Class #773

Cadillac Mobility

15 min - Class
99 likes

Description

Michael King teaches a Cadillac class focusing on flexibility and mobility, particularly in the thoracic and lumbar spinal regions but there are some fabulous hip and leg stretches as well. This is a great class to release the restrictions built up over time. Michael offers several variations on similar exercises so you can pick the one that suits your needs most.
What You'll Need: Cadillac

About This Video

Aug 15, 2012
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Transcript

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Hi, I'm Michael King and today would be working, working with a Cadillac or trapeze table, but we'll be focusing on mobility and flexibility. We're going to start today with a push through bar with no springs. If I'm focusing on mobility, I don't have the springs cause that's gonna create tension often if you have tension in it but is going to create more tension as you're pushing through. So we're going to start first with the hands, flex the spine and curve back round. And now from here, push the bar down and push the bar through. Come back, flex the spine curve back. Now from here, bend the elbows, lift up and again flex back round and pushed through. So we're starting focusing on lumbar spine, on the hamstrings.

As you push too from here, bend the elbows, lift up, flex back curve and push through. Nice. And use the long breaths. Take a breath in. Flex Bend, breathing out to the lens and stretching up. Take a breath in. Breathe out, flex and push through. And now progressing this movement. We're going to pull back, flex the spine, then the elbows. And now from here, drop the shoulders, push the bar up and chest long spine. As you're reaching diagonally forward, come back, come back to a seated position. Then bend the elbows, flex curve back and push through again. Flex the spine so you really feel like someone's pulling you back.

As I am here and I bend the elbows long spine here. Now reach up. Then the Abba's back. Flex the spine curve and ran through. Normally I do five repetitions of each movement, but of course you can do more if you feel that you need it or if you're an instructor, if your client needs it, then allow yourself to do the number that's gonna get the most benefit and sometimes just getting the movement sequence, pushing out, lengthening. Then push stretch, reaching back and flex the spine curve and pushed through and come back up. City position. Now with this hand, placed that 100% to the bar.

Let's do the other one first. Now with the other hand reached diagonally behind. Now reach back diagonally. Tilt the pelvis, push the pelvis down, and just hold that stretch. Now take a breath in. As you breathe out, lift the chest up and open the front of the chest so it feels like I'm going to use my finger, but just lifting up underneath that thoracic. Keep the spine long, curve back with the end and again, breathing out, lift up and use that thoracic. Keep the spine long and reached through, keeping the neck long and again, bend down with the end. Everything out. Push. Now of course you have to switch on that core, keep that pelvis as stable as possible and really pull against the ball. You've got a very nice stable bar here that you can use to help that shoulder dropping down. Come back down, lift back up and come back to a CD position.

Let's try that little side within and breathing out full x and curve back. So shoulder drops down, curve and lift up through the thoracic, keeping the center connected and the curve back with the in and breathing out. Lift up. I always feel like the queue, here's your chest. The sternum is lifting up to the ceiling. Almost letting this shut. The Sun's up there shining on our chest, lifting up, reaching out, poorer shot really in and this what should be nice about here is that the fitting of the shoulder blades melting down your back. Again, breathing in, breathing out, a little lengthen, push you reach. I come back and then roll back up.

This I progressed into an around the world variation, so with the same hand as we just did a first time circle down to the floor. Now what I wanted to feel is you reach that position in the middle, so lift the chest. Now come over, stretch, reach and reverse. Lift the chest up, take it back down and come back up again with the in with the owl curve, lift the chest long spine left again. Reach around and push back. You could get a nice stretch. I already stopped mid point, so circle back, go over the the whole that keep coming over to me, giving the hand and our stretch. Lengthen out. Reach us.

You get that nice circular increasing sized circle each time you do it. I care about, let's change it to the side. It should feel quite good really in everything out and push out. Of course, this is tradition was always done with the roll down bar, but with a stable push through bar. As I say, you've got that nice stability that you can really focus on opening and stretching the upper back. So many people today have got so much tension in their upper back. It kind of restricts the movement and of course when you have tension, you want to use that tension and not use the ever important core. So find that core, reach that point, lift the chest, lift up, take it over, reverse, take it out and come back up.

One last time with the brush. I'll come around the side, hold it mid point, difficult as they always want. Stretching on one side. You can stretch them on the other side. Push out a little Anthony out. Now you can rest your head and my money. Now stretch this, reach out, stretch out, stretch curve. Come back around and come back to a sitting position. So the next variation is the same movement in a standing position.

