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Hi. I am Lara Hamlin here on the tower today. This class could be done on a Cadillac or tower. I’ll make some modifications for this specific piece of equipment. Before we get started, make sure you have your push through bar here with 2 Springs optional. Your rollback bar, brown bar, I like to call it here also 2 springs.
I have a spring from the bottom and a safety strap for some things we get to later. And then 2 leg springs. You don’t need handles. That’s about all you will need. No props necessary.
We’ll start with our rollback facing this edge of the machine, feet up against those poles, heels pressing forward, sit bone anchored to the mat and then take a hold of that rollback bar. To prepare, think about pulling your shoulder blades down into your back. Imagine you’re sitting up tall against a flat wall here. And if your hamstrings are tight, hips are tight, feel free to softly bend those knees. We’ll start inhaling pressing the bar down to about chest height, pulling those shoulder blades further away from the ears, and then exhale to resist the arms back up feeling that engagement in the back inhale to press.
Axle to resist against the spring as the arms left. 2 more times, pressing down on the inhale. Deep in the belly. Imagine zipping up that low belly a tight pair of pants around the waist once more inhale to press down. And exhale to resist up.
From here, press those arms down once again to about chest height, pulling the shoulder blades away from the ears, feet tall through the spine. We’ll take another deep breath here to prepare and then exhale to roll down scooping out from the low belly nice tight grip around that bar. Pull your abdominals back. If the feet start to move away from the poles, that’s okay. Do try and keep that gentle pressure down into the bar. To keep the shoulder blades pulling away from the ears, inhale finding length through the spine at the bottom.
Exhale as we roll out shin peels over the chest belly button scoops back in and keep that gentle pressure down into the bar. Keep knitting the ribs together round and roll until shoulders come over the hips and then lengthen back up tall. Again, tension in the springs abs and back engage, inhale, exhale deep and in the low valley. Scoop out your waistline. Take your time rolling down, opening up through the low back, through the middle back, through the upper back, enjoying the articulation with support of this bar inhale feel greater length pulling those shoulder blades away from the ears, lengthening the back of the neck. Exale chin over the chest.
Rib cage draws tight, belly pulls back, easy gentle pressure down into that bar. Keeping the back. The lats activate it, sitting up a little taller at the top. Breathe. And exhale to roll down. Feel your spine opening here. Great exercise to help with our roll up on the mat when you have this assistance from these springs.
This time, we’ll stay down, bend the elbows wide, pull the bar towards the sternum inhale, Excel deep and the belly arms extend inhale to bend, exhale to extend, feeling that length of the chest and collar bones, that engagement as you draw the ribs together for 2 and stretch. Once more inhale bend, exhale extend and stay. Take a deep breath here, exhale to round and roll back up chin over the chest belly button scoops back and then rolling with just as much control on the way up as we do on the way down. Sitting up tall one more just like that gentle pressure down into the bar grow taller through the waist, inhale, and exhale to round and contract back belly button scoops back and in. Feel your shoulder blades pull away from the ears, the middle back open up, the upper back length and long, bar pulls to the chest for 5.
Excel to reach those arms long for opening up through the shoulders, through the neck, through the spine, for three elbows nice and wide or two Once more, inhale pull, exhale extend and stay. One more deep breath here to prepare. And then exhale to round and roll up scooping from your waist, curling shoulders over the hips, and then lengthening up tall at the top. Release that bar back up. We’ll let go of it and then spin around to lie on our backs here. Head will be at this edge.
Feet will be flat on the mat. Here’s a chance where if you were on a Cadillac and you wanted your legs to be in the a peace swing. You could do so. Maybe you had a ball or a circle between those inner thighs. Today, we’re working heels in line with the hips. Reach your fingertips towards your heels.
We’ll start with a nice easy bridge to begin inhaling to prepare. On the exhale, begin again by scooping from your low belly pressing into the heels, pressing into the palms, articulating through the spine, in the opposite direction of what we just were working. Find that length, long diagonal from hips to shoulders and to the knees, inhale squeeze the seat. An exhale to roll back down vertebra by vertebra. Chest away from the chin, opening up through the back as we warm up through the whole body here.
Releasing the hips back down one more like that inhale to prepare. Exhale belly pulls down ribs knit together, start to press into your heels pass into your palms, squeeze sit bones and butt cheeks tight inhale at the top, and exhale chest away from the chin, lengthening through the back of the neck. Opening up through the spine, warming up through the back of those legs and releasing the hips heavy at the bottom. We’ll do the same thing with the lower body adding some arms. So once again, take this brown bar holding on to the outsides a little wider than shoulder width depending on what type of equipment you have, maybe it’s inside or outside of this hardware. Wherever you are, start to press gently so that bar is over your chest, versus lifting the shoulders and coming back behind you.
Prepare here on the inhale. Excel once again, we’ll scoop and curl the pelvis up back to that bridge position, we were just in long diagonal from knees to hips to shoulders. Squeeze the seat, lift the chin away from the chest. Inhale press the bar towards your thighs. X. I’ll resist the arms right back up over the chest and the shoulders.
