Swan with Push Through Bar No Spring on the Cadillac

Swan on the Pilates Cadillac with no spring is a lot like Swan on the Cadillac with a spring but harder. When you take the spring off the Push Through Bar on the Cadillac, you are not only taking away the support that the spring provides but also the lift that it helps you find. However, it’s important to remove springs from our Pilates practice from time to time so that we can see where we are relying on the springs too much. Try both the baby Swan and the big Swan with no spring and work your reach!

Reach arms from your back and your legs from your center create length.

-Lesley Logan

Unhook your Push Through Bar and make sure it’s hanging between your vertical poles. Lay on your stomach, arms reaching long in front of you. Legs ideally together, parallel, and pressing down into the mat. I like to “spin” my inner thighs up to ensure I’m not pinching my sacrum by turning my legs out. Double check that your Push Through Bar is still in line with your vertical poles. If it’s past the poles slide back. Head is face down, shoulders on your back and tailbone reaching long. Before you begin you want to already be stretching in two directions.

Baby Swan: Pressing your hands down and energetically back lift your heart, head, and chest. The bar will move slightly but not a ton. Continue to reach long as you lower your head and chest back down. Repeat 3-5x.

Big Swan: If the Baby Swan went well and you’ve been doing the Big Swan with a spring without hanging in your lower back or off the bar, then try without a spring. Bend your elbows wide like “Shave” and pull the bar past your head and then reach it up. You will have to do all the reaching. As you return back to start bend your elbow and reach the bar back overhead. Repeat 3-5x.

Be sure to check out more of my Pilates Cadillac exercises. I want to help you continue your Pilates Cadillac training!