Foundational Reformer Class

Hi everyone, I'm Chris Robinson and today we're gonna go over a basic Reformer. So, I'm gonna go through different variations and progress from super, super easy to just kind of getting someone ready to go towards the intermediate, okay? So very basic, very controlled, this is where they're gonna get their foundation and learn how to connect to their powerhouse, okay? Okay, so we're gonna start, lot of times, on this Cross Reformer, you start with four springs, I like to start with three, okay? So you have some options here, I can go heels together, toes apart, but if I do that, the angle of my feet has to match the angle of my knees, or, I can go parallel and apart, okay?

It just depends on the client and what they need. Okay, gonna press your hands down, reach long, and then you just gonna reach all the way out, come all the way in. Now, try to get all the balls of your feet on, and I want you to stretch your legs using your seat, all the way. So a lot of times people will kind of stop short here, but get the full range of motion. Now let's just go, nice and easy.

It's like they're sitting down the chair and they're standing up. Two more. All the way out, all the way in, one more time. Okay, then go to your arches. So the heels are under and your toes are over, and I'm pushing my heels the whole time.

So as I go out, they go under and I try to keep them under as best I can. All the way out, all the way in, get that full range of motion with your seat, the powerhouse here brings you back in. Okay and then just let it flow. Again, real basic. They sit down, they stand up, sit down, stand up, one more time.

And then we're just gonna go to the heels. Okay push through the heels, now keep pressure on the heels the whole time especially when you come in, that's gonna be hard to keep. All the way out and in, out, in, same thing seat takes me out, stomach brings me in, hands are pressing, head is pressing down, last four. Three. Good. Last two more. Okay. Go back to where you started.

Reach all the way out and hold it. You're gonna take the heels all the way down. Now go as far as you can, and then come up as high as you can. And go way down and way up. Now, when I go down, I like to shut the calves off, feel like my powerhouse here is pulling me up.

So again, learning how to connect your feet to your powerhouse. Good. Five more. And up and down, and up and down, last three. Two, go way down there and then way up there one more time. And good. Okay.

Okay. You're gonna lower your foot bar. Okay now, gonna start with your elbows bent and you're gonna have your knees here. Now, right away you're gonna wanna tilt your tailbone up, try to keep it down, and I just want you to press your arms long and just hold here. Now just simple pumps here. Feel that stomach get deep.

Now we can make it a little bit harder, can lift your head up. Now when I'm here, I like to get a 90 degree angle with my legs and try not to move my feet at all. And then I have my breath inhale for five, and then exhale for five. Now, if they're okay with this, then you can take it straight up. (Chris inhales) Out two, three, four, five.

Now you can make the pumps bigger. Out, two, three, four, five. Now you can even lower the lights a little bit. (Chris inhales) Four, five, out two, three, four, five. Two more.

Think of the head going forward and I'm pushing into the handles with my powerhouse. One more time. Okay, bring it in, lower and come home. Okay, you're gonna put on two springs. I'm gonna come back here and we'll put the straps on.

Okay. Okay, so real quick. (metal jingling) Now, if I had a client, I would have them just stay down there and have their legs at a 90 degree angle using their powerhouse to hold it up. Okay, set these down. And now I am ready to go. Okay, we're gonna start with just some centering with the frogs.

So this just like the footwork only now this is unstable, seat is down. You just got to reach and come back. Try to have the strap barely touch the top of the shoulder blocks here. That way I know I'm even and I'm in control of the straps. Good. One more time.

Hold it out there and now circles. Now try to make a true circle where my feet just bump in the middle, open around, and now reverse. They just bump in the middle, try to make them even, three, four and five. Okay. Go ahead and take these off and just set these down. (straps clanking) Okay. You're gonna sit up, put the foot bar back up.

Start with ever number of springs that you started with, with your foot work. Okay, you're gonna sit nice and tall, grab on here. Now take your head forward to round, and now you're just gonna reach lower the heels, lift the heels and in. Okay. Try to go up with the lower back as you go out and try to go up with the lower back as you come in. Okay, now get a little rhythm.

Down up and in, good. Two more. One more time. Okay, so now you should have a total of three springs. Take your hands back. You could place your hands however you like, here, here, on top.

Just to keep it real basic, let's just start down here and go. Okay, sometimes lower and lift is a little too much, I can just keep the legs here and just come in, but I like to get that stretch. Okay. Out, up and in, out up and in. Okay. Five more. See if you could do this and not let your back collapse at any time, and just grow.

Two more. One more time. Okay. Come in. Okay, two springs total. Reach straight ahead and go out and come in. Just out and then sometimes this is a little tough, so I could go out, put my hands here and lift my back up, feel that stretch, and then just come in just a little bit and go back out.

Okay, once I got that sensation, I got it, now lift and see if I can keep it. Good, two more. One more time. And come all the way in. Okay and come off.

You're gonna lower your foot bar. Okay, get the box. Get your bar. You're gonna place it here. And then I'm gonna have this strap, just on standby, I'm gonna put that here.

