the way in even more than on the way out. So, yes, we have to press, but then we also have to pull the carriage in. Don't let those springs do the work for you.

Use the core, use the seat for a three all the way in. Truly flexing all 10 toes, especially the little pinky toes up to the ceiling. Last time, we pull it in to hold little pulses out an inch or two, in an inch or two out and in. Press and resist. Feel glutes, sit bones, butt cheeks squeezing together, but keeping our neutral pelvic position, making sure we don't tuck the pelvis up here.

That would engage more in the top of the thighs and hips. Instead, we wanna work deeper into that seat for two. And one, press all the way out finding length through the thighs and increasing at the hips and knees to bend and pull the carriage in. From here, point through your toes, bring your knees in and up, extended through the legs, give that ball a little extra squeeze, and then bend your knees, bringing balls of the feet onto the bar high heel, high relevay position. Same thing to begin, full press all the way out on the inhale, crease at the hips, sit bones, tailbone straight beneath that bar forward on the exhale, lengthening through the crown of the head, resisting to return, keeping our chest and our collar bones open finding elongation all the way out through the spine, through the tail, through the crown of the head for a four. Resist for three ribs draw together working that core way so nicely warmed up here too.

One more out. And in, we have our pulse. Little press out and in finding a distance that feels good in your body. Maybe it's a little further back. Maybe it's a little closer to the springs.

Can you keep those heels high? For four, resist three, two, and one, lengthen through the legs, press all the way out. Squeeze into the seat and the ball. Lower the heels under the bar as you inhale, lift the heels up on the x sail. We lower, zipping up through the waist, lifting in the knees and the thighs, heels come up and down, and up for five, lengthening out through our Achilles tendons, through our calves, working to strengthen to lift. Two.

One more flex. Point hold that high heel, squeeze into your ball, and then bend your knees in to return. From here, we'll bring the arches of the feet on the bar and then reach for that ball and slide it up higher in the legs. We'll take some small pelvic tucks to begin moving then into some pelvic press. So I'll lower my head rest down anytime your head or your hips are lifted and there's weight in the back of the head and neck.

We wanna make sure our head is flat. Squeeze into the ball, press into the feet, press into the palms, take a breath in to prepare, and then purposefully small tuck of the pelvis from the low belly. Feel that little curl. Squeeze the ball tighter. Hold the tuck. Take another breath in.

Squeeze your glutes tighter as you lift your hips up, reaching the knees straight forward over the middle toes, lifting the pelvis and the gaze a little higher, squeeze the ball a little tighter as you inhale, exhale to roll back down to find that hover, opening up through upper back, through middle back, through low back, hold the tuck inhale, squeeze the ball, pull the belly down, lift your hips all the way back up into that pelvic press position at the top. Inhale, we squeeze and hold, exhale, we lower back down to our hover. Deep breath in. XL curl it right back up. This time, stay lifted with the hips. Press into your feet, lengthen the carriage out.

XL pull the carriage in working to keep those hips lifted. So as you can see, I'm not fully extending my legs. If I did, I might release the squeeze of the ball or the tension that I'm feeling and work feeling in my glutes. And I'd rather really keep my form, keep my ribs together, keep my pelvis lifted without arching into my back Two more times press. Can we squeeze the seat, squeeze the ball tighter? One more time out and in to stay and hold, take a breath in, exhale lower back down to find that little tuck of the pelvis, find that small hover, think of your pelvic lift, From here, we have our pulses out a few inches in a few inches out, keep that scoop squeezing the seat tight, squeezing the ball tight, back and in, press and resist for four belly button pulls deeper three last two. Last one, pull the carriage all the way in, and then release the hips all the way down.

Definitely feeling fired up in the backside here, we'll lower our feet back to the lunge, feel them anchored down, arms reach up, inhale, exhale squeeze into the ball rolling up, still working from our core here, all those in betweens, they're still work. We're gonna take one spring off. So I'm gonna leave two reds on. Remove one of them and then lower my body all the way back down bone by bone bringing this ball with me. And this time, scooting a little bit away from my shoulder blocks.