This is why I feel great, especially if you're really tight in the hamstrings, where sometimes here you feel that you can't get the movement with the legs on the Cadillac standing, you get a little bit more movement. So with your feet parallel, just as we did sitting, I want you to flex and curve back. Now from here, get that pelvic tilt. Sometimes I describe it, it's almost like a sad dog if it came from a client one time. But when a client, the client says, do you want a sad dog or do you want a happy dog? And I always say, well, no, it's a sad dog. So it was that tell about the tailbone curve and uh, and now from here, push through. Now Lenten the spine long, the neck is long, your tailbone is pushing back, curve back.

Take that sad dog curve that pelvis under. Now pull the bar towards you lit up and reversing curve that bad. So the first part of the movement, as I say, especially if you've got a lot of tension to your hamstrings, if your legs are strong and that tight, this is maybe a better variation than the city variation. Lengthening, poor back, reach out. But again with no springs, as soon as you add springs, they're going to assist and challenge. And really what to say we really want this to be is more for that mobility and flexibility, especially in that thoracic and lumbar spine.

Now this time come up and now push the ball up from here closer with cage long spine. Push the heels down and stretch long through the body. Good. And our curve back seated and our push and lengthen out. Curving back. We the end. Pull the bar towards you and then push up. Close that rib cage.

Push the heels down as the floor long spine. Take a breath in and push forward. Lengthen out. One last time, reaching up, reaching out, push [inaudible] back. So from a standing position, put one hand in the center and now reach diagonally back at Lens and back. Regional long stretch. Stretch long through the spine and then come back up and change onto the side.

Take a breath here. Sorry. He have watched the pelvis stay stable and reach out. Yeah, lift the chest up. So same as we did sitting. The feeling is that your chest bone is lifting at the ceiling and then come back up, breathing in and breathing out. Lengthen and stretch back. Reach Law. Drop the shoulder down and I come back up. And let's take into a circle.

Breathing the in and without circle around, over the top. Uh, Anthony, reverse back. Push and out again. Breathing in and breathing out. Push [inaudible] and reaching out. Hang on to the center and really focused on that thoracic. So the upper back is what you're focusing on. Change hands, a suicide, reaching around. Drop the shoulder. Lengthen. Take a breath in, breathing out, lift the chest up and come back. Breathing in and again, breathing out.

God in the outer, reaching out. One last time. Take your breath in, everything out. Reach around, lift the chest up curve. Take a breath in, breathe out, lift the chest up. Reach and come back down. And releasing out. Go ahead and come around. I want you to stand on the Cadillac now. Watch your head as you're going up.

We're gonna use the physes for a little bit of stretching. Now a little bit of fun stretching. First of all, take the left leg and place it through the fuzzy. Now of course, if you've got somebody that's really flexible, if you are really flexible, you can always shorten the fuzzy by rolling it up a few times and having the fuzzy high. But we're going to be gentle today. So from here, put the left hand under, so the same arm as leg. This Lenten out, this is turned out pelvis stable. Lift the right arm up to the ceiling and then stretching out and reaching over the leg. God again with the in, lift out for the first one, hamstring and lateral stretch. Lift back up, breathing in and as you breathe out, stretch up and reach over. Dropping the pelvis down so the leg is rotating out. Now come back up. This time, change hands, placed the hand under, lift the other hand up and now stretch away from the leg.

I really get the feeling you're lifting up and away out of that hip. Stretching, lifting up, change hands, breathing in and breathing out. Stretch and lengthen out. Good change. Hands. Lifting up, breathing in, reaching out. Push away. Now from here, bend the knee to get a little bit further for the legs and our fields. The leg is pushing away, so really stretch that leg out. Long. Come back up and change hands. Breathing in and breathing out.

Bend the knee as you reach over. Hold that center pushing out. One more time. Breathing in, breathing out. Stretch out. And now this time, take the hand, hold the bar behind you and now rotate and lengthen the spine. Now you can walk this hand a little bit further and now from here, lift the chest up and lengthen out. Long stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch, reach. Say Nice rotation, stretch. Come back in. Bring the hand over and come up. Now turn around, face me at this end with your hands.

You can either walk out a little bit further forward and hold onto the end bars or stay up now s length in the back leg. Hold the center, bend the knee, breathing out, push down, reaching out. Good. Take a breath in, lifting up and breathing out. Lens and out. Push away. So of course find the point that you feel you've got the stability. If you feel that it's too far to take the hands, lower the don't take them low. But if you can progress eventually to be working onto holding onto the bar as you push forward, push the ball forward and the length and out.