Okay, you're gonna grab your straps here, have a seat. Now, once you're here, I like to flex my feet, use my seat and get tall. I'm pushing my legs away so this is the same thing as I do a roll up or a neck pull, but it's easier because my feet are lower than my hips, so I have a lot more control with my lower back. Okay, sit real tall, hug your waist. And now you're just gonna go back.

Only go back to where you're comfortable. So I'm just gonna go to a straight line, but I'm pressing this down and I'm a roll over it, so only this is picking me up. Push my feet away in those straps, they're gonna stay tight and come up. The last one I could change, just to kind of keep it balanced. Later on we'll get to the intermediate.

That's important. And then all the way up. So from here, grab your pole and now you're gonna reach way up. Now, think of that bar going to the sky as you go back, so you're constantly lengthening and then lengthening as you go out. The hard part is when you change directions, your back wants to sink, that's where you got to work the hardest.

Okay and back, and up. And then just take the arms down. Okay, bring it back up. Now this variation just directly to the side and come up tall, and to the side. Now keep that strap tight at the bottom.

And up, and back. And up one more time. And up last one. Okay and then bring it down. Okay, so now you're gonna get tall.

Just grab the leg underneath here first and just lift your back up straight. Now, lift your knee straight out without letting your back sink. Then you're just gonna reach out one and it doesn't have to go all the way straight, two and three. Now take it as far as you can. Okay, that's about it.

Now, I'm gonna use this strap here and put it there. Now I could go a little further and get really tall. Then I'm gonna bend the knee, bring it in. I should be able to get taller here. Now see if I can keep it when I go out.

Okay and again, bring it in. Get a taller here. See if I can keep it. Okay one more time. Bring it in, get really tall.

Now, hold it. Take the head down towards the knee. Come back up, get really tall. Bring it in and come on down. So this was given to me when I was an apprentice.

Before I did Pilates, I used to run track and my thighs were super big and my back was really tight. So this really helped me open everything up and kind of finding my powerhouse. So, grab under here. Get tall, lift it up. Okay, extend out one.

Again, doesn't have to go all the way straight. Just go where you can without collapsing and now hold it here. I'm gonna take this strap. Okay once I put it around, now I can get everything straight and get really tall. Okay and then bring it in, lift up more and reach out.

Bring it in, lift up a little more, and out. Okay, leg in, lift it up. Now hold it, lift it, then take the head towards the knee, exhale. Come back up. Get tall. Bring the knee in and then take this off and there you go.

All right. Set this down, take all this back. Okay, you're gonna lift your head piece. Lift your foot bar. You still on two springs and we have the elephant. Okay hand foot hand foot, now press the heels down.

Toes are up, now press your hands, reach away. And I like to get long and reach back. You have different variations. Some people need to be back here, some people can be up here, I'll go here for me today. And I'm gonna go out and then I got to bring it all the way in, that last little bit's important.

And out, and in, and out, all the way in, and out, all the way in, two more. And all the way in, one more time. Now, hold it in. Lift the heels, lower the knees. Okay, the knee stretches.

Press your heels back into your shoulder blocks. Now, I like to do this, sit way back. My hands go forward and I'm using my upper stomach to take my head forward and down. Now, just gonna keep this shape and I push back and I come in, but the whole time my heels are pressing against the shoulder blocks. My seat's taking it out, my stomach's bringing it in.

Okay. Six, seven. All the way in, eight, nine. Hold it here. Now I'm gonna arch the back. It's like I'm doing the Swan and go out, two, three, four.

All the way out, remember those heels are pressing against the shoulder blocks the whole time. Eight, nine. Okay, hold it, now round the body. Keep it in now, I like to stand up first, lean back, straighten the legs. Now, slowly, slowly bend the knees.

And now I'll go out from here. Okay. Seat takes it out, stomach brings it in. Feel that connection. Out in, still four more. Nothing else moves.

Last two, one more, come all the way in, bring it down and come off. Okay. Running. I like to do three springs. Okay feet are parallel, reach out and hold it. One heel goes down and switch.

Try to go opposites, so the bottom heel goes way down, top heel goes way up. Now they both when you switch, they got to meet at the top. Then you switch. Make sure you get that piece, that's important. Okay, sometimes I'll slow it down.

And now make it smooth. Little coordination. Five, four, three, two, hold it, come all the way in. Okay, the pelvic lift has 20 different variations. I'm just gonna go really basic.

My feet are apart. I like to go parallel, the middle of the foot's on the bar. I'm gonna just lengthen everything, lift my hips up a little bit and go that out and come in. Now when I go out, push my heels underneath, keep pushing them, try not to let the seat fall. Push the hands down, three more.

And in. And in. Good one more time. And out. And all the way in now hold it. Don't let the carriage move and come all the way down, and come on off. All right.

Basic Reformer with some little progressions to get you ready for the intermediate and the future. (Chris claps hands together)