Full-Body Fiery Reformer

Hi, guys. I'm Sarah Shell, and I'm here to teach you a reformer workout using the small ball, and we're gonna be using the box as well. I'm on a blue spring, and let's do a little stretch before we get started. So let's come around to the front of your reformer. Let's stand just a little bit of ways from your foot bar. Take an inhale, reach those arms up, exhale, float the arms down, tuck the chin.

You're gonna start your roll down, but I want you to reach for the edge of that carriage. The palms of your hands are on the very edge so you have something to push out with. Take your time as you float out with the carriage dropping the belly in the chest. And then I want you to pull your belly in, exhale, slight bend in the knees to stack the knee or the hips over the ankles, bringing the carriage back to its resting point, and then slowly rolling up. Let's start again.

Inhale reach. Exale, float the arms down, tuck the chin, roll down, reach for the edge of the carriage, slide that carriage out. If you wanna really go for it, you can actually let your legs rest on your foot bar. So you're in this, like, down dog situation. Drop your chest a little bit more stretching the shoulders and the chest and then exhale round the spine.

Then the knees, scoop out the belly to stack the hips over the ankles. Good. Slowly roll up. Let's do one more and just really flow through it. Exhale. Roll down. Scoop up the belly.

Good. Take this stretch. Go for it, lengthening the backs of your legs, and then exhale slowly rolling yourself up. Perfect. Okay. Let's switch a spring to a red spring. Take your blue off, and then you're gonna grab your small ball. We're going right into abs here.

So swivel yourself around. Take your feet to your wooden platform, and then I want you to shimmy your hips forward. You're like a palm with the away from the front of the carriage and then place your small ball right up against your low back. Take your feet, the balls of your feet to your foot bar. I'm in a first position. Grab the backs of your legs, and I want you to scoop your low belly out into the ball. Find that c curve in your spine and then straighten the legs.

Squeezing your inner thighs, keeping those legs nice and strong. Reach the arms out, and we're gonna lean back over the ball. Into a flat back. Exhale. You're gonna curve your spine, reach the arms forward. Like, you're trying to grab someone's hands, bend the knees, and draw the carriage all the way in. We go again, straighten the legs, lean back, flat back, shoulders down. Inhale.

Exhale. Reach draw that carriage in. It's gonna feel really light with this spring, and that's on purpose. I want you to use your abs to draw the carriage in. Bending the knees.

And then use the legs to stretch all the way out, find the challenge in the abs as you lean back, exhale. Speaking of a challenge, if you want more, take those hands behind your head. Open up the shoulders or the elbows and then exhale. Draw the elbows towards the knees. Scoop and then lengthen.

Go ahead. Take those elbows wide. And exhale. Good. You can go back to that reach at any time and exhale. Reach, reach, reach, draw the carriage in.

Strong legs as you push out. Let's do two more together. And we're gonna pause on the next one, reach forward, scoop out the belly, and then lengthen the legs, find this flat back hold. You're gonna lift the chest an inch. Don't move the legs.

Keep the legs nice and long. Chest lifts go back an inch, but without arching your back. So when you go back into that ball, scoop out the low belly and lift the chest for 4. For 3. Good. For 2.

And one, take your feet wide on your bar. Hands on the inside. Bend those legs. And then I want you to straighten your legs. Drop your head. Let it go. You can pull on the bar with your arms. Get that stretch.

In between your shoulder blades. Good. And then bend the knees. Pull in the bar so you can set up as tall as you can. It's like happy baby stretch. And then exhale.

Go again. Stretching the hamstrings in the back. One more and exhale. Let it go. Perfect. Okay. Keeping the abs going, I'm stepping back down to my wooden platform to bring the carriage in. I'm gonna scoot even more forward on my carriage.

So this ball's gonna go right in between your shoulder blades or mid back. So you're gonna roll yourself back onto that ball. You can adjust it to my feet are going back up onto the foot bar. Hands behind your head, Just take a stretch. So I'm on top of my shoulder blocks here, and that's not gonna work.