Form or inhale to press. Accelerate resist back up to the ceiling for 3. Keep squeezing the seat for 2. Exhale resisting both directions one more time. Arms press.
Arms lift to stay. Deep breath. And axale roll back down, opening up vertebra by vertebra, keeping tension in those springs, arms stay long and strong. Think of punching in the fist to the ceiling, pulling the shoulder blades down, releasing the hips down one more like that, inhale to prepare. Axel belly scoops down in and curl the hips up. Zip up through the waist.
Knees stay right in line with those middle toes. Really press down into your heels to lift your hips. Inhale to press from your back here so those shoulders don’t lift. Keep them pulling down away from your ears, lengthening through the back of the neck. In how to press, exhale resist, really tightening up in our abdominals here, keeping the ribs connected, especially on that exhale.
Imagine that course a tie in tighter around your waist for 2. And one more time. Feel your whole body working here. Lift those arms up to stay. Deep breath in, squeeze the seat a little tighter. Exhale to roll down bone by bone.
Finally, opening up through low back. We’re releasing the hips at the bottom. And releasing that bar back. Carefully release it all the way back to its starting position there. And then we’ll reach for our leg springs.
Your body stay pretty much where it is to start here. One foot in either spring, getting there carefully however you need hands will come back to those poles. I like to think of a ninety degree bend in my elbows instead of being too far down here, which causes our ribs display. I prefer to hold up a little higher. Really think of pressing back into your palms to engage in those lats, engage in those r muscles.
We’ll bring our legs to this diamond shaped heel squeeze tight deep breath in, exhale pull the belly down, reach those legs all the way out long for frog, finding a connection, making sure the pelvis stays anchored. The springs are gonna wanna lift our hips. Can we reach the sit bones and the tailbone long? Neutral pelvic position here. Use your abdominals.
Use your glutes. Use your back and your arms. From here, resist to bend back in. Exhale extend back out, resist against the springs as you bend, heels towards the sit bones, exhale length and heels away, inner thighs squeeze together, resist, and press out squeezing tight into those inner thighs, ribs knit together. Belly keeps pulling down it, and sit bones and tailbone keep reaching long. Pressing back into those palms, anchor those shoulders away from the ears.
Lift your gaze. Resist the urge to look towards your toes. Keep your chin lifted. No wrinkles in the neck. Trust your body.
Feel your alignment. Feel those muscles working to support you. Two more times we bend and extend once more inhale. Axle extend. From here, point through the toes.
We’ll circle the legs up on the inhale keeping some tension in those springs. Axle circle around and squeeze together at the bottom, lift, and circle, and squeeze. Keep that pelvis really anchored to the mat. Using the low belly, think about a seat belt across your hip bones here. 2 more this direction.
Lift circle and squeeze one more time inhale around, squeeze hold, rubber, circle around and up a nice easy rotation from those hips, keeping inner thighs rotating up, sit bones, glutes squeezing together, not too wide here, always keeping that connection in the legs, in the core, and a little bit of tension in the springs last time, inhale. And exhale press to lower and stay. We’re gonna make a diamond shape bending the knees just a couple inches here. Keeping that external rotation, heal, squeeze, tight diamond lives up, inhale, exhale diamond presses down, squeeze the sit bones a little tighter towards one another. Lift the diamond up on the inhale, pull the belly deeper, exhale, press it back down, working both directions here. Pelvis stays square.
Squeeze the seat, connect lower into your waist, inhale, and exhale for more. Keep pressing back into those palms, staying open through head, neck, and shoulders, 3. Press and reach it down and away for 2. And exhale one more time. Diamond Lifts. Diamond lowers to stay.
We should feel our inner thighs, glutes, hamstrings, extend the legs, turn to parallel, flex through your feet, really reach through the heels, about hip distance apart with those legs, small little scissor kick running and switch switch and switch breathe in, in, and out, out to part breath. Think of still engaging your inner thighs. So those legs stay in line with the hips. Keep squeezing right underneath your sit bone and butt cheek to really press the legs down so the heels hover off the mat. If you feel solid here, you’re not gonna fly back behind you. Maybe you start to reach your arms forward and down.
Secure across the hips. Adding on, if you’re solid here, maybe you start to peel up and over the chest. Keep the pelvis anchored. If you’re really solid, you reach those arms forward, keep focusing on the breath. Squeeze the seat.
Last little addition. Pump your arms. Arms pumped together as those legs scissor for 4. 3. Little coordination.
2. Last set. Hold it here. Squeeze your inner thighs together, point through your toes, take a deep breath. And can you curl up a little higher, pull the belly deeper, then your knees in, and give them a squeeze.
To make sure you’re wearing the right clothing for that too. I feel pretty anchored here with my back on the mat, but be cautious. You don’t end up out your window wall, whatever you have behind you. Take your feet out of the springs, out of the straps there. We’ll extend our legs all the way out long in front of us. Reach the arms to the ceiling, take a deep breath in, and exhale to round and roll all the way up to a seat. Shake those legs out.
