Glutes & Abs

Hi, everyone. I'm Danielle English, and this is abs and glutes. I have my long loops on connected to my ropes. I have a looped band that we're gonna use for most of class. I am preset on two red springs. Here we go. I'm gonna have you sit on the reformer, ease on to your back, taking that looped band with you.

I have my head rest in the down position, but as we start with this abdominal warm up, feel free to pop it up if you prefer a little support. I'm gonna loop the band over under my feet, almost like I'm wearing little Mary Jane shoes, little ballet slippers. And then I'm gonna scoot away from the shoulder rest so I have a little breath of space. Lakes up to tabletop with flex feet. I'm trying to pull apart on that band.

Hands come interlaced behind the head, elbows wrap in, curling up into your chest lift, just get settled. Energy on the band thighs as wide as the ankles and then inhale start to lower down. Exhale, I'm gonna sink the naval slightly tuck the tail, lifting the center of the heart to that space, right between the thighs. Inhale, big exhale chest lift, sinking that midsection, bringing the sternum up and forward. I like a subtle pull up on the back of the skull as I shrug my shoulders down.

Helps me activate the biceps, the underarms, the neck feels long and supported. Chin a little drop to the chest. Two more. Pulling apart on that band. It's so easy to let it go slack and really try and match that with with the thighs.

On the next one, come up stay up. Give me a small crunch. Little exhale. If hands behind the head feels heavy, we can always reach or assist behind the thighs. I like hands behind the head going for that heavy option. A little exhale here. Five, four, three, Two, curl up lift hold, inhale both legs forward.

Can you keep energy on the band? Exhale pull the band apart, curl back in. And if you dropped, it's a great time to curl up. Inhale, big exhale. Think knees to elbows, elbows to knees. Inhale. Hugging the abs in and down, I try not to dome the belly. So maybe my legs go a little higher.

That's totally fine. I'm gonna pull that band as, like, curl back up. Go for two more. You can always drop the head if the neck is feeling a little tense. On the next one, hold it out. Little stretch on the band, exhale, exhale. Maybe my legs can go a little low or eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two.

One, come down, take a little reset. Little inhale, rock and roll the hips, exhale. Coming right back up elbows in, shoulder shrug down. Can you curl up legs into that active wide abduction tabletop? Inhale, prepare. I'm gonna exhale stretch one leg forward as I go into my crisscross.

Inhale to exhale push pull the band with both legs spiraling the ribs up and over to twist. And I'm gonna keep my legs in this wide parallel so that my band never loses tension. I think of coming up and off that bottom shoulder blade, if possible. And it's like I'm pushing through mud trying to get that bottom leg straight. Option to keep it slow or pick it up just a little bit.

Not manic, but we just get a quick fire contraction going. Bottom legs still gets all the way straight. Give me eight, seven. Last three. Two, and one, let it go come all the way down. Oh, good sizzle in those upper rectus abdominals.

The band is gonna travel up above my knees as I take wide stance on the footbar. I have two red springs on. If you would like more support for your bridge, you can add a blue. I like the two reds. I think it's a sweet spot.

Heels and arches on that foot bar wide thighs over the ankles. My headrest is flat. Inhale prepare. I'm gonna exhale tuck the tail as I curl up, trying to pull hips to heels, keeping that carriage in. Pause at your high point, four pulses on your band. One, two, three, little twist and then roll it back down, tail up, abs and massage that spine, come all the way down, inhale, prepare think of exhaling, hug the abs in to assist that heavy lift. Tail up, peel the spine like a little sticker right off that mat.

Squeeze glutes open the hip flexors. Little press four, three, two, one, inhale to exhale, tail up, abs in, carve out that tummy, feels like an ice cream scoops hollowing me out. I'm gonna try and keep the caraj in. I'm gonna try to keep my width on the band. Arms active here. I love to press down through those triceps to feel like that scaffolding support from underneath.

Preparing for all of our focused glute work. Also, really mobilizing the spine here. I love this articulation. Little sips of breath. I like four pulses, four short exhales, inhale to exhale roll down tucking the tail, trying to slink my spine. One more like this. One, two, three, four inhale to exhale, tail up abs in one vertebra at a time. And the next time I tap that tail down, I'm gonna exhale hinge up.

Now can you hover off the carriage, big glute bridge, just a hinge. Pressing through the palms, the triceps. I think of hugging my abdominals in, like I'm cinching a belt right when the hips go up. Inhale, big exhale breaths. Three.