So I wanna scoot even more forward so you can be away from those shoulder blocks because we want that full extension in the upper spine. So take your head all the way back. I'm draping my legs over the foot bar. Just give yourself this stretch in the upper body arching the back, letting it go. And then let's bring the hands behind the head, lift the head and chest, and now take the feet back to the foot bar.

Okay. We're scooping out the belly. You're lifting the chest here in a flat back here. There's no arch in our spine. I'm gonna take the right leg and float it over the bar. Let's come all the way in with the carriage.

Take the head back. You're gonna exhale straighten the left leg, draw the right knee into your chest, and go for it again. Length in the right leg over the bar, lift your chest, think nose to knee. So you're going straight up. No twist.

I'm on the ball of that left foot. I'm really pressing into the ball of that left foot, straightening the leg all the way out, and then chest is lifting. I'm really focusing on wrapping my rib cage to help lift my head and chest towards my leg. Let's do 4 more here. Because you're on this small ball, it's a little there's a little instability, so I want you to anchor the back of your hip bones into your carriage.

Good. Let's do 2 more here. 2. Inhale, exhale. Hold it on 1. We're gonna take that left elbow towards the right knee, kind of lifting the chest as well for a little pulse. Give me 4 more. Lift for 3.

For 2. And 1, take your stretch. Let it go. Maybe adjust yourself if you've slid on that ball, getting away from those shoulder blocks. And then let's hands behind your head. Lift your head and chest again.

Go to the ball of the right foot on the bar. Left leg lengthens over the bar. Head goes back. We're nice and long in our spine, and then you're gonna press draw the left knee into your chest. Open it up. Exhale.

Good. I love the small ball. You cannot cheat here. It really is very effective. Good. Exhale.

Anchor the backs of the hips. You have to go slow with control so you don't lose it. Open those elbows and then lift the chest. Let's do two more for 2. And last one, pause and hold, and reach little twist towards that knee opposite elbow.

Let's go 4. Lift that chest a little bit higher if you can for 2. And one come all the way in. Let it go arching the back. And then let's bring ourselves up Step down to that wooden platform again, we're gonna take our ball, and the ball's gonna go in between your ankles. So shift all the way forward, roll on back onto your back, and then Once you're there, place that ball right in between your ankles and then reach back and let's grab our straps. I'm using the short loops, palms in, stack those palms over your shoulders, and bring the legs in a tabletop.

We're gonna add everything together. You're gonna exhale, lift the head and chest, lengthen the legs over the bar, reaching the fingertips long, and then float on the inhale. Exhale. Curl up, reach, and then inhale, float it back. Good. You're really squeezing in on that ball.

So if they're inner thighs are engaged, abs are working, and the backs of the arms are working. So keep those arms nice and straight. Then let's do 4 more here. Exale lift, tuck the chin, look at the belly button, and then float it back. You can always keep your head down if it gets too necky, and just work the arms and the legs.

Resisting arching the back. Let's do two more together. 2. Good. You're holding and pausing at the top. For one, hold it here.

Arms and head go back. Now legs are gonna go a little bit lower, and then you're gonna exhale. Draw your arms down by your sides. Legs lift. Legs are gonna float without arching your back.

Exhale lift. So I'm kind of holding my arms, stacking them over my shoulders, then letting my legs do the work or not my legs. It's really low abdominals are working like crazy. Let's do two more. 2. And one let it go.

Awesome. Let's hook up the straps. Get rid of your ball. Just kinda squeeze it underneath your frame to get it out of the way. We're gonna roll up and we're gonna get off of your back and flip around I'm gonna go to a blue spring, red goes off, and we are gonna flip onto our hands and knees.

I'm actually gonna do fist up against the shoulder box, forearms on the carriage. Tuck your toes and pop right out to your plank. Here we go. Find this beautiful plank, plug in the belly, and we're gonna punch the arms out an inch back underneath the shoulders. So punching without dropping the hips or without dumping in that low back, exhale, legs are strong. We got 4 more here.

