Audrey's Pilates 

STRETCH WITH BAR

Good Ending Exercise

REPETITIONS: 3 times

INSTRUCTIONS: Sit with the coccyx on the edge of the Spine Corrector Barrel. The legs are straight and the body is lying back over the barrel. Both hands hold onto a weighted bar which, in the beginning, rests on your thighs.

Inhale and lift the bar to the ceiling.

Exhaling, reach the arms back with 3 gentle pulses, increasing the stretch. Keep your back into the barrel.

Inhaling, reach the arms up to the ceiling again.

Exhale, return the bar to your thighs.

TEACHING:

Make sure that your “powerhouse” supports your back.

Pay attention to straight legs, evenly maintained hips, and arms working evenly and squared.

 

ARM CIRCLES

REPETITIONS: 3 circles in each direction

INSTRUCTIONS: Lie with your upper back against the small barrel. Place the head back with a long, relaxed neck. Extend the legs down into “Pilates Stance” or bend your knees upward with your feet flat on the floor. Your arms are by your sides. You may hold light weights.

Inhaling lift your arms straight to the ceiling.

Open your arms as you exhale. Keep your back into the barrel.

Continue to exhale as you circle your arms to your sides.

NEXT STEP:

Begin with small circles. When you can control the small circles, you may increase the range of the circles.

TEACHING:

This exercise can be done with 2-3 lb. weights in your hands, or without any weights at all.

Start your arm circles with a slight arch in your upper back. Then later, sit closer to the barrel for a more intense stretch.

Introduce this exercise with the Up/Down movement.

Then progress to the Arm Circles on the Small Barrel.

Finally execute the circles on the Spine Corrector.

 

LEG SERIES:

CIRCLES

REPETITIONS: 5 circles in each direction

INSTRUCTIONS:

SMALL BARREL: Lie over the Barrel with your lower back against it. Hands are holding onto the side handles to keep the Barrel firmly pressed into your back. Keep the neck long and relaxed making sure there is no pressure no it. Straighten both legs to the ceiling.

SPINE CORRECTOR: Control getting into this exercise; keep the chin to your chest as you slide to your shoulders. At the end of this exercise, bring your head up first. Sit against the Barrel, then slide on top and over, until your shoulders lie on the floor. Keep the neck long and relaxed making sure there is no pressure on it. Bend your knees into your chest.

Hold the handles on the sides of the Barrel and pull them towards you keeping your lower back supported.

Straighten your legs to the ceiling, slightly below a 90% angle.

Open your legs no wider than the frame of your body.

Reach your legs long out of your hips, downwards while keeping your navel, ribs and back into the Barrel.

Work your inner thighs to close your legs.

Continue to work your inner thighs as you lift the legs.

TEACHING:

SMALL BARREL

Begin with small controlled circles.

Progress to working the circles with a brisk dynamic.

SPINE CORRECTOR

Warning: Control getting into this exercise; keep the chin to your chest as you slide to your shoulders. At the end of this exercise, bring your head up first.

This is a great exercise to replace the Leg Springs if you have weaker legs and/or bad knees.

Initially, work within the frame of your body keeping the circles small.

Flexible dancers?!? Do not work too wide.

Strong and stiff?!? Stretch wider.

 

SCISSORS

REPETITIONS: 5 sets R/L

INSTRUCTIONS:

SMALL BARREL: Lie over the Barrel with your lower back against it. Hands are holding onto the side handles to keep the Barrel firmly pressed into your back. Keep the neck long and relaxed making sure there is no pressure no it. Straighten both legs to the ceiling. This exercise can follow the Leg Circles.

SPINE CORRECTOR: This exercise can follow the Leg Circles.

Hold the handles on the sides of the Barrel and pull them towards you keeping your lower back supported.

Keep one leg up to the ceiling as you lengthen the other leg as far as possible down to the floor, or edge of the seat, while hugging your body’s midline.

Switch in there air, making sure the focus is on the lengthening of the downward moving leg.

TEACHING:

It is important that you keep the lower back firmly pressed into the Barrel while the legs are reaching long. Continue sinking your navel to your spine.

The “up” leg should never fall backwards over the head.

Keep legs in line with the midline of your body.

Focus on the leg that reaches down, opening your hip.

 

WALKING

REPETITIONS: 3-5 sets

INSTRUCTIONS: SMALL BARREL & SPINE CORRECTOR: Lie over the Barrel with your lower back against it. Hands are holding onto the side handles to keep the Barrel firmly pressed into your back. Keep the neck long and relaxed making sure there is no pressure no it. Start with both legs to the ceiling. This exercise can follow the Scissors.

Walk the legs down to the mat with short controlled steps. Maintain even steps progressing only as far down as you can continue the control of your back against the barrel.

Continue this control as you walk back up with the same number of steps to the starting position.

TEACHING:

Keep holding the handles on the sides of the Barrel pulling them towards you to keep your lower back supported.

Work with control.

Begin with fewer steps (6), then progress to 8.

Work slowly at the beginning.

 

BICYCLE

REPETITIONS: 3-5 circles, then reverse.

