lovely class, first time watching a fletcher based session! I am curious to know if the leg that's on the pedal during the releve movements can be fully straight and if yes, wouldn't that put a lot of pressure on the knee? Where should the movement on the pedal drive from?
Hi Manasa Kannan — Natalia from the Pilates Anytime team here! I am also a certified instructor! 👍
Great question! Given that the heel of the foot is resting on the pedal, there is a little bit of extra support for the leg during the press down in releve. Also when pressing, by continuing to elongate from the standing leg all the way up and out through the crown of the head, and engage through the entire working leg [especially in the quads], this extension in posture will also help alleviate any potential strain within the knee joint.
However, if you notice that you or your client is experiencing strain on the knee during this exercise, we would recommend either lightening the spring load on the chair, or omitting the press down on the pedal altogether, and pivot focus on the balance challenge of the releve, while reinforcing the engagement of the quads while balancing.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to us at support@pilatesanytime.com.
Manasa Kannan I was a "baby" when I taught this class :). The way that I would cue this movement today is less of a press and more of an "arc." Often, I ask my clients to pull the pedal towards them by drawing their thigh bone deeper into their hip socket. This helps them feel a little less like they have to work from the long lever of the heel connection and instead helps them access the hamstring, almost omitting the knee issue altogether. There's almost a "traction-ing" effect of the heel against the pedal when you think of it this way. When you add the releve, it adds a "scissor" effect to the legs like in the matwork exercise to bring the inner thighs into it. I can show you next time in the studio. Hope this helps and thank you for the explanation Natalia G . While I'm not teaching on the platform anymore, I'm always happy to lend my voice to the conversation surrounding previous classes. :).
Jenna Zaffino that explains a lot Jenna, thank you! Especially the pull of the hamstring, I can imagine the feel of the muscles, the scissor part of it is such a great cue and is incorporated in such a beautiful way in this session. Absolutely loved it :)