This ball comes between our ankles once again. So it's somewhere between ankle and knee, and then I'm also going to flip my headrest back up for a little bit of a lift. While I'm back here, I'll reach for my straps, my handles, bring my knees to tabletop with the little squeeze into the ball, and then press the palms into the straps until those arms are right up over the shoulders and the chest. Already some tension in the springs, pulling our shoulder blades down, pulling the belly down and squeezing into the ball so the knees stay right over the hips. Shouldn't parallel to the floor.

Holding this position is work. Take a breath where you are. XL, press the palms down to the mat by the sides. Slowly float the arms back up, breathing in. Feeling the weight, the spring tension, exhale belly pulls deeper as those palms press down and fingertips lengthen longer.

Option always hold on with a tight fist, especially if you have handles here and that feels better for your wrist joints. But keep that energy reaching forward to the foot bar. Inhale arms float up. Xhale press it down. Pulling belly button just fine pubic bone to sacrum.

One more like this. Inhale arms up. Axial arms press to hold. From there, squeeze tight into the waist with those elbows, and then bend your elbows to 90. We'll extend the elbows from here as we add a crunch chin over the chest, forehead hovers and reaches towards the knees.

Elbows bent, head lowers back inhale, curl up reach up as you exhale. Option, add that extension of the legs as we extend our arms, think everything reaches forward. Knees and elbows bend, head back, inhale, exhale reach everything long. Two more times, take it back. Actsale, we curl up and forward.

One more time, inhale back. Curl up, reach up to stay and hold. We have our hundreds, inhale to three, four, five, exhale to three, four, five breathing in through the nose, exhaling out through the mouth. As you inhale, bring oxygen into the lungs as you exhale, rinse it together, squeeze the legs together. Still working to draw our inner thighs towards the midline, curl a little higher over the ribs.

For more breaths. Maybe legs lower a little closer to that foot bar. Three, and exhale out. Last two. Squeeze deeper into the waist, deeper into the legs.

One more breath in and out. Stay hold it. Reach those knees in, bend the elbows in, and release the head back and down. Make sure your shoulders come back against those blocks, and then we'll place our feet into the straps. We're keeping the ball between our ankles so carefully get in here without hurting yourself, you can always hold on. Our knees will bend in, and then we'll bring them to tabletop to start.

Arms back by the sides, shoulders, collarbone's neck is open. Take a breath where you are squeeze into the legs, press into your heels into the straps. Lengthen the legs back on a diagonal similar to where they just were really working from the core, keeping this seat belt taut across our waist, crease at the hips, bend your knees in, think of frog parallel squeezing into the ball, squeeze from the glutes reach to the heels lengthen through the spine. Inhale we bend, exhale we extend. Two more bend and extend once more resist.

And lengthen point through the toes, legs float straight up to the ceiling, squeeze the ball, squeeze the glutes, legs lower. We crease at the hips, deep breath, and feel length in the hamstrings, engage in the legs as you lower. For three, keep squeezing into that ball and lower. Two. And lower. One more lift.

Lower and hold. Keep drawing those legs together. Lower that headrest back down. We'll move into some short spine stretch, short spine massage, so head rest is flat, arms by the sides, taking it slow today, start by lifting those legs to the ceiling, bring them as back back as far as you can feeling your hips stay anchored to the best of your ability to really get a deep stretch. Strap stay taught, ball stays tight between those legs, inhale exhale to curl up and back, toes reaching on the back diagonal. Now we stay parallel, bending those knees, towards the eyebrows.

Try to keep them lifted away from the chest as you roll down vertebra by vertebra open up through upper back, through the middle back, through the low back, lengthen out through your spine. Maybe your legs get close. If you have the flexibility to straight, squeeze the ball, bend your knees in, flex through the heels, lengthen those legs back out on the diagonal. Point through the toes as you start to float the legs up, deep breath, and beautiful stretch for the back of the legs, exhale scoop through the belly, curl the hips up, working deep into your core. Palms press down, knees bend in, inhale.