Two. Last one, come up, stay up. My ribs go a little down and in, and then I'm gonna pull my glutes. Small tuck. Small tuck. Little curl. Draw the carriage in if it wandered out for eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, lift and hold.

Can you articulate right leg like a windshield wiper? I'm gonna be stable in my waist pressing through that opposite thigh. Just trying to articulate, isolate that right side. Now press and hold it other side. Little windshield wiper, but I'm trying to go for stability around spine and pelvis.

Can I draw the carriage and hips to heels holding that hamstring curl? Both legs to finish all the way in, all the way out big windshield wiper. People strain in the lower back roll down just a little bit, maybe back ribs closer to the carriage. Last four, three, Two, press hold, take an inhale, clean up your bridge, re invest in those glutes, take a big inhale, exhale, throw it all the way down, massage the spine, hoo, let it go, legs can internally rotate, We're gonna shake that off. Help yourself up for a spring change.

Your band is gonna stay with you. I'm gonna go to one blue spring. One blue spring. Taking it into some sideline. As you come onto your side, you can always bring that headrest up to your preference.

As I scoop back, I wanna align my pelvis and my spine towards the back edge of the carriage, top foot going into the strap, I like to pull on the rope, getting the top foot in, and it may feel a little lighter doing this on one blue, but it's because something else is coming your way at the end of this series. Top leg straight, I'm gonna slightly turn the ends just so I'm parallel. Reaching the top hip long to lift the bottom waist, I'm gonna start to inhale bending the knee, lifting up into my band, exhale like a single leg squat, push through the pad of the heel, squeeze the glute, feel that reach out of the hip. So I love this moment, and there's a lot of length. My exhale helps me narrow my waist right when the leg gets long.

Bottom thigh is my anchor pressing down against my looped band. You can also do this whole series, no looped band. Up to you. It just adds a little extra, keeping you really honest with this abduction in the top side, great for your glute medius. On your next one, keep the leg straight.

Push stretch. Hold it. Little wiggle into the band. Or just think of pulsing up in parallel, little press. As the leg goes up, I'm gonna try not to lose this bottom waist, so I feel flexed through those obliques, tummy feels tight. Four three Two, lift hold. I'm gonna inhale my leg forward. I like a pointed foot up to you, and then large circle, up back and around dropping into parallel.

So as large as you can make this circle with out disrupting pelvis on spine. So I'm really pushing into the edges of my range, exploring forward up back into the band, and then only coming to about hip bone height. Large juicy circle today. And if pelvis is rocking and rolling, then you start to diminish that range, but quality first. One more. And then reverse it, inhale a little back up around and forward, big exhale.

Sweep it back, hugging in the waist, trying to stabilize. So I'm going a little up around and forward, sweep it back. Up around and forward. Big circle for 30. And two, I use my hand on the shoulder block to keep length in my neck, if that's helpful to you.

On your next one is you circle, you're gonna take a little lift, a little pause, turn it out. So I spiral the leg. I'm gonna stack the hips going for a single leg frog as I push this out. Turning out. Just a little bit up on the angle.

So it's like my knee comes a little down and in. And then I press slightly up and away still screwing that leg deeper into my hip. Oh, feeling those rotators, right? At the end here, turn out big press for three. My hand shifted to my top hip to nudge it a little forward, just really keeping me honest with that alignment. On the next one, hold it out there. Give me small bend, little frog pump. Whoo, little inhale, exhale pump it.

Little bend, Still thinking of the twist, living in that outer edge of the extension for four. Oh, three. XL with two. And one, stretch it. Oh, bring it in. Allow that side to rest.

As you transition the strap up above the knee. This is where it gets exciting. You're gonna help yourself up. I like to flatten the headrest, coming into a quadruped low on the carriage here. My right forearm is on the carriage so I can hold the opposite peg.

I'm gonna take my left big toe down to the ground and now both the strap and the band are up above my knee. Left hand to the block or the carriage, just make sure you're not holding onto the wood. Shift your way into that right shin bone, so we can hover the left foot off the ground now. Shoulder shrugged down. Hips are a little twisted. Give them a slight tuck. Now start to sweep that leg up into a long arabesque.

Inhale it a little down into the side. Now, don't touch the ground. Don't touch the ground. Sweep it back up. Bam's gonna put some limits on this. I'm already fatigued in that glute, in that seat. Abbs hug up and in, shrugging the shoulders down. Yes, it's glute focus.

But so much abdominal stability here, abs working against gravity, all the benefits of plank. One more sweep. Now can you keep the leg hit bone height? Inhale, big toe goes up and out up and out to the side, exhale, draw it back. It's not gonna be huge because I don't want you to drop the leg. So keep it up. Keep it up. Use your waist.