For 3, keeping your head in line with your spine. For 2, On one, we're gonna pike our legs up. You're gonna look at your toes, draw the carriage in. Good. Come all the way back out to your plank. Bring your head back out, dropping the hips, exhale scoop up the belly, lift the hips, look at the toes.

Good. Keeping the shoulders down. Exale lift. Let's do 3 more here. Good. Using the abs. To control this movement, Your arms are working, and don't forget about those legs. Nice and straight and strong. 2, let's do one more.

Good. Take your knees to the carriage. Shake it out. We're gonna do one more set just to get as nice and warm, same position, fist against those shoulder blocks, forearms down. We're gonna go right out right away, we're just gonna bend the knees this time underneath the hips and push out and want strong legs, stretch behind the knees, and then wrap that rib cage and pull the belly in against the back. Let's go for 4. For 3. For 2 and 1 and hold, drop the heels back, rock forward on the toes.

It's just tiny, tiny. It's a tiny movement forward and back for 4. Just isolate the ankles for 3. For 2. And one, bring the knees to the carriage.

Let it go. Okay. Walk your knees forward. Bring your carriage all the way in. Walk your knees right up against those shoulder blocks.

Let's go into some arms grabbing those short loops. I want you to engage your abs so you don't fall forward on this. Really pull up in the tops of your legs, put some weight in your shins, roll your shoulders back. We're gonna go for an exhale as we press the palms back and stop right by the hips. You go back. This is chest expansion.

So think of opening up that chest a little bit, lift your chin, squeeze in between those shoulder blades, and just give me 5 more. We're breathing for 5. For 4. Nailing up as tall as you can for 3. Keeping those shoulders down for 2.

And let's pause on 1 hinge from your hips. Be very careful here, not to fall forward. We're gonna go super slow, microbend with the arms, and then press. Bend. I'm not moving my elbows. I'm trying to keep my elbows in the same spot and just straightening my arms from there.

My chest is still slightly lifted, so I'm not all the way over. You're in this flat back here. Let's do 4 more really focusing on these triceps for 3 for 2 and give me 1 more and 1. Awesome. Come back. Let's cross the straps, but uncross your hands.

Grabbing those short loops, thumbs up. I want you to roll those shoulders back. Think of this as a back exercise. You're really focusing in between the shoulder blades. Again, because you're kneeling up, you have to go slow with control. If you don't feel comfortable kneeling up like this, you can always just come down, kneeling tall.

Good. So My arms stay slightly bent the whole time, really splitting these ropes, taking them out and back, keeping my abs engaged. Good. Let's do a couple more here. Squeeze pullback. For 4.

For 3. For 2. Nice. You guys, one more. Awesome. Uncross your straps.

Hang those guys up. We are gonna hop off and grab your box. We're gonna keep the box off to the side short ways. I'm kinda gonna set it up mid carriage. So a couple of inches behind the bar up against the frame. So we're still on a blue spring, so it's nice and light. This is a balancing exercise.

I'm gonna show you first, and I'll show you a modification. I want you to set up your right foot as close to your frame as you can get it. So it's on the box close to your frame. I'm gonna shift my weight forward on my right leg and come up onto the ball of the left foot. It's almost a curtsy lunge, so your knees are crossed. We're gonna go straight down.

I'm gonna drive the right heel into the box, press and stand straight up. Find your foot up against that shoulder block and go for your standing lunge. Reach the arms out. Let's do one pump. So you're gonna bend the knee in.

Arms come in. Reach away from each other. And then stand up tall. We start all over again. So find your balance. Make sure you clear that box.

So step Find the floor, push, stand up tall, squeezing that right glute, reach, go for your lunge, keeping your knee right over that ankle, bend, stretch, stand up tall. Keep going if you're like that. Gonna show you can do this just on the floor if you're really working on your balance. Cross those knees down in your lunge. Step up. I'm just on the ball of this little foot. I'm gonna reach out.

Tap it in, reach it back, and stand up tall. We go cross lunge, stand, reach, bending that right knee deeply, Tap back and then come up. Good. Let's do it all together. A couple more sets. Find this curtsy lunge.

