PRO | Side Splits to Lunge Flow

And we are going to work on one red spring for a vertical flow. So I'm just gonna move this bar out of the way so that I have a little bit more of a ledge to work on. Step one foot to the ledge, hands are on your hips, ball of the foot on the back leg. And from here, we're just gonna start by tapping up and tapping down. Notice that my body is staying pitched forward.

It requires a little bit less balance. However, you could be doing this just on the mat. Right? Not all your clients are gonna have the balance to step to that ledge, make sure it's appropriate. Two more here. And now wherever you're at, find yourself up on the machine in a skater position We push that working leg out and in. The knees are right over the toes, and I'm pushing just with one side, everybody. Okay.

So many ways to do this, notice my standing leg is not moving. So we're getting the stabilizers of that hip. Back is flat. Two more here, chest is open. Come on in, slowly stand up.

The foot on the carriage pivots, the heel is off the edge, line up your heel to your arch, and then turn your hips towards the back corner of your machine. The arms are out. The back leg propels you out and in. You need to have good footing here. I just made a little adjustment. Push with that back leg and in.

And again push and they can go out, you know, like as far as they can go out. Maybe they tap out and in. Your taller people, of course, are gonna tap out before the smaller people, like me. Now we go into a lunge, bend the front knee, hold it, and come on in. I like it percussive, hold, and try not to have any bounce on that carriage at all.

Hold. And up, it's easier said than done. Hold. Come on in. Lower your arms. We're gonna transition to a ninety ninety lunge.

Notice I'm pivoting that back foot. Now, the front foot can be a little bit more forward. If you needed a little bit lighter from here, we slowly bend both knees into a ninety ninety lunge. I want that back shinbone parallel to the ground. And come slowly up. Now, this is no joke.

It doesn't look like much, but there's a lot of balance required here. Holt and come up. And again, Take it down and hold ideally shinbone parallel to the ground. Keep focusing on what those knees are doing. Hold From here, come slowly in, bring your hands to the shoulder blocks and find a plank.

And now this makes for a very nice transition down to the ground, step towards camera, come all the way up and turn yourself around. And we are ready for a little scooter. So we push that leg out and in just one more, out because we're doing the scooter a little differently this time. From here, step into a curtsy lunge deep and back to the shoulder block. Curtsy, back to the shoulder block.

Courtesy, and up your beginners or, you know, kind of level one people, they can just do this. We can also build it into a combination, and up. Push out and in. We curtsy. We go back.

We push and in. Courtesy. You go back. You go out. And in last time, And we're gonna begin everything on the second side.

So turn and face the machine. You're deciding how you're starting. Some of you just in a ninety, ninety lunge and tapping. Your weight is forward on the front foot. And then you can do this at any speed you'd like. Some of you will be moving briskly.

Some of you slow and steady. So you determine what's best for you. Knee alignment, key for me. Upper back staying straight, key for me. Also controlling this landing. I don't want you to fud to the ground.

Let's do one more everybody. Everybody come up to your carriage set up for skater. Now we push the carriage out and in. It's your second side. So hopefully this side, you got all your ducks in a row.

Your breath is flowing. You can feel the exercise now a little bit more than just thinking about it. Feel it. Deep in your breath. Two or three more, that standing leg should have a burn going now.

Last one, Come on in slowly stand. Pivot the foot on the reformer. The heel's gonna hang off, heel, and arch have a relationship, turn your pelvis in the direction of the back corner. The arms come up. That should help you.

And now you push with the back leg, and you need leverage with that back foot. So scoot it a little bit if you need to. Push out, hold, and in. It is important that you feel grounded when you're on a reformer, guys. So whether you're barefoot, grip sock, grip tape, you wanna feel grounded.

Also for safety reasons, you must have that sense of being grounded. You're getting taller and taller with each rep. Now let's go into the lunge, a little percussive. Lunch. And in, did your carriage bounce?

Again, lunge. And in, there's an exercise called fencing on the trap table. Lunch. And in, and lunge shoulders are down. And in, last time, lunge and come on in, turn to the back, adjust that front foot maybe a little forward, pivot the back leg, And now we come to that ninety ninety. So that was a tricky transition, everyone.

Make sure it's appropriate. And again, slow and steady down. And up. Slow and steady down. If balance is an issue, maybe they touch and they come up.

Maybe they touch. And they come up. Last time, hold come in, the hands go to the shoulder blocks. You find a plank position and you just hold it here, then you step off. You pivot towards the front of the carriage and you're set up for scooter.

Me is not touching. Just a few simple ones to re acclimate to the shape. And now we come into the curtsy lunge. So we're gonna take a deep curtsy. You go under the reformer, you tap the shoulder block.

Inhale, and exhale notice the angle of my trunk has not changed through this whole the whole skater series we were here, and we're back in this same position here again. And now maybe we go to a combo. We push out and in. There's a lot of balance and control required during these little shifts, and I don't want the carriage to bang. Banging carriage is also gonna always let you know who has control and who doesn't. Last one, Oh, and come on in. Alright.

We're doing spring change. We're going to something lighter. So a blue is what I recommend. Step one foot to the ledge and take the other foot up And this time, your feet are gonna be open. The arms are east and west.

We're doing traditional inner thigh. So slide the carriage open as wide as you'd like. Pull the carriage in tight. And I mean all the way tight. And again, allow the carriage to open and pull all the way in. Now, we're adding a pattern to this.

We side bend up and over as you open. Now here's the unusual thing. Keep your trunk still. Bring the carriage in. Isn't that interesting?

And now everything up in one piece and open. And again, side bend to the back of the machine Stay right here. As the carriage comes in, it kinda pushes you further into the side stretch. Everything up and open. Last time, up and over. Carriage comes in. Everything up and open from here hinge forward to a flat back position. Keep your weight forward on the front of your foot.

Notice my heels are really light. And now from here, the carriage opens. And we pull close. We squeeze tight. Now, if this is too much, you just go back to the basic. You open and you pull close.

You open You pull close. One more time, you open, you pull close from wherever you are, two choices. You come down, the hands go to the frame and you walk yourself out or the hands go to the ankles. Drop your head, everybody. Let the carriage open.

The head goes straight down into the spring. I hope my hair doesn't get caught. We pull the carriage back in. The hands come down. Let's step out up and over to the other side.

So here we go. All the way up, the feet are wide. The arms are east and west. The tail is dropped. We let the carriage open, and we pull close.

And again, allow the carriage to open. Sometimes a simpler flow is better so that you can remember it. Open and pull in the carriages in so tight. Pause here. Now we add that movement pattern. We bend to the back of the machine, hold it here. Like you're holding a magic circle.

Pull the carriage in. That's gonna pull you further into the stretch everything up right now, and open. And again, side bend, reach for the back of the carriage. Slide the carriage in, keep reaching through the arms all the way up. And open last time, side bend over. Let the carriage come in.

Come all the way up. Open the arms. Stay upright or fold forward into that hinge position. It's okay also to soften the knees, if you feel any discomfort here, wherever you're at, the carriage opens, and you pull close. The range is determined by you, You open, maintain that nice neutral position. If you're forward, the weight feels like it's on the front half of your foot.

One more time, slow here, guys. Slow. Take your full stretch this time. Full, full, full, full, pull all the way in. The hands come down maybe to the ankles. Maybe to the frame, drop your head. And take a nice big stretch open.

The head goes right down to the well. Pull the carriage in. The hands come off. Step yourself down. That's the end of that series.