Xhale begin to roll down, open up through the spine, one bone at a time here, elongating through the back lengthening through the legs, knees bend feet flexing heels to seat. Heels lengthened long towards the foot bar. One more time, point and lift deep breath in, legs draw together, ribs knit together, we curl back and up with control, knees bend, don't let them drop. Exhale to roll down, kind of the head reaching back, spine opening up, hips lengthening out, flex through the heels, and reach long through those legs. From there, we'll bend our knees in.

Take our feet carefully out of those loops. Keep your knees in towards your chest. Once again, ball between those ankles, hands come back into the loops. Point through your toes. Pull your elbows in forehead reaches to the knees.

Think of our tight little ball shape here squeezing into our ball, moving into coordination, arms, and legs reach long. Take a breath in, exhale squeeze into that ball. Paul sit for four. Three To imagine you're gonna pop it one knees to chest, elbows in. We keep our crunch. Inhale to lengthen, exhale squeeze for three two one knees and elbows bend two more times lengthen. Squeeze.

Zip up through the waist, knees and elbows resist as they bend last time, lengthen and squeeze for four tighter for three curl higher for two squeeze and hold, knees in, elbows in, and head releases back. From there, we'll release our straps. We'll keep the ball as we lower those feet down to the ledge. Yeah. Why drop it? Reach the arms to the ceiling. Take a breath where you are. Use the breath. Use the belly. Use the arms if you need to round and roll all the way up.

Definitely feeling a little stronger in my core already and also tired. Right? Alright. We're gonna use the ball. For some sideline work. So I'm changing to one spring. I'm going to use a blue here.

Do what you need. We're gonna use the ball for some support underneath our waist. It's really the only way I like doing sideline work on the reformer. That way we don't just sink into our shoulder. Head rest will stay down.

Ball comes kind of between the shoulder blocks closer to the carriage versus headrest, and then I lower my right waist onto it. I'll bend my knees in. Many of you have probably done this with me. That top foot is coming into our strap. Left foot is in to begin today.

Left leg lengthens, and I wanna think of my heel, my hip, shoulders crown of the head, and alignment. Right arm is pressing down, so I'm still lifted. I'm not squishing the ball. I'm trying to keep it as much of a ball shape as I can. Watch this hand that it doesn't get in the way. Left hand could be down or on the hip.

Something that you feel helps you stabilize. We'll start with the bend of that left knee. Of bringing it over the right, and then press it back out just a few times to feel the weight of that spring. Again, it's not super heavy here. Resist pulling up in the waist, lengthening through the thigh to press through the heel, lengthen through the crown of the head one more time, bend, and extend from here, leg stays straight, kick it forward towards the front of the frame, point and press back towards the back of the frame. Again, not huge movement, we wanna focus on pelvic stability. Maybe it becomes a little bit bigger, but make sure it's not at the expense of your hips moving back and forth side to side.

Flexes you kick forward point as you press back just like on the mat or the Cadillac too. Think of really lifting that bottom waist away from this ball one more time forward. Point and press back. We have our circles forward around and back for five. Stay lifted in the waist for four.

Three. Two. And one, reverse backing around for five, lengthening long through the leg for four. For three. For two, and one. With control, bend that knee in, take the foot out carefully, bring your body back, your carriage back.

We'll switch right over to our other side. Spin on around ball stays where it is. I'm bringing my left waist over the ball. My left forearm down somewhere carefully on the headrest, bringing my knees in about a 90 degree bend heels in line with hips. Right foot comes into the strap and leg lengthens out long. Now think right hip presses forward versus pulling back. Bottom waist is lifted.

We start with the bend of that right knee. Think of pulling it over the left. And then pressing through the heel, working into the back of that leg inhale to bend, exhale to extend, working both directions, resist, shoulder blades slide down the back crown of the head reaching in one direction, heel, and the other, too. One more time resist and lengthen. Keep pressing through that heel as you reach the leg forward towards the front of your reformer, point and press it back, lengthen the front of the thigh, squeeze the seat. Flexes you kick forward, point is you press it back, maybe making it a little bit bigger forward, and zip up through the waist as you lengthen behind for two.

Shoulders keep pulling down. Left forearm keeps pressing down. One more forward with the leg. Back with the leg point through the toes. We circle forward around and back for five.

For four. For three, squeeze the seat, two, and one, reverse. Working that backside outer glute. Four more staying lifted in square three. Two, one, hold and reach for those toes, bend your knee in with control.