Squeeze. Find the balance. Belly in. Slide back into this nice lunge. Pump once in and out. And then staying up tall.

Good. Carriage comes in. We go back. Up. Reach long spine here. Stand up tall.

Let's do 3 more together. Press and lift. Reach arms away from your leg. Pull it in. Reach. Drive the heel into the box.

Stand up tall. Find that balance. Squeeze. Squeeze down straight up. So we're really focusing on this right glute here. Burning it out. Let's do one more together, whether you're on the floor on your box. Last one, we're gonna stay here.

Even if you're on the floor, you're gonna tap in, tap back, or you're pumping that left leg in and out. Draw on the belly. You're hinged forward from your hips. So your weight is over that standing leg. Keep the arms going.

Let's go 5. You can do this for 4. For 3, keeping these hips nice and square for 2. Last one. Good. Bring the carriage in stand up tall.

Go back down to the floor, back to that little lunge. Here, we're gonna reach for our bar, and I'm gonna shift all my weight fourwards. So I'm gonna push off of my back leg, draw my weight forward so I'm stacking the hip over the ankle and lift that back leg. You can shift back into your legs and then forward kind of over your arms. And then back, we lift. So, again, we're powering that right glute to lift our hip over the ankle.

Push and lift. Let's do 4 more here. For 3. For 2, let's do one more and pause at the top. And then just lower and lift the left leg, keeping that right leg slightly bent, the hip stacked over the ankle down and up.

You can also do this with ankle weights if you have them handy. It would be a good add on. Let's go 4 more, 4 for 3, for 2, and one shake it out. Shake out that bun. Let's take your box and go right away other side.

So setting up the box right up against the frame mid carriage. Yeah. So you're couple of inches from behind your bar. Set up, left foot, close to your frame. We're gonna shift forward, come onto the ball of the back foot, bend both legs deep pli into this curtsy lunge, stand up tall. Find the foot to the shoulder block. Go for your lunge. Reach.

Pull it in. Reach it long. Stand up tall. Find your balance. Shifting all your weight onto your left leg.

Reach the right foot back so you clear that box. Stand up tall, and you go again. In. Outstand up tall. Good. Remember you can do this on the floor.

Just tapping that foot back and in and out, seeing up tall and find the floor. I'm really keeping my weight on my left leg the whole time, so I'm not having to shift my weight back and forth so much. I'm just staying right on top of my leg so I can go straight back up, reaching long, pulling in the belly, and seeing up tall. Couple more here. You're hinging from your hips. So think nose to floor. Stand up tall.

Let's do 3 more. You go 3 in and out. Good. Pull in the belly to help stabilize you. We got 2 more.

This one can be fun once you get the hang of it. You stand up. Last one, we're gonna pause in this lunge and then just pump for 10 in and out. 9. Keeping that knee right over the ankle. So try not to go with the carriage. Keep it forward on that left leg to burn it out.

Let's go for 5. XL. 4. For 3. So good. For 2, And one stand up tall, bring the carriage all the way in. Step back.

Arms go to your bar. We're gonna shift forward, pop off the back leg, lift that back leg, and your hip is stacked right over your ankle, We're gonna shift back into our legs and then forward onto our arms. Really driving that left heel into the box to fire up that left glute. You can keep your hands on the bar the whole time. Just shifting back into your legs and then forward.

Let's go for 3 more. Push and lift. Good. And then let's hold at the top. Slipe in in the left leg, cross the ankles, and lift the right leg down and up. You're gonna flat back here.

Working that left glute. You'll feel it in the standing leg. Good. And let's go for 4 for 3 for 2 and final 1. Woah. That was fun. Okay.

Let's get rid of the box. We're gonna keep going with some glutes, though. So I want you to take your headrest down because we're gonna go into some sideline, and let's go to a red spring. So take your blue off and place your red spring on. We just did our left leg.