They should feel nicely warmed up, really already starting to work the whole body. From here, we’re gonna transition to a spine stretch which should feel really nice. I’m going to remove my brown bar here just to get it out of the way. You can place it off to the side. Do what works best for your equipment, bringing our push through bar up depending on the weight of your Springs.
I’m gonna choose to use 2 today. Maybe you have one that’s a little bit heavier. From here, we’ll start seeded pretty much how we started here with those feet up against the poles. Once again, tight hips, tight hamstrings, feel free to softly bend your knees. Make sure you’re on those bones hold on to that bar with both hands.
We’ll start by really pulling those shoulder blades down from the lats using those muscles to bend your elbows pull the bar again right to about chest sternum height and then resist back up again, inhale to pull it down. Axle to resist it up two more times as you bend your elbows straight down. Can you lift taller through the crown of the head once more inhale to pull? And exhale to left this time. Pull it down. Take a deep breath and press it forward.
Chintucks over the chat We round all the way forward. Make sure you have a tight grip of this bar. Make sure it can go between your toes. Feel as if you’re draping a cape over your shoulder blades, open up through the back. He’ll left the crown of the head reach forward without just plopping and stay engaged and lifted in your abdominals.
Take a deep breath and and then exhale slowly roll back up. Imagine you’re stacking your spine up against a flat wall. As you do. So you’ll your elbows will start to bend. Your spine will lift and the bar will come back up to its rest position again like that. Start to bend your elbows, take a deep breath, and exhale press the bar forward.
Tuck the chin over the chest. Keep scooping that belly button backing in. Kind of the head between the legs, arms through past those toes, releasing into this forward fold. Deep breath in. Axle start to roll back up vertebra by vertebra, zipping up that imaginary type pair of pants, controlling the bar to left this time. Well, add a hinge up and forward.
Press the bar away. Keep that lift and length through your spine, really drawing ribs away from the hips, keeping that zipper connection in the core. Maybe letting the shoulders lift for a moment, but then reengaging in the back to pull them down. With straight arms, little more challenging version here start to round back hang away from the bar. Press your heels forward. Pull your belly back.
Pull your shoulders down. Take a breath in. And then So press the bar down using your abdominals continuing to stay rounded, scooped through the waist, press forward, breathe in. Axle start to round back. Now the bar is gonna wanna fly up there.
Use your back. Use your core to control it. Keep that pressure down into your hands. And press back up on that forward hinge diagonal one more time inhale. Start to round back shoulder blades, pull down belly scoops back in and press the bar forward and through. Keep really engaged in your core here, but enjoy this moment in the stretch.
Open up through the back round back up, zip up through that low belly, keep that scoop sensation, and then lengthen it out at the top. Take a little twisted stretch here, which should feel really nice. I’ll take my left hand towards my right toes to start. Think of your saw from the maybe you’re here. Maybe you’re here.
If you have long arms, you can reach for that pole. Give yourself a little assisted twist and stretch here. Do make sure your left hip In this case, the sit bone stays anchored, so I’m not twisting from my hips. I’m opening up through my spine, pressing this arm up, but pulling both shoulder blades down. Inhale. And exhale.
Coming back to that high diagonal at center, left arm stays lifted, right hand reaches wherever you can. Right. SIP phone stays anchored. Twist and open up through your back. Deep breath in. Exhale rotate a little further. One more breath.
Pull the shoulder blades down, lift out of your hips. Come back to center. Holding on once again, hanging back squaring off the body, even pressure forward into the heels, pull back in your waist. Left hand comes to the center of the bar. We’ll take another twist here.
Right arm reaches up and back, gazing to the right fingertips Again, that left hip stays anchored. We’re twisting from the waist opening up into this beautiful rotation. Deep breath in. Shoulder blades pull down exhale. Come back up through center.
Right hand replaces the left in the middle of the bar. Make sure you have a strong grip, left arm up and back, shoulder blades slide down, inhale. Twist a little further as you exhale. One more breath and exhale enjoying these juicy stretch moments and coming all the way back up. From here, we’ll move into some swan, work into some extension of the spine, I will remove one spring, so I have a little less tension there as you move through this.
Make sure you get there carefully pressing the bar through yourself. If it’s just you, you have to do so, but make sure you hold on tight. This bar can be very dangerous. Maybe the most dangerous piece of equipment in my opinion. So be cautious. You’re not gonna hit yourself in your nose.
Press those feet down, release the head down, framing ears with biceps, reaching those arms forward, the bar should be maybe just slightly past the frame, not too much. Let the shoulders lift to your ears for a moment. And then feel your shoulder blades slide down into your back. Really pull them back, squeeze the inner thighs together. Press the feet down. Take a deep breath into prepare. And then exhale begin to hover the forehead and chest away from the floor.
