Stabilizing Reformer

Hi everybody. I'm Tracy Mallett. It's so great to be here. I think it was February of this year. I mean 2014 I was here at time. Just goes so quick. I can't even believe it feels only like yesterday. I was here. Anyway, I'm really glad. Really happy to be here.

So you ready to walk out? My favorite piece of equipment. The reformer. Alright, so start with a nice warmup. We're going to come see end of the reformer here. We're going to put our feet hit with the part, but the hands to gown. We're going to take a deep breath in and then we're going to add cell and just roll as south down. Ian, how here XL, draw those abs in and remember their head is very, very heavy. The head is going to be the last thing that unfolds. Let's try that again in how this time we're going to ask our roll down.

Once you reach forwards to the reformer play, she hounds a little bit further than shoulder width apart. We're going to inhale, push the reform around that. Feel that lovely length in the back of the hamstrings and into that extension, the mid upper back, pulling the shoulder blades down and then slowly roll back, roll and you resist in the reformer. And again, now inhale, look out. It's that beautiful horizon. I've got that. Yeah, beautiful ocean in front of me. I just want to jump in that pool and then roll back, jump into that ocean and then back and again, Ian Hell, pull your scapula down, watch you know, arch in your back, pulling those abdominals and round back. Let's do a few more just to work and release the spine to get ready for our great workout and then roll back one more time, little bit further. If you can, try and press the heels, even feel the hamstring, feel the calf stretch and then round all the way back slowly.

From here, I'm just going to put your hands a little bit close together and all I'm going to ask you to do is take your right hand, they're going to reach out and that lovely rotation and then reach out and then slowly come back down and rotate your body. To Center. Let's try that again. Rotates you in that spine extension with rotation. There goes the train and then push you out and then come back again and then take the hands back. Beautiful stretch. One more time. Rotate out. Now push out and that beautiful extension and the rule.

I'm going to curve back one more time. Rotate in that extension, push away and then come back and then round back. Awesome. That's roll all the way up. Okay. Let's start with some legwork. So we're going to put it up here at start with, I'm going to do, cause I like to work my legs a little bit heavier. I'm going to do three reds and the blue one here depending on your springs. Sometimes you can add green in there. It's a lay down.

Okay. We're going to put your feet hit with the part and we're just going to XL and push out. Find that neutral position, draw the abdominals in and let's push out and then remember who was want to start with some leg work. Get the core involved, keeping the pelvis stable as much as we can in that neutral position. Now think of pushing out with the heels and then as she come back, think of engaging those hamstrings. Always forget about the posterior chains, not about your quads. It's about those, the back of the legs, the hamstrings. Okay, now are you breathing okay and try and get into a nice with them. We go out to come in to go out to come in to go out to come in to go out.

Let's add some pulses. Pulse. Now you're work into that mid range, not to full extension, just to that mid range. Fill those hamstrings. Press with the heels, tailbone down, five and four and three and two last one. Now watch that pelvis. Don't Tuck the pelvis, keep that neutral. Elongate. Come back down again quickly replace the heels with the toes and we push out.

I'm going to keep you going. It's a nice pace. We want to get that heart pumping. We want to work those legs but with control you work in through for control. Keep the heels completely stable. Let's do three more. Okay, and two and one more.

You ready for your little pulses and through that mid range? Mid Range, mid range, mid range go and five and four and three and two. Now one more. Watch the heels. As you push out, watch that towel barn and then come back down quickly into our first position. Now be careful knees of your first and second toe. For sure way. We always want to be careful that we're not trying to spread the knees wide.

Then you overarch in the back. You want to keep the knees in line with the first and second toe. I know that we always say that we're doing that, but when we actually look at our bodies, we're not doing that. So look, are you really doing it? Fill those inner thighs. Good. Let's do four more. Those for, try not to pressure shoulders into the shoulder pats. Sure.

Are you ready for those little pulses? Let's go both. You've got that rhythm. Cute pulse and pulse. Apples. Four more and four and three and two. Now one more. Use those in a size. Beautiful.

And then come back down. Okay. Heels wide. Ready. Exhale. Okay. And back. Try and relax your feet as you can. That's hard for me cause I always carry a lot of tension in my feet.