Use your outer seat. Sweep it back. Fight for it. Inhale. As soon as it starts to drop, that's your limit. Exhale.

Bring it back. Go for two more. Up and out sideways. Oh, I pushed it just a little further. Can you give me one more inhales? It goes up and out. Can you hold it there? Little pulse for eight. Seven. Move your band, but not your carriage. Four. Three.

Two, one. Bend the knee. Oh, bring it in. I like to move my seat a little right left, especially, oh, to the left, extend those hip and glute muscles. Coming back to center. Safly crawl the knees a little forward. I like to give myself a little side sit, almost like little mermaid, but then feet are gonna come to the ground.

So I can slide all the way out of my loop. Oh, catch my breath and take it to side number two. As I flip on over, I'm gonna come onto my left side, headrest can come back up, hips and spine move a little back, so I've got real estate to get my top foot into the strap. Starting with the foot in, really close to the heel on the arch of that foot. Leg is long. I find my alignment with a straight leg. Think of reaching that hip down to the foot bar as your bottom waist hugs up keep that length in your top waist, inhale slow bend like a march, exhale push the heel towards the front corner of the foot bar. As I bend the knee, I'm thinking of aligning that rope right through the center of my shin and my knee.

Neck is long, maybe hand to the shoulder block to help work on that shoulder shrug down. Every exhale, it's like I'm drawing the four corners of my torso in towards center, feeling that support helping that connection to the power center. One more, parallel march, big single leg squat, hold it up down into the band, give it just a little wiggle. Feeling that pressure right in the outer curve of the hip. Again, targeting glute medius here, little up down. Five, four, three, two, pause, lift point the foot, inhale your leg forward, lift it up, sculpting space with that big toe.

How large can you make the circle? Without disrupting the pelvis. The band puts some limits on it, but you try to create that mobility. XL. Huggging in my waist. A split second before the leg really moves that heavy spring. So I'm stabilizing right before I need it.

On your next one, inhale it creeps forward. Now reverse, sweep it back. Large circle. So whatever that means to your body, I'm trying not to add rotation. I'm just seeing how far can I push this range moving into my band without disrupting my pelvis? Trying to not lose that bottom waistline.

And then one more, come to a lift turn it out, go into that froggy leg. I'm gonna try and rotate, but keep the stack of my hips, giving a little assist here, and then pump that heel out. Inhale, turned out frog, exhale, push energy through your heel. As I rotate, it's like top hip a little forward thigh spiraling back inhale, exhale, froggy leg, three. And two, mine needs a little boost on this right side. One more, turn it out as you push, keep the leg long, and now small bend, little press. Small bend, little press. Inhale, exhale.

Five. Little frog stamps. Four. Three, two, and one, extend it. Oh, and then let it crumble. Barely made it out of that side. You're gonna take the strap up higher above the knee. Giving you that extra push, help yourself gently up from sideline.

Support with the forearm coming onto your knees. I like to flatten the headrest. Elbow is on that carriage. Hand holds the pig. I'm gonna take my right big toe to the ground, making sure my loop is well above that knee joint, and then I'm gonna weight shift over into my left knee left shin, tuck your tail even though you're a little twisted and now arabest that leg up.

It's a little rotated, inhaled down into the right. Can even bring hand down to the carriage, or if you like it up on that block, legs stays a little bit to the outer edge of my hip as I sweep. Inhale as I go down. Xhale. Oh, abs wrapping me in, like an invisible corset, shoulder shrug down. One more. Try and sweep that arabesque up, keep it lifted, inhale it out to the right, exhale, sweep it back.

Now it's okay if it's out an inch and an inch. I just don't want like the leg to drop. So keep it up. Keep it up. Fight it back. Inhale a little up into the side.

Pull it back. 32, so much good oblique work here, sneaky obliques. On the last one, can you take it up and out, up and out, hold it, little lift into the band, up, up exhale six five four, three, two, and one. I'm shaking, bring it all the way in. My poor little right side has a hard time keeping up with the left. Oh, so that was my more difficult side. I know you feel it. And then carefully help yourself onto your seat, maybe turn to face that back wall so you can get your leg out of the strap. Good news is we're gonna ditch the band.

You can take it off, put it to the side, That's the good news. I'm gonna add a red spring for a little bit of carriage stability, getting my box, preparing for some side overs, giving my seat a little moment to recover, shifting my focus a little more fully to abdominals. Box is gonna cover the shoulder rest, but not the pegs, pulling that safety strap up from in front of my gear bar. I like to get planted on my box first, and then I'm gonna put my left foot in, turning to face you. Bottom leg, almost like figure four, which feels nice.