Keep pressing the arms down into the bar, rotating the inner elbow crease pulling the shoulder blades away from the ears, deep breath, and pull the belly button up and in away from the mat as you lower and lengthen all the way back down and away feeling that stretch back through the toes out through the crown of the head, inhale at the bottom to prepare. Dax, he’ll begin to lift pressing down into the palms, lifting and opening up across the collar bones, shine the heart forward. Keep the buttons tight, deep breath in. Belly button pulls up and then ribs knit together, saying we really can it in our core and our glutes to help support our low back in this position. One more time, inhale.
Acts, he’ll begin to lift. Using the breath, lifting from the waist, drawing the heart forward, shoulders back, take a deep breath in, axle to lower all the way down with control. Feel that link through the body and then slowly come up carefully. I like to kind of straddle my piece of equipment here, really graceful mountain dismount, but do so however you need. We’ll spin around and lie on the back moving into some combo stretch into some teasers. Here’s another chance where if you’re on a Cadillac, you’d like to place your feet in the swing, you could do so.
Could also have your knees bent. I’ll give some modifications. We’ll take the bar with both hands. I’m keeping one spring on legs start long on the mat. Shoulders pretty much underneath our hands here.
Fill that link through the crown of the head and the toes and then begin by bending your elbows in. Excel, press the arms back overhead. Stay here for a moment. Maybe let your shoulders lift. Make sure you’re holding on tight to that bar.
And then reengage in your back to pull the shoulders away from the ears. Slowly bend your elbows, keeping those shoulders down, maybe they’re a little wider, maybe they’re a little narrower, long as that shoulder alignment stays proper in your body. That’s the most important thing. Again, like that, just our arms moving bending on the inhale pressing back on the exhale. Really working evenly here as we bend through both shoulders, both arms exhale extend. Arms will stay straight here as we breathe in.
And then adding an upper body curl chin over the chest legs say long belly pulls down begin to roll up without lifting the shoulders. Can you lift your heart, lift the chin, lift the gaze, deep breath in? And then exhale scoop out from the low belly to roll back down one vertebra at a time, open up through the low back, middle back, more articulation here, working the core. Head releases down elbows, bend in arms, press back, and he’ll start to brewing those arms back through. Right into it this time, exhale arms reach up.
Chine peels over the chest this time adding a lift of the right leg. Toes at eye level, reaching up through the chest through the heart, inhale, exhale to roll back down vertebra by vertebra. Heel stays in line with the head. So the heel and the head release as the elbows bend and arms press back. Same thing with that left leg.
Inhale. Exel chin over the chest, belly pulls down to lift the chest, lift that left leg, reach to the crown of the head and the toes, deep breath, and ax hail to scoop from the low belly to roll back down vertebra by vertebra, bending the elbows through, reaching the arms back adding on with both legs. You always have the option to modify. Legs could stay down. Mees could bend.
Use the breath inhale. Axel scoop from the low belly, lift both legs up with control or not to listen to your body. Hold it inhale. Acts, they’ll start to roll back down vertebra by vertebra again. Those legs stay in line with our gaze.
We have our heels. We have our shoulder blades. We pull the belly deep. Before releasing head down, legs down elbows, bend, feeling this beautiful length through the crown of the head, through the toes, through the arms at the bottom each time. Inhale. Axle scoop from the belly to curl up.
This time, we’ll add a bend in the elbows. Bar comes to the crown of the head on the inhale. Excel press the arms up. Think of opening up across the collar bones, but continuing to knit those ribs together and pull the shoulder blades away from the ears for 2 Press it up. One more inhale.
Excel, press, and stay. Deep breath here, lift to heart, act exhale to roll down. Pull that belly deep. Think of the zipper connection through the inner thighs up towards your belly button, reaching and lengthening everything back. Moving through our teasers here with control, using that breath again, inhale.
Accale. Curl up. Pull the belly down to initiate the of the body of the legs. Upper body stays still. Legs lower down on the inhaled zip through the waist. Think of your teaser 2 exhale left for 3. And for 2 and lift 1 more inhale, exhale, lift, and hold deep breath in.
Axel slowly lower vertebra by vertebra. This is a great way to work your teasers. If you struggle with it on the mat, you have the nice assistance of this bar really allows us to find a little bit more of a lift for that back once more. Handhill elbows bent, exhale everything lifts up, pull the belly button back in and still lift from the core. We combine the lowering of the legs, the bend of the elbows for 4, inhale down, exhale, press up. For 3, as you exhale, can you zip up tighter through your low belly below that waistband to press and lift.
One more inhale. Axel lift and stay. Take a deep breath here. Lift everything up 1 more inch. Slowly lower in 4.
Take your time. And 3, pull the shoulders away from the ears. Hover 2, pull the belly deeper to the mat. Finally, release everything on 1. We’ll bend those elbows back for one last nice lengthening stretch here. Remain holding on tight. Let those shoulders lift. Point flex your feet.
Stretch out those limbs. Pull the shoulder blades down, bend your elbows through. Slowly reach the arms up, and then you can curl up to bring that bar to rest. Make sure you’re getting out of that safely. Not sitting up too fast, so you’re not dizzy here.