But you try your best. I'm trying my best. So I'm with you on this one. Okay. Hey, tailbone down. Okay, breathe. You Ready? Feel a little pulses. Go pulse, pulse, pulse. Draw back with those hamstrings. Pulse, pulse and five handful and three and two. Now one more beautiful extension without moving your pelvis and then come back down again. Gently. Toes still in there.

External rotation at the hip. Ready and back. Are you ready? Let's pulse it out. Pulse, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. No, I know all the way out. Squeeze and lengthen and then come all the way back down. Bring your knees together, give yourself a little hug. Beautiful.

Now we're going to turn over to be on our side, but first of all I want to roll all the way up gracefully and I want to take one read off. So now I have two beds. One blue. Okay, we're going to be side profile here working to single leg. Now, top leg is going to be right at the corner. The other leg is going to be extended. Now I like to hold my house here to stop my shoulders jamming against the shoulder rest. Now look at your hips. Your hips are square. There should be a little spacey as your obliques not collapsing. You're lifting up out of the reformer, ready you in parallel position.

Now pop your hand right here and depressed. We want Len from your rib to your hip. What we're trying to do is hopefully not hike that hip so you can see I've got my hand here. I'm stuffing myself. I'm going up that way. Jeremy, my shoulder, but then I'm also got my hand here and I am helping my hips. I don't want to hike. I don't want to go into the QL. I want to keep that beautiful length.

I want to keep the oblique activated on the underlying. Okay. Slowly out n and apt. Let's try and do three more. Three and two. You might get some little pulses now. Ooh, hen pulse, midway, three, four, five, six, seven. Keep pushing down eight, nine all the way out. As you extend, I'm depressing even more. I'm helping my hip and then I'm coming all the way back down again.

What are we going to do from here is do externally rotate, depressed that hand. Now push away and back. Exhale, so there you're going to feel a little bit more your inner thigh, right? That's what you should be feeling a little bit more on your inner thigh. Also your feeling in your glue cause you're in that external rotation and that rotators of the hip. Hand on hip.

Let's do three more. I'm not very good at counting. I'm queuing three, two and one. You ready to pick up that pace? Yeah, one and two and three and four. Keep pressing on the hip and five and six and seven and eight and nine. You're ready all the way out. All the way out and then slowly control it down. Lovely as turned to the other side.

Okay, so foot towards the end of your bar underneath leg extended. Now hand on hip lift up. You can see that beautiful space there. I've created and I'm going to keep that space and I'm pushing out with the heel. So just make sure I'm in the right position here. Exhale, push out and back. Now remember if your hip does start to hike and you can't stabilize, that's telling you that your spring is too high for you.

That means you need to get up. Take the spring down another half spring and then come back to it. It's not about your way. It is about your stability. Your pelvis comes first, your stability, then your legs. Okay, so we want to make sure this is all nice and intact. Your abdominals are lifted. You're not hiking with that hip. Okay, let's do about three more. Feeling right through the glue here too.

Ready for a little posters and one and two mid range, three, four, push through that heel a little bit. Five, six, seven, eight, nine. You're ready all the way out. Watch their hip. Pull those abs in and then back. Now less externally rotated heel on the corner of your bar. Paula, there was a bleak setup for firing right there and go and back. Sure.

Hamstring pulls in. Sure. Four, three, two. Now little poles go. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Pull up nine last time, all the way out, and then come back down. Very nice.

Now we're going to roll to the side. We're going to roll last out, up. Okay. Then to take your spring down, let's go to a blue spring. It can be blue or you can be red whenever you feel comfortable. Obviously if you want to make it a little bit easier for you, then the highest spring, you want to make it harder for you, then we're gonna go to the lower Sprake. So I'm about a blue right now, but you could definitely be a red. Okay. We're going to go into our little diamond position, adductors engage.

We're going to take hold of your handles here. Now look at my feet. Can you see my feet? They're elevated. They're not collapsed. The elevated, because we want to work, add up to the inner thighs. I'm going to come towards the end and now I'm going to go into some apps. The palms are facing inwards.