So nice long stretch. Pull up and again, push down. So again, we have not added the springs to this, so I'm making you work a little bit. As I say, more of a mobility, flexibility. Lift up, breathing in, breathing out. Push the this time come up, bend the elbows, pull the bar up and push the bar up. A lengthening out. Stretch again. Bend the knee, bend the elbows, push down and lengthen out. Don't forget this leg, this leg is getting longer. So again, I promise you you're going to leave taller today.

So we have to focus on the lower body to get that, not just on the upper body, reaching out a headset. Good. Take a breath in. Bend those elbows without push forward. Low Anthon, long spine, long stretch. Now I'm going to take the ball, take your hands, walk up the bar of the side, come back up, come to [inaudible], rotate. Face the front and take the leg out. And let's do that on the other side. So turn around and face. So from here, the feet, it's about 45 degrees. Turn out. The main thing here is you're dropping that pelvis down. So the pelvis is down.

Lift arm up. Now reach up to the ceiling first. Lengthen out and stretch over the lake. Breathing out. Now as you're doing this, think about the shoulders. Drop the shoulders down, come back up with the in and it. Do the same side again. Breathing out. So center connected. Push down on that leg, lifting up everything in everything has stretch and [inaudible] had a gosh. Now this time I'm going to change hands. Come up, change the hands over, reach away, push the Lego out. So if we really feel like you're opening that hip opening out, come back up.

Change hands, breathing in and breathing out. Length in our hole, the center. Now bend the knee a little bit together, a little bit more stretch as I progress this. Remember you've always got the option of not progressing it. Stay where you feel you want to work. They give the most benefit. Other stretch, come back up with the in and breathing out. Stretch over. Lengthen, reaching out. Come back out. Breathing in everything out.

Next I'm going to do that and rotationals have come up. No more rotation. We're going to over now told the bar behind. Good. Now with this hand, stretch out. Feel that you're really pushing the leg away from you. Lengthen out long, long. If you were to take the hands a little bit further back, walk the hands back. Good there. Now say now keep the head on the spine. Lengthen out center.

Push through the back of the leg, push through that heel, hold that center. Lengthen, reach. Come back up. Turn to face me. Turn and face the end of the bar. Hold and now from the hair, just push away first. Just get into the movement. Keep the spine long. Always.

Always keep that lumbar spine open so you have to use that center. Now walk back up and again, push down and again, if you count this time, take the hands down, go lower down and push away. Now really feel that leg lengthening out. When I do this myself, I just feel it gets so deep as it gets, nothing else can get. And then slowly roll back up. Breathe in and again, breathe out. Now we're going to hold the bar this time.

So with that push through bar where the out, push the bar forward. Do you feel this leg is pushing hours and you're like a piece of elastic? Stretching the spine. Come back, push the bar and again through couple times just staying on the low end of the movement, pulling up with the in and as you breathe out, lengthen and stretch further, longer stretch. Now here we go. Bend the elbows, come up, push and stretch up. Now from here, if you want to take it a little bit further, my belly, that Leah, that position, so the arm, stout, Preuss, long, long neck, spine long, hold that ribcage, come back up the length and the leg and push the bar down. Let's say the key is those springs don't use them. Make the body work here with the mobility. Of course, adding springs is going to be the easiest way to give a bit of assistance, but it also can be the easiest way to create more tension in the upper body around and push forward. Push down [inaudible] but in a really out push, long spine stretch, stretch, stretch. Come up. Let me take the bar, turn and face me every like out and go ahead and come down.

So the Cadillac is a great tool. I mean you can do from ability where you can get strength work on all the pieces of plotters equipment. Today we'd been looking at some of the movements that I use really say, really focused on using this for mobility and flexibility. I look forward to seeing you again. Thank you.

Comments

Absolutely loved it ! Thank you.
3 people like this.
awesome class, but i have to comment on the different angle of the camera, which was GREAT!. It helped in a different way. Should try that more often.
Excellent routine!
Yum....love these quick hits! Thank you
Nobody stretches my body out like Michael King! His workouts are the first thing I think about after a long day in front of the computer.
As always, Michael you are completely inspiring. I can't wait to get to the studio to try this workout. It looked amazing. I can only imagine how it felt! Kristi, you are an amazing mover. You made it look so fluid and graceful, I'm envious! Awesome job!
I just completed this class and it was all I had expected and more. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!
Fantastic! :)
Thank you Heikki for your comments
Cher
Feels so good after all those stretches. Thank you so much.
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