From here, let’s move into some kneeling mermaid. Get a little more lateral movement. You could always do this seated like I am now or with your legs hanging off the Cadillac if you’re on a lifted platform. If you have any knee issues, I find that kneeling can be a little bit more challenging for our balance and our obliques. So my feet are hooked kind of behind the map table here.
Tuck that tail underneath you so you have that zipper connection in your core. And then bring your left hand on to the bar. Start by pressing down from your back to hold that bar strong at the bottom using your back versus letting shoulder roll forward, reach your right arm to the side, flip the palm up, and he’ll start to reach the arm up by the ear, exhale start to lengthen up and over. Into this beautiful stretch. Think of a rainbow, pulling the shoulders down, lengthening. It’s really opening up from right knee and thigh.
Through those right fingertips. Lift back up to vertical. Left shoulder blade pulls down into the back. Right arm opens out to a tee. Palm stays up and he’ll reach Excel press up and over, lengthen out that right side body.
Lifting up. And opening the arm wide. 2 more times on this side. We reach and we lengthen up and over. Now work on engaging in your glutes here to keep the pelvis square.
We don’t wanna have one hip rolling forward or back. Nice eve and alignment. Really reaching square through the chest square through the shoulders and lengthen out that right side waist. Come all the way back up. And open slowly lower the right arm, bend your left elbow with control.
We’ll do the other side. Spinning around. Those toes will tuck behind as you can see now gives us support. Little tuck of the tail. Buns are engaged.
Right hand to the bar. Feel your back. Press that bar down to hold it. Flow left arm out to the side, palm up to the ceiling, deep breath in to reach up, exhale to press up and over. That left tip is gonna wanna pull back for more of an opening sensation.
Keep it forward. Keep that pelvis anchored coming up with control. Right arm stays down, left arm opens out wide, inhale, and exhale. Reaching up a little taller through the waist, opening out. Inhale.
And exhale. Feel that full side stretch through the left knee through the crown of the head and left fingertips, lift And open last time we reach up, press up and over. Come all the way back up. Slowly open that arm. And as you lower, you bend that elbow in with control.
Coming back around, we’ll press this bar forward as we sit down, moving into one of my favorite exercises, parakeet. Make sure your feet are not slippery here. Maybe you’re wearing sticky socks. I’m going to be cautious, especially getting into this myself. I urge you to do the same.
Same position as Swan with the bar. It can be slightly in front of the frame, but not too far or it’s gonna get away from you. Feet are parallel about fist distance apart here. I like to do this on my arches. If you want a little more work for those toes, maybe you’re lower.
Do really what feels safer in your body. From there, make sure those feet are secure. Reach your arms forward. Take a breath in, and then roll all the way down onto your bone by bone. The bar may adjust a little bit.
Make sure it’s about in line with the frame or slightly in front. Fingertips reach forward towards the feet. Head reaches back in opposition. We’re gonna start this exercise, making sure our feet are secure. If you’re cramping already, carefully get out, drink some water, eat a banana, get back into it.
Squeeze your buns, press into your palms, press into the feet, boost your up, it’s not going to be huge here. You really wanna feel that squeeze of the seat and then try and articulate through your spine as much as you can here. It’s a challenge. Your glutes are gonna wanna touch down first. Squeeze and boost up.
I can see it’s not huge. As you exhale, can you close your ribs? Get into the middle of the back first. Keep squeezing those buns before releasing at the very, very bottom. 2 more times. Squeeze and boost up.
Press into your pumps. Keep the gaze up. Roll back down, get into that middle back. Keep squeezing glutes, trying to stay parallel so the arches of the feet are hugging that bar. Think of your prehensile position one more time.
Bird holding on to its baby, mama bird, stay strong, roll back down her vertebra by vertebra. Releasing the hips at the bottom. Now keep wrapping those feet, press down into your palms, break right at the hips, bend your knees, and deep breath in. Exel beginning to guide the bar in and up. Really try not to tuck your pelvis here.
Can you keep your hips anchored. Can you keep wrapping those feet around the bar? It’s harder than you think it’s going to be. Now in this position, my hips are anchored. I’m pressing into my feet and palms.
I breathe and I exhale scoop from the low belly to curl up, squeeze the seat, reach the bar up and away, gaze is up. We’re in this gorgeous diagonal from knees to hips to shoulders. Right leg begins to lift up, maybe just a little bit, maybe back into a split as long as my hips stay square. I’m not going crooked here. Most important, is that this right sit bone reaches up, this left glute stays solid to support that leg on the bar, press the right foot back with control, left foot up and back inhale. Hold the belly down, squeeze the seat tight as you press foot to bar to more each side, inhale.
Keep pressing into your palms, lifting that chin away from the chest, no double chin left. And press and squeeze one more time each side. Reach up and back for your toes. Press that right glute. Use it as you press the foot into the bar. Left.
Good. Press from the back of the leg and hold deep breath and lift the hips high. Roll back down through your spine vertebra by vertebra. Reach to the fingertips. Keep pressing those feet into the bar. When your hips touch down, begin to bend your knees.