We start an extended position and then we're going to draw those abdominals into that lumbar spine and round. We're going to row back and then roll forwards, rolling back. Exhale, rolling forwards in. How back with any, use those abs to rural farmers and keep that round. It feels really good because I'm going to nice stretch through the lower spine and through the thoracic. Good. Let's just do a couple more. One more. Now I'm going to show up and the straps going to take my hands through and are going to hold onto the little d rings right here. Just a short and straps, a little bit more, a little bit different. We're going to progress.

We're going to go back. Now from here, we're going to lift up and extend that leg, so now we're in this position. I want sure. Roll down and the leg drops in, taps down extender and then roll down each. Inhale up, exhale down. Can we go a little bit faster? We go up and down and in that extension and now really draw the shoulder blades down. Hot Center, the lifted and down. Can you give me a couple more and one more and draw the knees in. That's rolled out. Now I'm breaking a sweat now. Are you still like out?

Alright, let's come up. Lift, inhale, and then exhale. Round, round, round, round, round. Inhale, lift, lift, lift, lift, lift, lift, and then down. Good. We focus on your beautiful form. You're going slow with control. Hey, now I down. Can we do one more for good luck? Lift all the way up.

How did that think strong and you will be strong. Bend your knees robot down again. Slowly roll. Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, whoa. [inaudible] and place your hands down and enjoy that. Stretch it slowly. Roll all the way up. Let's put our little straps down.

We're going to stand up. We're going to work a little bit more into my favorite part, the hamstrings and glutes. I definitely love working those. Alrighty, so we're going to put the box on the top. Now I'm going to make it a little bit lighter. There we go. All right.

I'm just going to move the gateway forwards and I am going to work pretty light. I'm going to be on one blue spring, but if you're new to this, I would even probably go a little bit lighter, too yellow because there's a lot of stability work now, but there's also a lot of work and your gluten, your hamstring, but primarily it's going to be your obliques and your abdominals that are going to support yourself first before the motion. Okay, so we're going to get onto the top here. Now to align yourself, you want to make sure your hands the corner of your box and you're going to put your knee in the center of your hands. Doesn't look very gracious Mignon into this move. And hopefully if you have a nice trainer next to you, they'll put you into this move. But I don't have my little personal trainer next to me. I just have myself, CLT, do pretty good. Actually. Hands here.

Now we're just going to let the leg come to the side. Now be careful you're not going forwards. We don't want to go into the hip flexor. You want to start just a little bit and hip extension. Okay. So from here, I mean that beautiful position, I'm trying to extend to the crown of the head. I'm not trying to sink.

You can watch me to make sure I'm not sinking. I'm pulling those abdominals and everybody that's come with me. We're going to stand back and then come back just to the hip back. And so the hip, what you want to be careful is you're not taking your leg too far forward and you're swinging now before you do anything to engage those apps and then back axle and back. That's too formal and just a couple more and beautiful open uni in. Take your foot away and then gently come back without crushing.

The reformer does not feel good. It's one of my favorite exercises right now. You always goes through fads, but this is my favorite one this time just cause I love how it makes me really engage my core and really feel the gluten, the hamstring at the same time. So it's a lovely exercise. Put your hands on the corner, get your knee in the middle just so you're a little bit more aligned. Extend that like to the side you in slight hip extension, which out through the crown of the head. Pull those abs in. Now we're ready to start.

We're going to disassociate at the hip and keep everything else completely stable. That is your goal. Your quadrat pad is not moving. You are just moving at the hip, so your working muscles or your hamstrings and your glute Max, your stabilizes or everything else you shoulder girdle, your core, everything is working there to hold it in place while you beautifully move at the hip. Yeah, that's too formal. One more time and we can get back. Nice work. Bend your knee, bring it in and gently take it away. Nice work, because we're here, I'm going to go straight into some extension work just to save time.

So I'm going to keep it out. One blue, but you could take it up to one red. So it's come down. Chest is over the edge. We're going to grab the hands. Very simple. We're going to go into pulling straps here. Start in your hover and we're just going to pull back.

Okay. And then down. Inhale, extension acts. Allen pulling back. He inhale and then back. Relax the glutes. So all about your mid thoracic spine without, okay, let's do three more. Inhale last time. Depress your scapula first, hold it here externally. Rotate as going to a t, position you in that extension and then move with you a little pinky you in that external rotation so you hit that position before you go back into t position.