We're gonna let it rest, so we're gonna lie down on our left side and work our right glute, but grab your ball and place it on your headrest. So it's gonna act like a pillow for us. Come on down. Scoot all the way down so you can lie on that left side, head on the ball, and then scoot the hips back so they're lined up with the shoulders. Grab your loop that's in front of you.

I use my bottom leg to kind of push onto the bar so I can bring my top foot into that big loop. It's just around the arch of the foot. And now stack the knees, stack those hips, pulling the belly. So you're nice and pulled up. We're gonna keep that left leg tucked in, hike the right leg up, hip height, and bring the foot out.

So now the rope is right along the shin. You're gonna try to keep the rope along the shin. As you kick out and bending the knee in. Every time you bend that leg, resist rounding your spine. So when you do keep your belly nice and pulled in and keep that spine nice and long, We're also resisting letting the leg drag down.

So try to keep it hip height parallel to the floor. Let's go for 5 for 4. For 3. Good. 2 more. And then we're gonna keep the legs straight.

We're gonna sweep it forward, keeping it hip height. I'm kind of shifting my right hip back as I kick forward. To keep these hips nice and stacked. You're gonna kick forward or sweep forward, sweep the leg back, but be careful of the rope. So stop right before the rope gets to you.

And again, kind of shifting the hip back, staying nice and pulled up, and reach, reach, reach. You're trying to get that leg a little bit longer pulling out, out, out, and forward keeping it lifted. Let's do 4 more here. For 3. For 2. Inhale as you kick forward or sweep forward and exhale.

Good. Let the toes point up rotate in the hip socket. So turn it out. You can reach up and grab that rope, give yourself a nice big stretch. Pulling the foot towards the shoulder. And let's do a couple of these. So you can release the rope with your hand, drive the foot into the strap, and then rotate the hip in the hip socket so you're parallel. So you're going parallel.

And then rotate toes up and turn out. So you get this nice inner thigh stretch, and you're going up, up, up, stretch, and then really reaching the toes out, out, out. Let's do that 2 more times. Good. One more. And then you're gonna hold it hip height. Flex that foot, toes turn down, heel lifts, and give me a little pulse for 8 for 7, 6, 5, 4, really good for 3, 2. And one. Good. Bend the knees in.

Come on up. Take your foot out of that strap, and let's go right away to your other side. I'm gonna come all the way around so it's a little bit easier. Lie down on your right side, head on the ball, or the headrest, shift those hips back, and really I find that people bunch themselves up close to their shoulders. So shift your hips down away from your shoulders so you can be nice and long in your spine. Grab that front strap, foot goes in the big loop, find these hips nice and stacked, and we're gonna bring the foot and the knee forward and exhale straighten out the leg.

Want you to really flex that foot, drive the heel away from you. So you're pushing pushing, lengthening, even more. And all the while, we're keeping that leg hip height. Let's do a couple more here. Keeping the bottom leg tucked in. Let's go for 4. Nice and pulled in, and your waist for 3.

For 2. And one. Keep the leg nice and long and straight. Sweep it forward without letting it die down. Keep it lifted, and then sweep and pull back. Good. You're going forward in line with your hip.

And using that hamstring and glute to pull the leg back. Remember that little trick of shifting the top hip back slightly as you kick forward? And then pulling it back. It's just gonna keep those hips nice and stacked. Let's do four more here.

Keep your breath going. For 3. For 2. And last one, we go for that stretch. Turn the leg out. Toes up. Grab that strap.

Pull your foot towards your shoulder. Big inner thigh stretch here. Take a breath. Enjoy it. And then we're gonna let the strap go. Drive our foot into the strap and then rotate in the hip socket reaching that leg nice and long parallel to the floor, toes go back, turn the leg out, and then reach and rotate down and up.

I love this one. It's a stretch. It's work. It feels really nice. Let's do 3 more, and then we'll go into that pulse for 2. One more. And then Holded hip height parallel to the floor.

Flex the foot. Toast turned down slightly. Heel is lifting. We're right there. Puls it out. Good. Give me 5 for 4.