Take your strap off, bring your carriage in and then we'll hook it right back over its peg carefully sitting up adding on another spring. So I'm going to go one red, one blue here. We are going to move into some chest expansion, so that's pretty heavy. If you wanna stick with just one red, or one blue, you're more than welcome to do so, but we're not gonna do a ton and I want a little extra weight today. So carefully kneel on your reformer with your feet hooked over the back.

That's gonna give us some stabilization. And then this ball comes in between our inner thighs. We're also thinking of using that to help us stabilize. Reach for your straps, holding on at the end, squeeze your seat forward, press your palms down and think of reaching them by your sides. Now can you reach fingertips or fists towards the floor? Squeeze your ball. Squeeze your glutes forward and squeeze your shoulder blades together behind you.

I wanna be as vertical through my spine as I can. Take a breath where you are. Pull your waistline and squeeze that ball. Lift through the crown of the head as the arms reach forward. Deep breath and depressed aiming for the sides of the body, maybe a little further back, exhale, we resist the arms forward. Two more times.

Shoulder blades slide down the back. Palms, press back. Exhale to resist. One more like this. Keep drawing those legs together. Feel how that lifts your spine taller and resist.

We add our turn of the head, inhale to press and hold. Arms and carriage don't move, look to the right, look to the left, look to the center, return the carriage, use your breath here, deep inhale. Deep exhales. A lot of core work to maintain that breath. Inhale, we hold those arms back. Exhale as you look right, pull back in that left collarbone. You look left, pulled back in the right shoulder, really trying to stay square through hips and chest.

One more deep breath in, exhale as we look. And rest. I feel my arms and my chest much more open already. All stays here, straps stay where they are carefully spin on around. Now moving into our knee stretches, You could stay on your two springs, whatever they are.

I'm gonna add a red instead of a blue. Should be two reds traditionally for this exercise. Hands on to the foot bar. Flex those feet back against the shoulder blocks. Make sure you're really pressing into the balls of the feet and reaching your heels back into those shoulder blocks.

Reach your hips back towards your heels round into your spine and give that ball a squeeze You're gonna work your inner thighs. It's gonna help you scoot higher in the waist and engage in the back of the legs. We also will help our bodies from sinking too much into the knees with that inner thigh squeeze. Hold on tight, and he'll kick the legs back, exhale pull the belly in. Kick it back. Pull it in.

Inhale, exhale. Keep pressing palms into the bar, staying open across the shoulder blades rounded through the spine for two One more. We stay rounded today. Squeeze your ball, press into the feet, press into the palms, tuck the chin over the chest, inhale, exhale, knees hover, going into our knees off, press out, pull it in, inhale exhale lengthening through the legs, staying low with those knees for four. For a three, lifted in the low belly, two. Find your hover. Hold deep breath in.

Exale knees lower with control. Always a fun one. Take the ball out, sit your hips back towards your heels, reach your arms forward, either on the bar or down on the ledge. Just taking a moment in this forward. Stretch deep breath in and a deep breath out.

Keeping our springs as they are, our ball, we can just place off to the side. We'll finish with one final little downward dog stretch today. Think of your stomach pull, exercise with your feet flat instead of elephant. Our spine is long. Our legs are lengthened. Our weights and our heels, so you can wiggle your toes to really elongate the back of the legs that we work so nicely today.

Open up through the chest and shoulders. Press down into your heels forward with your palms, press the carriage out, inhale. Stay connected through your waistline as you pull the legs in towards you. Inhale out, exhale think, sit bones, tailbone reaching up and back. For three, chest towards the thighs, head, neck, released to pull it up and in.

One more inhale back. Exale drawing the carriage in from there. Little bend of those knees, walk your hands back towards your toes, take a forward fold, softly bend the knees a little deeper as you inhale, lengthen the legs a little longer, chest a little further over them as you exhale. One more time, bending into the knees. Lengthening through the legs. From this time, carefully bend your knees all the way down, take a kneeling posture back onto your mat.

And that is all we have for you today. I hope you enjoyed this quick, fun, very much full body reformer class.