This part’s tough. Be cautious. If you’re alone, make sure you really have a strong grip of those feet on the bar and extend it through. We’re gonna do that last part once more. Begin to bend the knees and guide with control. Take a breath here.
Pull your belly button down. Use your core here. Pubic bonus sacrum navel to spine. Guide those legs back up. Deep breath in.
Axle tuck and curl the hips back up fire underneath those buns, press into the heels of the feet, press into the palms. We’ll take the left leg off first. And flex up through your heel, finding a little greater length, hopefully a little stretch and release for those calves, point through the toes, press that foot back onto the bar. Reach up through that right heel, lengthen it up and back. Those hips stay square, inhale, exhale to press.
This flex position feels so good. This exercise always makes me feel like my calves are going to cramp, keep squeezing those buns, right leg up and back inhale. Exale to press. Can we lift a little higher? Keep it square one more time each side. Reach up and back through that. He’ll find that length.
How straight can that leg be? How straight can both legs be one more time inhale and exhale? Hold it right here. Take one more breath in. Roll down with control. Feel this beautiful articulation through your spine all the way out through your tail.
Carefully bend your knees in. Press the bar back through. Hold on tight. Wrap your toes. Wrap your feet. Reach your arms to the ceiling once those legs arrive straight.
Deep breath in. Axle to roll all the way back up, scoop from your abdominals, keep pressing feet down, down, down, down, down, reach for that bar, and take a stretch. I like to flex my feet here. Be careful that you’re holding on. Feel that nice stretch for your hamstrings, for your calves. Let your feet kind of relax.
Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Pull yourself a little further forward. Maybe your knees are bent here. Do what you need in your own body.
Roll back up, bend your knees, and take your feet off carefully. We’ll bring the bar up to rest. Next, we’re going to do a really nice stretch for the back of those legs because you should feel your hamstrings and your calves right now. So we’ll be changing to a spring that’s a attached from the bottom. This is so important that we have our safety strap.
So whatever yours looks like, here we have a strap strap. Sometimes you have a chain, make sure it’s attached firmly correctly, supporting you here, and then we’ll take one spring from the bottom Again, you could use 2 springs. It kinda depends on how heavy your spring and equipment is, how much support and also pressure you want. Careful of your head. Eas your body back down into this. Get underneath the bar.
Press it up and then bring your feet onto the bar. Again, make sure they’re secure here. They’re not sweaty. They’re not slippery. I’m going to start hip distance apart parallel and press my legs up. Hands will come back to the polls.
We’ll start with that ninety degree bend of the elbows. Same position we were in with the arms. When we were using our leg springs. We’ll take a couple point flex bend straighten of those legs to really open up the back. So reach your sit bones a little further stay parallel, point your toes to the ceiling, inhale as you exhale.
Can you flex your heels higher to the ceiling? Let this bar press the toes down. Really deep in the stretch for the back of the legs. Inhale to point it up. Exhale to flex it down. Two more times point.
Keep reaching your sit bones, your butt cheeks forward. You could even bring your hands on your hips, really feeling your body lengthening in this hip crease one more time inhale. And exhale. From here, bend your knees slightly. Again, I’m trying to keep my sit bones reaching forward.
Maybe that means you’re further underneath the bar. If you’re really flexible, you could scoop further this way. I kinda like to be in between inhale to bend. Working where it feels good in your body. You could always do this on one leg as well. Or as I mentioned, for stronger pressure, 2 springs.
Listen to your body. Get into that beautiful stretch from here. We’ll keep the legs straight. Take the bars if you’ve let go. And then slide yourself down.
If you’re sticky, sweaty like me, it’s a little challenging. If you want your arms almost straight, careful not to totally lock out, especially if you’re hyper extended. We’ll bend the knees back in moving into our tower exercise, take a breath to prepare, and then scoop from the low belly, begin to tuck the pelvis, use your core, use the legs to continue that even pressure into the bar until your thighs meet parallel with one another parallel to the floor. These are pretty much over my eyebrows here. I hold. I squeeze my glutes together, inhale, exhale roll down.
This is such a lovely opening sensation for the back. Do be cautious as we move into this that you have a healthy spine, a healthy neck. It could be a lot for that upper cervical spine. Deep breath in. Again, just like this, tuck and curl pull the low belly down. This is a great place to start with this exercise.
Fairly simple. Inhale. Exhale chest away from the chin, feel the stretch across your shoulders, across both the back and the front of those shoulders. Adding on inhaled the bottom, tailbone reaching as long as it can, scoop from the low belly, tuck and curl the hips up, knees reach back over those eyes. From here, the hips stay where they are, use your arms, press into your hands, reach those legs up, think bar reaching towards the frame, inhale to stay, squeeze your glutes, axel to roll down with straight legs vertebra by vertebra. Again, I’m taking my articulation really seriously here using my abdominals to support my spine.