It's almost like a little hip release, bottom hand of the headrest. Just like side lying, I'm gonna use that same application of rolling my top leg a little down and forward parallel. Kick ankle bone up, reaching the top waist long, lifting bottom side. One hand behind the head, inhale think of getting longer as we go down towards the headrest, exhale, push through your bottom hand, tighten your waist, lean the heart a little back. You can always keep that bottom hand down.

It's a great place to be checking alignment, supporting your form. Feel good to go. Let's go ahead and wrap the bottom arm. Inhale. Up and out, exhale. Kick, kick, kick, kick, using all that good strength and hip, glute outer thigh we just worked on in side lines coming up from there. Head presses back into the hand.

Exhale, I keep my chest really open. How low can I go? Exhale how slow can I bring myself up? So it's really muscular. Go for two more. Think of turning your top toes a little bit down. It'll help you keep that really nice alignment of pelvis on spine. I also think of a little tuck of the tail squeezing my glute.

Come to your diagonal where it's hard to balance. Now bring your elbows in. Big inhale reach overhead, exhale. Pull the elbows in. Think of squeezing the ribs together.

Inhale length, exhale pulling in even those little intercostal muscles. Long diagonal exhale. Good. Inhale, exhale pull it in. For three, feel the length, two, One cross over the chest, last push, inhale, little exhale twisting, rails to ceiling. My hips don't move. I'm trying to just articulate right underneath those floating ribs. Four. Three, two. One, finish the twist, hand down. Give yourself a little walk out on those rails. Lower side of the back and the hip are gonna extend.

It's like a twisted child's pose. Two hands to the back rail, open your chest. So you get more of that side body stretch. I have my hands on the right rail, opening my chest stretching out the side that just worked. Oh, and then slowly I use my hands.

I help myself up and in. Take it around second side. Top foot goes in. Take the bottom leg out. Shift your weight over fully into that bottom hip, bottom c, kicking the ankle bone up, toes roll a little down.

I'm gonna tuck my tail to engage my glute, my abs lengthening the low back, hand behind the head, side push up, pushing through the palm. Inhale as you go down. Exale leaning the head slightly back into the hand is gonna help that upper back extension remain. Maybe bottom arm wraps. Think of getting longer to go sideways.

Up slow, slow. Nice way to increase the challenge. Go down a little lower, exhale. Come up slower. I'm not collapsing. I really think of reaching the tips of my ears to the far wall as I go down.

Exhale as I come back up. Think of squeezing that glute at the top. If you lost it, a little point of tailbone down to that bottom heel, it's gonna help elongate through your lumbar. Three. Two, come up, stay up, exhale.

Once you're up lower back down to where you've got tension, find your diagonal. Exhale. Lean the heart back. Inhale reach, exhale pull it in, inhale length, exhale think cinch the waist, ribs draw together with your exhale. Inhale, exhale. Three, two, One cross hands over chest, little twist down, little twist up. It's smaller than you think.

Don't disrupt that lower body. Last three. Two. One, take a twist, hand down, and slow. Luxuriate. Take that long walk out a little bit of a recovery here. Nice traction through that lower side of the hip and the back as you keep your foot in the strap.

Head hangs. Two hands to the left, open your chest to the right for more of that side body stretch all the way through. Hip waist, underarm feels pretty good. I'm gonna slowly bring my hands back to the rails, walk myself up and in. As I come forward, I'm gonna go much lighter here. I'm gonna go to a high yellow.

If you like more support in your lunging and your planking, that would be a blue. Last push. I'm gonna bring my box into long box position on the ground. It matches the front and back edge of my carriage. As I step up, feet to Pilates v. So it looks like my left toes are coming in towards the reformer, a little bit of rotation.

Just like footwork, think Pilates stance. Foot bars there if you need it for balance, you're gonna step your outside foot back setting up for curtsy lunge. You can even bring the foot bar up higher, so it's closer to you. I'm gonna go no hands. Hands to hips, chest leans a little bit forward.

I've got a high heel in my back foot. As I take this low light curtsy lunge on my exhale, I dig through the heel, hug my abs up, draw my body up, trying to find that weight through the heel nice, glute, and rotator activation. Back leg is long. It's like I'm pushing the carriage away from me and then exhale standing up. Lighter spring makes this a little challenging.