Yeah, powerful exercise to work through that made up a back. It's definitely one of these exercises that you should be doing on a regular basis. Working on that beautiful posture who are tater cuff muscles extension. It should be a regular exercise in your repertoire. You should be doing this at least three times a week is my opinion.

Let's do a couple more last time and doing it in slowly. Very nice. Okay, let's move on. I'm going to take a little box away. No, we're going to mix it up. Now. We're going to work the core a little bit more, so we're gonna place this back. Let's go with one grad spring. Okay. Now for this, my little half.

Love this. Don't try it with a full one. Try it with a half one. Obviously I find this challenging as it is on a half, nevermind a fall. So go with the half one right now. If you want to go daring eventually maybe you can book for right now. Keep it at a half. You're going to pull, it says a little bit here because your head is going to go right here and depending on how long your tour.

So is it depending on where your sacrum is going to go up, what your head wants to be about right here. Okay, we'll try it on this before my mind performer at home and my studio is a little different. So let's try it. All right, so we're going to graciously, we're going to get on here. Lay down. Okay, let's watch my hair. Alright, so I've got here now look at me first. So one of my elbows in line with my wrists and I'm going to get my head a little bit more secure on here. Beautiful. Okay. Now one that comes up, one other leg comes up.

So you're in that chair position. Do you see on wobbling a little bit. So there you go. My abs are working now. What I'm gonna do is pull away and then pull away. No, you have to remember, this is really not about your arms. It's really about the unstability. It's about your core. And then back now we're going to add some complexity to it.

We go out and then bring it back and then go out. Bandied back. Go out now. Exhale as you go out. Okay? Yeah. We're going to try both legs. Hold it there now.

Slowly, Ben, Ben, Ben, and pull back. Inhale. Push out slowly. Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, back out and, and, and in three more exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Hold it. Kick, kick. Use that. Cool. And Push. Five, four, three, two, one for heck. That was legs in you. In that extension. You're ready? Yeah. Pushing out. Keep pushing out. Exile.

Okay. Imagine you're pushing with those heels and you're pushing with the hands and depressing your scapula all at the same time. Okay. Can you give me three more? One more.

Bend your knees and pull yourself back. Very nice. Slowly. We're going to graciously get off this without following up a bit. Yeah. Okay. Let's put this little finger away. Little roller. That's just some standing balance work. All right. I'm going to keep it where it is.

I think I'm going to take it down to a blue swing. We're going to stand. Now look at me. I mean external rotation, I mean first position, right? So what I'm gonna do is take my foot to here and I want you to put your toes against the shoulder rests and I mean they're external rotation, but put your hands here. See what that length I know I'm going to ask you to is push it out and push it out. So as I'm pushing, I'm pushing with the heel. My focus is on the inner thigh.

Now obviously we can make this a lot more challenging. We could be on a balance board, we can be on something to make it a little bit more unstable. But for right now, this is challenging enough as it is. I'm on a light spring. I'm on a blue spring. To make it more challenging. First, I would take it up to a red spring. Okay, do you just fall more like this? Four. Exhale. Three. Exhale, two.

Axle, one. Now push it. We take it. Eight, seven, six. Keep this stable. Five, four, three, two, one. Beautiful stretch. It's a lot of work on that. Supporting Gluc media, stabilizing and back and slow. They control it in. You really got to work that glute media, so otherwise your pubic bone stays over your heel. It never wants to. One day it's got to be stable. Okay, now you can see the backside of me now. All right, so in first position, you remember that depressing feet. He had toes, a pushing on the shoulder rest.

So get yourself nice and nice position here. Pubic bone here, lengths go without crashing like that. Let's do five more. Five look at this beautiful ocean. Oh my gosh, it's so beautiful here. A love it. So peaceful. Sure. Now pick up that temper girl. Seven, six, pull up. Bye. Full.

Three, two, one. Slowly bring it in and let's just take it back and enjoy that beautiful stretch. And then slowly within a Bruin get back. Fabulous. We're going to take it up. We're going to stay at one blue spring. Am I going to come up and do some a little bit more arm work?

Pick up your straps. Okay, so from here you're going to turn your palms forwards. We're going to go into an extension. We bring it out to second position, we'll bring it back and then we bend. So we go forwards out left and Ben, so you can see I'm reaching out in their extension. Back out a second. Position it up and pulling back and left out center and back and leg out.

