Push Thru Series

So good afternoon. I'm Adrienne and this is Cecilia. She's gonna be demonstrating the push through series. On the Cadillac. We're using a Gratz springs.

And that's basically it. Come on and sit down. I'm gonna have her lie down. We're gonna start with a teaser series. So we're gonna do basically as much as we can with the, push through bar.

I'm gonna have you actually backwards. So if I lowered this down. You want it to be right above your collarbone. So probably just a hair back. Right there.

So the way she was holding the bar. Go ahead and grab the bar. You want to make sure that's where you are. Does that make sense? So the bar is right above the collarbone.

These are intermediate to advanced exercises. So keep that in mind when you're doing them. And let's begin. Let's have your leg straight. Alright.

So we're gonna start with just her arms. She's gonna begin by bending her elbows out to the side. So they go out not in. Once her elbows are down to the mat. So you're really opening up the chest.

You're gonna hold. The arms are about shoulder width apart. So does that feel comfortable? Okay. Once she's there I want here to try to get her ribs down, to the mat as deep as you can.

And get that stretch through the legs. Reaching away and wrapping the thighs. So you got your bottom squeezing those inner thighs. Zipping up. Now straighten the arms behind you.

Think of reaching away from yourself. But you keep the fingers on there. So you don't lose that bar. You stretch. I'm gonna give her a little extra pull.

As you stretch you still drop those ribs. Exactly. And you still wrap. Now she's gonna come back. So bend your elbows.

Let the elbows touch. I want you to pause once those elbows touch. Get that positioning again. So powerhouse is in control. So that spring doesn't just pop up.

You're in control. Now she's gonna take the arms straight up. Okay so that's just where we're gonna start. Let's have you do that again. Keep your neck nice and long.

By dropping your chin a little bit. There you go. Elbows first touch. Stop. Position.

So ribs down. Stretch back. Reach as far back as you can. Ribs again. Seat again.

And our thighs. And bend the arms. Stop. Find it. Neck is still long.

Take the arms straight up. And you're gonna do that three times. So that was two. So this is the third one. Come down.

Stretch back. Get a good reach. And just for feel good sake I want to help stretch you. It feels good. And then I'm gonna let go.

You're gonna come back. And now she's gonna straighten her arms. And come up into a roll up. So just her upper body. Push into the palms.

So you're not gripping. But you are lightly holding. Tall spine. So as tall as you can without those ribs popping out. And now push into the palms as you curl down.

So you got resistance pushing into the bar. As you curl yourself down. Control it. She's gonna do that again. She's gonna do three sets.

Push back with your arms. Stretch. Bend the elbows. So now that you kind of know where we're going. You're gonna come back up a little bit.

Quicker. So more flow. That was fine. So come back in. Bend the elbows.

Take the elbows straight up. Curl into yourself. Back into that same exact move you just did. Don't arch in here though. Fill it up.

Yes. And then come back down. With control. Stretch back. Bend the elbows.

This time we're gonna add a step. She's just gonna use her. Same roll up you just did. Come up. But then we're gonna do a little arm pump.

So up with the spine. Tall back. Keep your back long as you bend your elbows, behind your head. So drop your chin a little bit. Stay tall.

And stretch up three times. One. There you go. Two. Control the lift.

Don't let the spring lift you. There you go. Let me see that one more time with control. Stretch. And now bring yourself down.

Yes. Okay so now that she's done her arms. We're gonna move to the legs. So bend the arms. Straighten the arms.

Curl up. Start to come up with your chest. Now legs come with you. Legs come with you. Chest comes with you.

Teaser position. Everything goes down together. Keep those arms long. Once you head touches that's when you bend the elbows. And then stretch.

Again. She's gonna do two more sets. Just like that. Curl up. So three times pretty much of everything.

Hold. Come back down. Two. This time is her third. So she's gonna come back up and hold.

Now just the legs. A little bit down. And up three times. As she lowers and lifts. You want to keep that spine tall and long.

So keep those hips up. Three everything goes down together. Stretch back. Now we're gonna do a combination. She's gonna come back up with arms and legs.