Once that tailbone comes close to touching the mat, flex your heels, get back into that beautiful hamstring stretch. And he’s been in on the inhale. Use the breath exhale to tuck and curl the hips up, keeping those knees bent. This feels so so good. Reach your legs long on the inhale, squeeze the seat.
Stay really parallel here. You can see your legs. Watch your own alignment, exhale to roll down vertebra by vertebra, chest away from the chin. Keep squeezing sit bones and butt cheeks together, lengthen out through the tail, flex through those heels. We’ll reverse what we just did.
Start by pointing your toes up on the inhale. Tuck and curl the hips up as you exhale. Squeeze the seat, scoop from the belly. Find that full lift if you can with control, bend your knees, in. Again, they stay parallel. Hip distance apart.
Fies parallel to the floor. Hold. Roll down. Keep pressing into your hands. Open up through the back, through the shoulders. All the way out through the tail until the hips touch down, the leg straighten the feet flex once more like that point up inhale. Scoop from the low belly.
Draw the ribs together. Pull your abdominals down to lift the hips and legs. In how to bend. Excel to roll back down, keep it smooth and fluid, vertebra by vertebra. Nice and even here.
Lengthen. One more variation today. Point through your toes. Inhale, exhale will curl up with straight legs. Keep our legs straight at the top, maybe lift another inch, exhale roll down with straight legs, fire up those glutes, stay lengthened and lift through the knees, through the thighs, continue to reach up through the toes, inhale, exhale scoop tuck and curl. Lift all the way up, up, up, up, hold it, inhale.
Excel roll all the way down and 4. Take your time and 3. Make it juicy and 2. Get into that middle back. Finally release the hips and flex through the heels on 1. Oh, feels so good. I love this exercise. Really gets into the back of those legs.
If you can, you can take this stretch, grabbing, pulling the toes down, and then with control, begin to bend your knees. I like to go into a frog hands on the bar, feet come down and the bar comes in. That safety chain or strap will catch it. We’ll scoop back a little further underneath it. So, again, when you press up, your arms are fairly my I’m a little bit further back.
You could be more underneath. Do what feels best for you. And then extend your legs out straight. We’re gonna go into some roll up here with the spring from the bottom. You’re working against that spring tension.
So It’s more challenging versus when it’s attached from the top. It’s helping you here. Take a deep breath and hold on tight, reach those arms up as you exhale start to curl up chin over the chest just about to the tips of the shoulder blades, maybe not even that high. Now the hard part is not to lift your shoulders here. This is not an arm exercise. This is a core exercise.
Roll back down, lengthen out through the neck, bend your elbows back in. Think if you’re using your back and your arms to press the bar up, take a breath in, Now you hold it there. You scoop out from your low belly to curl up, maybe inch in your way a little bit higher. Shake your legs out. We don’t wanna grip in the thighs.
The legs stay anchored to the mat. Lower the head down. Bend your elbows in. Inhale to press the arms up. Axale can we curl up a little bit higher?
Keep holding that belly button down, down, down, down, down, hold it. Roll down vertebra by vertebra, scoop out from your waist. Keep the arms strong pressing away, and then bend the elbows in at the bottom. 2 more. Maybe working your way all the way up, inhale to press up, exhale to curl up.
Think of that tight zipper low in your waist. As you lift up, keep scooping from your abs, keep pulling the shoulders away from the ears, and maybe you find your full lift. Exhale working against the spring as you roll down. Keep that zipper connection low in the belly, lengthen out through the head, bending those elbows in with control one more time inhale arms reach up, deep breath to prepare, exhale to curl and scoop. Shoulders pull down heart lifts, draw the belly back, roll down with resistance, taking your time, lengthening out through the spine releasing head and arms at the bottom.
That pressure feels really nice in my opinion. On the back carefully, carefully, carefully get out of that one. Definitely a challenge for the core here with the spring attached from the bottom, but a great exercise. Well, unhook this bottom spring. We’re done with it.
You can leave that there and then re, take your safety strap off here. Doing whatever works best with your equipment. I’ve left this hanging down, making sure it’s just out of the way and same with this. We’ll bring our brown bar back up. I call this one the brown bar.
My mom called it the brown bar, and she taught me most everything I know. So I call it the brown bar. This is going to come here. Once again, we’ll move to some chest expansion, working our arms taking a hold once again a little wider than shoulder width, maybe inside, maybe outside your hardware, making sure you have a strong grip, hips over the knees. The distance is up to you.
The further away you are, the more challenge it is with the spring tension. So do what you need, maybe start close Think about your alignment first and foremost and then adjust accordingly. Think about zipper. Your tail is slightly tucked here. We don’t wanna arch the back or sway the ribs. Should be in this beautiful vertical line from knees to hips to shoulders.
If your knees are uncomfortable here, you could always bring your feet together in a little diamond shape if that feels better for you. Pull the shoulder blades down. Think of the first place we started class today with that gentle pressure. A little more challenging here. We’ll press it all the way down on the inhale bar to the thighs. Excel deep in the belly back resist the arms up with control.