Center and back. The bemer lift out center and back. Last time, lift out in sense and now we're going to lift it back out into second position and hug a tree. We remember your arms belonged to your mid back. You just moving at the shoulder joint and you're trying to keep everything nice and stable. Let's do five more like the five, four, three more, three, two and one more.

Bring it back and all the way down. Slowly bend your knees, take your straps down. That's just push forward and enjoy that stretch and then slowly come back. Nice. All right, we're going to move on. We're going to grab a green band. So I like to use a green theraband. A green theraband is awesome cause it's like medium resistance.

So I just gonna take it over and tie it underneath just so we can have a nice anchor point there with a knot on the top. Alrighty. So first of all we're going to work, we're going to go into our little first position here and all I'm going to ask you to do is work through the pink case. The pinkie is pulling back. So even that like a little inverted V, what I'm trying to do is focus on that mid, upper back. So I'm in the first position. If this is too challenging, you just bring your heels down on the floor. Otherwise we can go back up onto that Relevate.

But make sure your weight is over those five toes, lower the heels if you need to, and you pushing back with a little pinky here. And then let's go into some little pulses. Pulse, pulse, watching out, hyper extending through the ribcage and the SIF. We can go into a little player here and pulse, pulse, pulse, eight more. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two. Now we're going to add circles. Little circles, circles, circles for more for three. Now Circle the opposite direction. Lift, lift. So you really work into the prostate area. Deltoids, pretty awesomely.

Three, two, one. Hold it. That slowly. Extend and bring it back down again. And step your right. Like behind. You're going to go into a lovely lunch here. Wrap your hands around so you in this position, oh, I'm going to ask you to do is just as some bicep here. Keep the elbows nice and high.

Okay. Apple's nice and high. Okay. Excuse me. Four more here. Four, three, two, one more, and that's, that's impulsive. Think four, three, two, one.

Slowly from here we're going to lift up into a little arabesque where you are parallel from here. You on one leg and I'm just going to press back. The leg doesn't have to be high. I just want you to press back. You're going for balance. A lot of balance work today and just press back if you want to go a little bit deeper. You can keep the hips square though. Four, three, two, one bend, hold it and release. Nice. Take the light behind. Reach forwards biceps.

Now make sure your back leg is bent. Elbows in line with your shoulders, shoulders over your hips in that lovely lunge position is that those little pulses again, go pulse. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight slowly pressed down transfer. This is where it's hard to get a transfer on to that supporting leg. Lift forwards. Watch those hips. Press back, press back at your hips, facing the floor. Come on, do a little check there. If you have a mirror nearby, look yourself in the mirror. You're parallel. Oh hold. If you feel you can bend your knee and hold that balance for three, two, one and ah, nice work. Okay.

Put that band down. How do you feel? We're nearly done now just to finish off with a few stretches, all I'm going to do is ask you to come down to the floor. I'm going to put the outside leg. I know that I'm going to ask you to do is reach out into a lovely stretch and then back again. Lovely stretch out. And then back and a lovely open stretch and back.

It's switched to the other side and lovely stretch out and rotate back. Open, close and open and close. One more and open and close. Turn towards your reformer. Grab it, pull back in that lovely stretch.

Slowly lifter, pull forwards. Flex the feet and Paul Round through that lumbar spine, up into extension. Look up onto the horizon one last time around like a cat. Extend the lift up and then slowly roll up one vertebra at a time. Okay.

And then slowly take your head down and then lifter turn around. We're going to finish off with a roll down to finish off with how you guys feeling? Good. So it's coming to an end, but we've got to go to work now. Get the kids went around, but it's time to finish. So we're going to put the hands by the side of our body. Take a deep breath in. Let it all go a few minutes. Close your eyes.

Pull into your center. Inhale here. Exhale, Chin to chest. Royal south to you. Wait is over your toes. You remember you can lift those heels. Send to yourself slowly roll yourself all the way up. Good job you guys. You worked a lot of balance today. You work total body, some new fun moves. Remember it all comes from that core of the quo is not strong and nothing else will be strong. So go a little bit lighter on the weight.

Don't just try muscle your way through it. Once you've got a strong foundation, everything else becomes so much easier. I hope to see us soon. Bye.