So first you go back down. Never lead with your head. You want to always bring the arms first. Curl your chin toward your chest. There you go.

So that spine is getting that articulation. Now that you're up. Arms once. Stretch tall. Legs once.

Three sets. Arms once. Stretch. Legs once. Arms last.

Lift legs up. Everything goes down. Stretch back. Bend the arms. Come back up into your teaser.

Finishing in. Yes chin good. Up into the teaser. Finishing with the boomerang. So she's gonna reach for her toes by letting go of that bar.

Balancing. Hold. Take the arms behind you. Clasp your fingers. Stretch backward taller.

Take those arms circle around. And then now control it as you roll to your knees. And stretch. That's it. I'm gonna have her flip around.

Face the bar for the actual push through series. So now her feet are gonna go against the poles. Both are flexed. She's gonna go ahead and reach up for the bar. And now keep the arms straight.

So the arms are gonna straight the whole time. Alright so you're holding that bar. You're not gripping. You're always holding lightly. Okay.

You're gonna drop your chin toward your chest. And start to round backwards. Like you we're going to lie down. As you go back try to keep your feet against the poles. But pull your toes back so you're flexed.

Good. Tuck your hips. Now this is powerhouse. It's not arms. Shoulders down.

Lower the arms. Curl your chin. And push that bar towards your toes. Stretch as far forward as you can. Keeping that scoop.

This is a good exercise to teach your spine to stretch. Forward. And then come back with control. So here's that spring wants to pop you up. You have to control it by tucking under more.

There more tucked. Yes. Then the bar lifts. Last thing up is your head. So you're stacking your spine.

And pushing up into those palms. And you're gonna do that two more times. So start to go back. Curl your chin. Curl your hips.

Flex your feet. Drop those shoulders. Stretch forward. Where's that scoop? So if I were here.

I'm pulling you back. And pushing those hips forward. That's it. And then come back with control. Arms go up.

Reach. Lengthening through here. Feels good. And last one. Come back down.

Curl. Yes nice and controlled. Stretch. Come back. Bring the arms up.

Reach until you can't reach anymore. Get a nice length through the sides. Lifting the waist. Squeezing your seat. Flexing your feet.

And rest. Okay. I'm gonna have this. We're gonna transition next to her tower and monkey. So I'm gonna actually take the spring off.

And we'll get that set up. Good so. Still using Gratz springs. Get that set up. And then we're gonna, Use our safety strap here.

This is a balance body machine. But with Gratz springs. Okay. And then I'm just gonna move this over. And then what she'll do, actually I'll go a little higher.

You want a little tension on the straps here. It doesn't get snagged here. Alright good. Okay. So I'm gonna have you come back around.

And she's gonna lie underneath this. And we're gonna start with the tower. So actually you'll need to turn around, so your head is over here. Exactly where you were for the push through. We're facing it I should say.

Think I would have moved that over there. Alright. So same idea here. You want this kind of above your collarbone. I'm gonna have you move back just a little bit.

Right there. So the bar is level with your collarbone. Because she's gonna end up with her feet on here. So let's put your hands on the bar behind you. And in Romana's Pilates we have your hands, your wrist, aligned with your elbows.

And the elbows are gonna be in. So a little bit higher. So if I drew a line from your wrist to your elbow. One plane. Because you're gonna actually use them a little bit.

And what you'll do is you'll kind of lightly, push into the palms. And that helps to expand your chest. And keep those shoulders down. And ribs in. Okay.

So not just yet with the hands so much. But you're gonna, let's start with one foot on here. So you're gonna put your foot it's aligned with your hip. Good. Your right shoulder if it's the right leg.

And she's just gonna try to straighten the leg. It's a stretch. And then she's just gonna hold that. What I want you to think about while you're doing this, is keeping some length through here. So push the hip.

Stretch without arching. But keeping that tailbone down. Push into the hips. So push down with the hip. Good.

And if you want to add a little extra stretch. That's where you can push into the palms. Yes. And keep that hip pushing down. And away.