3. For 2 and one more. Bend your knee in. Take your foot out of that strap. Come on in. Let's come up and just hang that strap up.

And remove your ball. Getting rid of that ball, place it underneath your frame so it's out of the way. And let's add a red spring. So we're on 2 red springs now, and we are gonna finish lying down on your back. So scoot on down.

Lower yourself and place your heels on your foot bar. They're hip width apart parallel, arms down by your sides. I like to shimmy away from the shoulder blocks a little bit, long neck. We're gonna go for a bridge here. So scooping out the belly, peeled the tailbone off first, exhale.

Good. Squeeze at the top. Let's go for that stretch. So straightening the legs, keeping the hips high. Good. Use the hamstrings to draw the carriage in, lift tire with the hips if you can and then slowly roll down. Let's do that a couple more times. Exhale.

Scoop. Roll up. Peel the spine off. Squeeze those glutes to keep the hips high as you reach out. And then bring it on down. 2 more like that. Good.

Keeping these hips nice and even. And then use the backs of the arms, really press the backs of the arms down into the carriage. And then let's stay up here, bring the carriage in and out, keeping the hips nice and lifted, squeezing those glutes, and using the hamstrings to control the carriage in and out. Let's go for 4 more here. Belly button is fine for 3.

For 2. And 1. Good. We're gonna stay here flat back halfway down and then hinge from the hips flat back down and up presses hips nice and high without arching your back, though. Try not to let your abs go. Keeps them pulled in. Let's do four more.

We're nice and even using both sides for 3 for 2, and then hold it at the top on 1, go down an inch, make a mini, down an inch, up an inch for 8. Squeeze and lift 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 roll it all the way down, hug your knees into your chest, and rock side to side. Letting it go. Let's finish with our feet and straps. So go ahead and grab those.

Placing your feet in the big loops. And then stretching those legs out. Let's float the feet right on top of the hips, reach up, grab those straps, and stretch the hamstrings. After that work, it feels so good. And then release the straps, pressing the feet into the straps, float the legs down.

Just at that halfway point, float it up. Maybe you go a little bit past your hips too, if that feels okay. Even let your tailbone peel off slightly and then anchor the tailbone down, press the feet in the straps. Let's do that one more time for fun. Good. Pull stretch.

And press down this time. At the bottom, we're gonna turn the legs out, go into those circles, keeping a slight turnout. If we go down, toes turned out, and then pull the legs together. Let's do 4 more here for 3. For 2.

And then let's reverse that circle with a big split at the top, drawing the heels together, low legs, and then float the feet right on top of the hips. Split. And left. Good. Let's flow through this. So keep this motion constant. So up, split, draw together.

Let's do four more here just so we get a little bit more of an inner thigh workout because you're really using those inner thighs to draw the heels together. 2 more. And one. Good. Let's flex the feet, heels together toes apart, knees go towards the shoulders, little frog, and then stretch those legs nice and long. Try not to let the feet collapse down.

Keep them lifted. And let's do 5 more. Squeeze reach. Stay long in your spine. So pull that belly in.

And your tailbone is anchoring down into the carriage for 2. Good. We're gonna keep the legs straight on 1, inner thighs split. You're gonna split, draw the heels together. Let's do this. At a very quick pace. I want you to split your legs enough to move the carriage.

So it doesn't have to be giant, but just enough to get that movement in the carriage. We're drawing those legs together for 8, for 7, for 6, whoo, for 5, inner thighs on fire for 4, for 3, for 2, And one, pull it in. Grab those ropes. Let's stretch those inner thighs, taking the right leg out to the side. Pull on the ropes so that foot is going towards the shoulder. And then fold it in.

Let's do the other side. Unfold. Pull. Pull. Pull. And one more on each side. Good. Getting that good stretch in after that work.

Amazing. Bring the soles of the feet together. Drop those feet towards the well of the springs. Maybe the arms go open. Take a deep breath. Such good work.

Let's slowly take our feet out of the straps. Hang up those straps, and you are done. That was so fun. Thanks for joining me. See you next time.