One leg Pilates exercises show us where we overwork, underwork and also where we twist, turn or need more attention. Try doing weak leg, strong and then weak.
If Leg Springs on the Cadillac is going well, then take your practice to the next level. Challenge yourself to lift your hips and reach in two directions.
Single Leg Springs is one of my favorite teaching tool exercises. It’s not a difficult exercise to do but its effectiveness is more than meets the eye.
Strengthen your High Scissors, High Bicycle, Jackknife, Overhead, Long Spine Massage, to name a few. Then you’ll want to work your Single Leg Tower.
Monkey is a great stretch but also an amazing exercise for teaching you how to do other exercises like Tree, Elephant, Stomach Massage and more.
From the outside, they look like a simple pull, press, resist and repeat. But, on the inside, your center and seat will be working harder than your arms.
Tower on the Cadillac will also help you see how your feet connect to the equipment, learn where you are moving from and how to find that two-way stretch!
Footwork happens everywhere in Pilates! Not only can you do it here on the Cadillac but on the Reformer, Mat, on the Wunda Chair and probably more.
Challenge your flexion, connect your arms to your back and center with this variation of the Ab Series. It’s great for learning how to stand in the springs.
The Roll Back Bar will help you find the connection of your arms to your back and find the lift and “up stretch’ that we need when doing flexion exercises.
This will help you do more asymmetrical exercises. You’ll learn the knowledge and strength you need to reach through one leg while working the other.
Are you ready to fly? Airplane on the Cadillac is an exercise that will allow you to feel the strength of your body and also like you are a gymnast!
Leg Springs are more than a leg workout. The name suggests that they are all about the legs but in fact, they truly help connect your legs to your center.
Long Back Arms connects you to your back and advances your Pilates practice by opening your chest. You’ll learn to stand in your legs and strengthen your back.
Rolling Stomach Massage combines the fun of Rolling Like a Ball, the stretch of Shortspine Massage and it literally elevates your Shoulder Bridge.
Rolling In and Out will bring together and challenge what you know from Chest Expansion, Thigh Stretch, Push Through and more and make you flow it.
The combination of the Cadillac’s stable platform and you kneeling versus standing make it an excellent teaching exercise for doing Chest Expansion elsewhere.
This is a challenge for your strength and coordination as much as your connections and will help improve your Rowing on the Reformer and other exercises.
Push Through is great for teaching your body the Roll Up on the Mat, Elephant on the Reformer, Push Down on the Wunda chair and many more exercises.
This variation will force you to truly find the reach down through your lower back and legs to maintain your lift and connection to your back.
The spring tension changes throughout these exercises, teaching you how to maintain the connection to your center when you have no tension in your springs.
This version allows you to practice the movements and challenge the connection to your springs even when you lose the resistance.
Teaser is not about holding the position, it’s all about staying connected while doing the variations. The Push Through Bar helps you practice this.
The length you gain in your spine and the strength you challenge in your back will make you want to do Shoulder Roll Down every time you hit your Cadillac.
Breathing also reveals if we are ready for exercises such as Shortspine, Overhead, Roll Over, Jackknife and other exercises where we must lift our hips up.
It’s easy to let go of the connections you gained when you open the springs. Closing the springs is the most challenging part of the Arm Springs Series.