Do you feel that. Okay. Bend your knee. Bring it down. She'll do that two more times.

When she bends her knee though. Don't let your tailbone rise. So only bend the knee to where you can keep, your tailbone flat. Straighten the leg. Stretch.

Good. Bend just a little bit. So that tailbone doesn't pop up. And then stretch and hold. Now she'll add a flex and point of the foot.

So this knee will stay bent. Should have mentioned earlier. Two. And you obviously can see why we have that safety strap. Because if your foot slipped off you want that strap, to catch the bar.

And bend you knee. And come down. We're gonna switch legs. So you can keep this foot on. While you transition.

Then you'll take your right foot down. Going to the left leg. Tailbone down. Good. She got herself long in position by pushing into the palms.

And bend. Let's keep your foot flexed. Or excuse me pointed. Yeah. And then straight.

So the leg is longer. And bend. Don't let your tailbone lift push it down. That's it. Two.

And this will be her third one. She'll hold. Flex and point. Nice and controlled. One.

Careful when you're flexing not to let the spring, do it for you because if you go too fast. It'll push you too much. So you want to always be in control. And then bend your knee. And now keep that foot on.

And let's put both feet on here. Feet are gonna be hip width apart. Correct. Now she's gonna keep her toes pointed. And she's gonna straighten her legs.

Hold. So I want you to hold that. I'm gonna give you a little stretch. So the idea is long through here and down. So you push into those palms to help you.

Get a nice stretch. That's it. Now she'll do three of these. So she bends her knees. Good.

And keeping in mind of that tailbone. Stretch up. So she's only bending to that point where her bottom, doesn't roll up. And hold. Now because her feet are pointing she's ready.

You're gonna want a little support with the arms. So make sure you're pushing lightly. Your neck is long. Your chest is open. She's gonna rise up.

So you're gonna lift your bottom off the mat. Head stays right where it is. Go as high as you can. Until you're almost right above those shoulders. Reach those legs.

Up. Good this is a great training exercise for your jack knife. And your overhead. And then come back down. And as you come down.

I want you to think of pushing to the bar with your feet. Pushing the bar with your palms. There you go. Feel the difference? It goes directly here.

And all the way down. So the strength goes back into that powerhouse. Where it should be. Once you're down you'll bend your knees and rest. And you'll do that two more sets.

These are some of my favorite exercises. And straighten. And curl up. So a little push in the palms. That'll help support those shoulders and ribs.

All the way up. Stretch. Long, long length. And all the way down. Control it.

Good with the push with the palms. Legs are pushing into the bar. All the way until she's down. Spine is long. Bend.

Now we're gonna add a step. Once you're up there. So same exact thing. Legs straighten. Push up.

Hold. She's got that stretch going. Now not moving here. Just the knees. You're gonna bend your knees.

And straighten the legs three times. Down. Stretch. So don't move here. One.

Come down a little bit lower. With the heels. Two. So really bend. There you go let's do that again.

And stretch. Do one more. Push into those palms. And straighten the legs. Hold.

Push into the feet. Push into the palms. Bring yourself down with control. And once she's down. She's gonna take one foot off at a time.

Lower the bar. And let go. Yes. Or you can always grab onto the bar to help you too. Okay.

So that is your tower. Now we're gonna move to your monkey. So this one you actually have to literally, it's not the easiest to get into position. You're gonna bring this hand inside, the spring so bring this hand around. There you go.

Head and chest off the back. So pretty much your shoulders off. And then she's gonna grab the bar with her hands. And put both feet on here. Heels together, toes apart.

So the feet are more together than apart. Yeah. So she's in a Pilates stance. Good. Nose to your knees.

And she's gonna, what Romana would say is fold up like an envelope. So keep your nose to your knees. Lift. I think I want you a little further back. So ideally her bottom should clear this.

Right underneath that bar. So let me have you move. Because you're not getting enough stretch. Move backwards toward your head. Right there.

Okay. Once again grab the bar. Heels together, toes apart. Okay now let's see that again. Straighten the legs.