INSTRUCTIONS:

SMALL BARREL & SPINE CORRECTOR: Lie over the Barrel with your lower back against it. Hands are holding onto the side handles to keep the Barrel firmly pressed into your back. Keep the neck long and relaxed making sure there is no pressure no it. Start with both legs to the ceiling. This exercise can follow the Walking.

As one leg continues to reach to the ceiling, the other leg reaches out and down to the mat, or edge of the Barrel.

Bend the knee dropping the foot to the mat, or touching the edge of the Barrel. This will stretch the front of the hip and the leg.

The leg circles back into the chest and up to the ceiling as the other leg passes, repeating the movement.

TEACHING:

Focus on the downward leg, trying each time to touch the mat or edge of the Barrel to increase the stretch.

Do NOT allow the “up” leg to fall back over the head.

Bending the knee at the last possible moment while keeping the back firmly pressed into the Barrel, will increase the opening of the hip.

 

BEATS

REPETITIONS: 20 beats

INSTRUCTIONS:

SMALL BARREL & SPINE CORRECTOR: Lie over the Barrel with your lower back against it. Hands are holding onto the side handles to keep the Barrel firmly pressed into your back. Keep the neck long and relaxed making sure there is no pressure no it. Start with both legs reaching to the ceiling.

Bring both legs down far as you can maintain control. Turn the legs out (lateral rotation).

Vigorously beat the inner thighs together 20 times.

TEACHING:

Be sure the lower back is firmly supported by the Barrel.

Use the “powerhouse” to stabilize the body while beating.

 

ROLLING IN AND OUT

REPETITIONS: 3 sets

INSTRUCTIONS:

SMALL BARREL & SPINE CORRECTOR: This exercise is the last of the Leg Series. Lying over the Barrel, bend the knees into your chest.

With both knees together, roll the lower half of the body so the knees reach toward the right ear, then to the left. Alternate the movement for 3 sets trying to bring knees a little higher each time.

NEXT STEP:

Instead of the side-to-side motion, now circle the legs, gradually increasing the range and lift of the circles.

TEACHING:

Keep the legs together.

Work the abdominals.

When you spot a client, have your elbows at her ankles, and your hands on her knees to help the movement.

 

REST POSITION

INSTRUCTIONS: To finish the Leg Series, carefully push the Barrel away until you are lying flat on your back with your knees over the Barrel. Rest. Breath Naturally.

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LADDER BARREL EXERCISES:

Beginning Pilates System

This piece of equipment is great to introduce certain exercises that will later be done on the Reformer.

 

BALLET STRETCHES - FRONT

REPETITIONS: 3 times. Increasing the stretch with each repetition

INSTRUCTIONS: Stand inside the Barrel pressing the sacrum against the back rung. Bring one leg up on top of the Barrel making sure you cross the leg in front of your body when lifting. Then pace this leg aligned with the center of your body.

Ideally, your leg should be 90% in front of you.

Your hands are holding the outermost top rungs, with the palms are facing front.

Reach the body upward and then curl from the top of your head down and forward over your leg trying to bring your opposite cheek to the shinbone. Draw your “sitbones” to the floor.

Roll back up to the upright position.

Then arch up and backwards, sustaining the arching back but not hanging the head backwards.

Return center.

VARIATION: While keeping both legs straight and hips squared, slide out over the Barrel, then draw back to center.

TEACHING

Note: This front stretch can replace the TREE in the Short Box Series old this Barrel. (Not beginning)

Make sure the buttocks stay squared against the bar and you are standing with your hips directly over your heels.

The backbend is optional when doing the Front Stretch.

 

BALLET STRETCHES - FRONT WITH A BENT LEG

This exercise is good for opening tight hips.

REPETITIONS: 3 times. Increasing the stretch with each repetition

INSTRUCTIONS: This stretch can follow the previous exercise. This time bend the leg on top of the Barrel, with the knee dropped out to the side and the ankle flat. Position this leg across the body.

Pull the body up first, then curl forward over the leg hanging the crown of your head into the space by your knee.

Return to the upright position.

Then arch up and backwards, sustaining the arching back but not hanging the head backwards.

Return center.

TEACHING

The pelvis stays squared against the back bar.

As your body stretches forward, try to relax your hip as much as possible. You will feel an increased stretch across the buttock.

Breathe naturally, exhaling into the stretch position to increase your stretch.

 

SWEDISH BAR STRETCH

This exercise is for the very stiff

REPETITIONS: 3 times. Increasing the stretch with each repetition

INSTRUCTIONS: Face the ladder from the outside. Place your foot in the center of a rung at an appropriate height for your body. Hold on to the outermost rungs.

Bend your knee drawing your hip to your heel.

Keeping your hips squared, straighten your leg and draw your forehead to you knee.

 

THIGH STRETCH

REPETITIONS: 1 time on each leg

INSTRUCTIONS: Stand inside the Barrel facing the ladder with your legs together and your knees touching.

Bend one knee drawing the foot to your seat between the Barrel and your buttocks.

Breathe naturally, exhaling into this position to increase the stretch of your quadriceps. Keep your knees together and use the abdominals to deepen the stretch.