Simple to start pressing down on the inhale. Squeeze your shoulder blades together behind you. Deepen the belly back. Keep those bends to buns tight and reach forward. Inhale to press.
Open up across the collar bones, exhale to resist. So often when I teach this exercise, I see people roll their shoulders forward as they press. They’re too worried about getting that bar onto the thighs. If it doesn’t happen today, that’s okay. Most important is that our shoulders are pulling back and down. We’re keeping the connection in the core. We’re thinking about our whole body and our alignment here, so we’re able to work the right muscles and not hurt ourselves adding on, press the bar to the thighs and hold.
Exhale as you look right. Keep exhaling looking left. Keep exhaling looking center and then return that bar. You are going to feel your back in your arms as you open up through your neck. With a lovely thing inhale to press.
Exhale looking left. Exhale’s still right. Center, pull the belly button back, resist as those arms lift up with control one more time each side. Savor that breath once more. Pull that belly button back as you look.
Look. Center and resist. Whoo. Such a good exercise. We’ll release the bar for a moment, sit back into a child’s pose or any rest position.
To give our arms and back a moment. Maybe wiggle your hips out. These could be together or apart. Take a deep breath in and exhale to let it go. Fill link through the sides of your waist, one more breath here, and exhale.
Walk those hands all the way back in, and then we’ll spin around to face the other direction still using this far for some long back stretch arms. There’s so much you can do here. I like to kind of pick and choose my favorites today, roll the shoulders back. Same idea squeeze the glutes forward, zip up through your waist right away. This is a lovely stretch across the collar bones, even just holding this bar.
Some people can’t get to this position. Listen to your body. Don’t force it. We’ll start by bending your elbows, bringing the bar right towards the mid back, back of the ribs, punched straight down, thing of sliding that bar right down your glutes and then with straight arms resist the bar back up to its start position inhale to bend. Axle to press down and lift up.
2 more this direction. Keep shining heart forward. Using that breath, zip up through the waist as you punch those arms down and lift once more inhale and exhale. Length and taller through the crown of the head. Reverse this arm direction.
Press straight down bar to the back of the glutes. Slide your elbows up pull your shoulder blades down and then lengthen back with control. 3 more inhale. We press, exhale to bend your elbows up. And extend back, continue to open up through the chest, through the collar bones, lengthen behind once more inhale. And exhale, bend, and extend with control, carefully release that bar.
Will sit back down head at this end and finish with some spine lift. A little bit more of a challenging exercise if something else would feel better in your body. Of course, feel free to do so. Always making our way down here with control, taking the brown bar, bringing our knees in towards our chest and then swinging the legs around it. I kinda feel like a monkey when I get to play on this piece of equipment.
Hold on to your polls. Make sure you have a strong grip here. Once again, press yourself a little further away. Careful not to lock those elbows out and then lower the feet down to the mat. Now right away, this bar is gonna kinda wanna levitate the body off.
Use your arms and back. Use your core to connect. Really squeeze the heels in towards your glutes so those legs are wrapped firmly around this bar. You don’t wanna let it fly or slide out. From here, we’ll start by lifting the feet off the mat, bringing the knees into the chest, take a breath in, and then exhale to curl, kinda like the tower exercise we did earlier, knees over the forehead from here. Keep your hips lifted. Ideally, they stay where they are, and the knees shoots straight up to the ceiling, so you’re in a long vertical line through your spine, through your thighs.
You keep that line as you start to lower back to your high bridge position. The toes will touch down. I’m really working from my arms and my back here. My heels pressed down. My hips are still lifted.
Breathe into your back. Axle to roll back down vertebra by vertebra squeeze the heck out of those glutes so those heels stay firmly planted on the mat. Again, like that, little bit more fluid, knees, bend in, inhale, start to curl up and back. Reach the knees up to the ceiling, start to lengthen through the front of the thighs. That part should feel really lovely. Touch down and roll down one more this direction.
Break at your hips. Curl the body back. Lift the thighs and knees up. Lengthen through the front of the body, hold it there, and then roll back down drawing the ribs together, pulling the belly deeper until you release. We reverse press into your heels.
Squeeze your glutes. Find your bridge first. This is important. People skip this spot. You should be working your body here take a breath in.
Now press into your feet to lift. Use your arms. Use your body. Don’t just rely on that spring. Knees, bending. And then we roll through the spine. Feet touch down, squeeze the buns, boost the hips first inhale, exhale, fly the body up.
Size come down with control parallel to the floor. They don’t drop onto the chest. Keep squeezing those legs around the bar one more time, inhale. And exhale, trolling all the way down, using the breath, pressing feet to mat, keep them there, then draw the knees in. Take your hands back to the bar. Slide it off your legs as gracefully as you can.
Bring those knees into the chest and give them a hug. Take a deep breath here. Exhale, squeeze them in a little closer towards your chest, towards your shoulders. Give yourself a little rock back and forth side to side, and then carefully rock yourself up to a seat. I hope you had fun with me today on your tower or Cadillac, and I’ll see you again next time.