Curl up. Much better. And I want her to lift through here. Can you get those legs, your nose towards your knees more? Yes.

Good. Good stretch. Alright. I want to move out of the way. Soft.

Good she's gripping. Alright and then come back down. You're gonna do that two more times. Keep your chin to your chest the whole time. Just so you don't put strain on your neck.

Lightly holding. Try to get closer to the knees and once you're there try to, grow taller and longer and then you'll come back down. Now this last one she's gonna come back up and hold. And do a flex and point of the feet. So she's first gonna get there.

She's gonna get a little closer. She's gonna get a little taller in those hips. And then she's gonna flex. Point. Don't let the spring control it.

Two. You're in control of the springs. And then slowly bring yourself down. She's gonna get out of here when she's down. She's gonna drop here feet.

Still holding the bar. She'll have to push that bar up to clear her head. To get herself out of here. Good and I'll help hold it. And then that is it you're gonna let go.

And we'll finish with that part. And then we'll go ahead and do a little tower... Why am I losing my train of thought? The trapeze. Okay so now we're transitioning to the traditional ending.

And we've got our trapeze bar. I've got some mats. Two of them. And then the sticky pads as well. And the roll back bar.

And again these are Gratz springs. This is not a Gratz catalog. So I've had to adjust the bar. But it's still very, very doable. I gonna have you move just a little bit forward.

Not too much. Yeah just so you're not hanging off the edge there. You're fine. Let me have you start with your feet in the straps. Good.

And your legs are long. I might adjust this. And actually how does that feel on your ankles okay? Yeah. Okay.

I'm gonna move this back just a little bit. Because we want it kind of right above you. And I'm not gonna have you hook your feet like that. I'm just gonna have your heels together, toes apart. Right.

Good. Alright so this is nice and secured. And now she's gonna take the bar. We're starting with a breathing. Arms are straight.

It's a chest expansion. Her hips are not gonna move. She's gonna start with just her arms. Okay. So you want to keep your head right where it is.

It's not gonna lift. Reaching the arms out long. Not locking your elbows. But long, long arms. She's gonna take a nice inhale as those arms come down.

Towards her hips. Think of reaching for that trapeze. Once it's there you're gonna open up your chest. You're kind of holding your breath. And then you're gonna exhale.

And lift it back up. It's really about getting the lungs to really expand. And the chest to open. Ready. Inhale reach out long.

Once you're there. Open the chest up a little bit more. By rolling those shoulders back. Exhale arms come back up. Rest.

One more time. Inhale reach out long. Get those ribs down. Chest open. Shoulders back.

Reaching out long. Exhale lift. Okay. So now she's still holding on. But not the arms.

Just lightly holding. Yeah you can even relax them if you want. She's gonna go to just her hips. So now hips are gonna roll up off the mat. As high as you can.

So you got a little pressure on the heels. To help lift you up. So she's in one nice long line. Take a nice deep breath in. Keeping the neck nice and long.

Start to articulate. Exhale roll down. So we're rolling through her spine, to come down. Rest. She's gonna do that three times for demonstration.

And curl up. And exhale to roll down. Now on a Gratz her arms wouldn't be bent. Because it would be higher up. But for this.

The springs are not in the right position for you. That's why they're that way. Deep breath in. Wrapping. And now exhale.

Rolling, down. Rest. Okay now she's gonna put all that together. Her arms and her hips and the breathing. So arms are up.

That's your starting position. Okay take a nice deep breath in. Lower the arms, lift your hips, and hold. Up and I'm gonna have her open up her chest. Hold one.

Two. Three everything comes down as the arms lift. Exhale roll articulating down. Down so long breath in, long breath out. Okay.

Inhale lower the arms. Lift the hips. Way up there with the hips. Now roll those shoulders way back. So your chest expands.

There you go. Now hold it one. Two. Three. Exhale simultaneously.

That's it articulate upper back. Middle spine. Lower spine. Hips. Very good.

She's gonna do one more. This time hold for five counts. Last one. Deep breath in. Up.