Chest forward nice generous hinge. Exhale hugging the abs off the floor, digging the heel down. My outside hips trying to roll just a little bit forward, like a little bit of a rotation towards the foot bar so that my pelvis isn't torquing off to the side. One more. On your next one, come low stay low chest forward.

Tail back, I try and shift my weight so that shin bone's closer to the heel, scooping the back leg in, pushing it out. Option to stay here with the arms, or we're gonna add that long reach, exhale elbows in, like what we did with our side overs. Long reach, scrunch the tummy, pull everything in. Space in length, hug in from the waist. Four.

Three. Two. One hands to palm press. Bend the back knee. Give me a little rise, little fall.

Little rise, little fall. Four. Get it low. Three. Need close to the wooden rail for two. And one, stand all the way up.

Coming down to the box. I'm gonna frame my box with my hands as I carefully come to my knees. Thumbs together, fingers wrap my hands look like a w. Inside foot's gonna find the shoulder block, same spring. I like my high yellow, pushing energy through that straight carriage leg, find your plank, crossing outer ankle up and over, no weight in that right foot. Start to exhale, bend both knees scrunch tummy.

Inhale lengthen out. Little tuck at the tail. Me scoop low to the carriage. I think of zipping up my inner thighs when legs are straight. Two more.

And then, pike, push down through the hands, lift lower belly, strong legs, strong abs. Oh, and then slow to your plank. Exhale hands down, tummy up, inhale as we lower, exhale. Three. Two, and pike.

Maybe you can dot that carriage, come down slow, slow, slow, find a hold for three, zip up in earth, squeeze glutes for a tooth, and one soft knees. Catch yourself on the carriage. Let that carriage come in, taking any shake out you need between sides. Last push a class. We're gonna take that box all the way around finishing on your final side.

Dossy dough that box around, you can always put it on the carriage, and then it'll meet you on that second side. Heart rate is elevated from those planks coming back to your lunge. Pilates, the toes turn a little towards, the wooden rail of your reformer frame, outside foot steps behind. High heel, weight shifted a little forward, inhale, low curtsy lunge, wrapping that outside hip a little forward, exhale, dig down through your heel like you're planting roots into your box. Nice hinge as we go forward with that inhale, long energy through the back leg, exhale coming up from your depths. Feeling that weight shift a little more in the heel because I'm trying to feel more of this outer edge of my seat really standing me up through that lead leg.

That hinge helps us rotate pelvis on spine so we get a little lower. Also nice focus for the glute. I'm sweating inhale forward. I exhale. Two more. And one, can we come low?

Scoop the belly, little tuck of the tail carriage in, and then press it back out. Option to keep the hands here. Again, you can always go for the foot bar should you need it? I'm gonna come in and then reach long. Scrench the abdominals. Like I'm pulling my ribs a little down in and together.

And I'm trying to keep my weight shifted back towards my heel. Need draws a little bit back towards ankle bone. Three. Two. One palms press soft in the back knee. Can you go down? Almost touching that frame with your back knee.

Inhale, exhale, slow and low. Five. Four. Three. Two, and one standing all the way up. Finish it. Let's come down to the box, knees on your box, hands frame the upper left corner.

Hands like a w thumbs connect, hands wrap. Top inside of the box, inside leg goes long. Push it back. Get the strength in that leg, tuck the tail, squeeze your glutes, cross your outside leg up and over, exhale. Scoop tuck curl. Knees, grays close to that carriage because I have that roundness in my low back helping me find my lowest abdominals.

Two more. Last push. Two straight legs. Pike handstand belly up head falls, maybe dock the carriage. No weight in that outer foot.

Strong zipped up legs. Inhale. XL three. Two. And one, come down slow, hold your plank, tuck tail fire up the glute, zip up your inner thighs, press shoulder blades wide. Three, two, and one, knees to your carriage, softly come to center.

Finish with me hips to heels, wide knees. Take your long child's post stretch here. Let the head hang. Open the chest. Inhale into your back lungs, expand, exhale. Think long spine heavy tail. Take right hand under the left, hold the side of the footbar.

A little twist here. Push with your top hand, pull with your bottom, releasing tension around that shoulder blade, slowing down the heart rate. Switch child's supposed left hand comes under right hold the side of the footbar, twist, push into the top hand, pull into that bottom. The push pull creates this nice traction around your left shoulder blade. Two hands to the footbar push the carriage out one last time.

Inhale, we exhale, tuck the tail, ripple through the spine, round it up, docking your carriage, continue to roll up. Shoulders down and back. Feeling so accomplished abs and glutes. Thank you so much for joining me. That's your class.