Chest open. Hold one. Two. Three. Four.

Five. Exhale roll it down. Long breath out. And that's it. Now because we're doing a traditional ending.

She's gonna take her feet out of the strap. And she's gonna end up standing up. And I'm gonna move some spring out of the way. Getting set up for spread eagle. So I'm gonna, this is where you're gonna need the pads.

So we'll put those against the bars. And before we start I'm gonna move this bar, out of the way as well. Because I think it will go there. You're just gonna watch your nose here. And these things.

So I'm gonna have you step forward. Towards me. And you're gonna hold hip level. Okay. And that's where your arms are gonna be.

And in Romana's Pilates for the spread eagle, your arms are gonna stay straight the whole time. They're gonna want to bend a little bit. But you're gonna want to try to keep them straight. You're gonna put your feet and the ankles, so they're turned out. And you're gonna kind of roll on those feet a bit.

Your feet are gonna adjust as you do these. Okay. So arms probably just a slight bit lower. Not too much. Right there is good.

And basically. Watch your forehead. I'm gonna hold this here. We can actually maybe I'll just lower that down. So it's not right in your view.

Okay. Alright so now you're gonna fall backwards. You're holding on the whole time. Drop your head. Here your feet will kind of roll.

So she's gonna get a nice stretch this way. And she's pulling in and tucked. So you're in a nice T. C you get a nice stretch in that upper back as well. Now the feet have to adjust as she comes up.

She's gonna roll to a flat foot. Come up. Lift your tummy. Go into an arched back. So take your head back and exhale.

Lift up through here. Keep those hips pushing forward. By squeezing your seat. There you go. Carefully lowering herself back down.

So she'll do that three times. Drop your chin. Roll back. Remember to get that deep C. So tuck your bottom more.

Good. That's it. Beautiful. And then come back up. So three of these.

Deep breath in. Exhale. Remember to use that seat so squeeze. Good. And last one.

Curl chin. Down toward your chest. Fall back. She's doing great with her arms. And then come back up.

Deep breath in. Exhale. Stretch. Very nice. Now she's gonna turn around to face the trapeze.

So literally turn around. This is where you're gonna want some sticky pads. Or if you have gloves. You can wear gloves. Because she's gonna need them for her pull ups.

She's gonna do some pull ups on here. Yeah. When you measure you're about an elbow away from the back. Does that makes sense. Exactly.

And that's where you hand will go. So you would measure this direction. And then I'm gonna move this. Out of the way. Good.

Alrighty. So now she'll be facing the trapeze. Now there's a way to get into position. I want to have you step forward a little bit. So you shouldn't have to move this.

Because you've just done it. So the measurement should already be there. You're gonna take a hold of the bars. Now you're quietly gonna take your legs and hook your feet. Okay.

So simultaneously. Nice and controlled. And you've got some great power so. So it looks like you want to move those forward. Yeah.

This is just a little bit different measurement, than the Gratz so it makes it a little bit different. That's fine. Then your feet are all the way on here and hooked. So you keep them hooked. Now you drop into what they call a V.

And then she's gonna go into a straight line. So hips come up. And she's gonna arch her head back. Open up her chest. Open them.

Pull those shoulders back. Let your head fall. Good. She's gonna go back into a plank. So straight line.

Chin drops. Look at your navel. Keep your bottom tight. Ribs in. And now pull backwards.

Towards the crown of your head. Three times. Two. Keep those ribs in. Three.

That's it. And then drop into a V. Chin drops. Look down. Okay.

Feel like you can do one more set. Alright so first she's gonna go into a straight line. Deep breath in. And now arch back. Let your head fall.

Open up the chest. Hips are up. Very nice. Now go into a straight line again. Chin curls.

Ribs in. Bottom tight. And pull up. Drop your chin more. Two.

So a little bit higher. One. We'll count that again. Two. That's it.

One. Two. Now she's doing it. Three. And V.

Now hardest part here. Getting off. Quietly both feet at the same time. Oh some serious muscles here. So both feet come out.

Lower down. And voila. And you are done. Very nice job.