1. Footwork

 

First up, footwork on the reformer. Footwork is the classically the first exercise in a session. It’s a very safe, functional exercise that doesn’t require a whole lot of coordination and uses several large muscle groups to warm the body up.

 

Setup: move the footbar so that the hips and knees are as close to 90 degrees as possible. The tall kid has chosen to position the arches of her feet, parallel on the footbar (other options are heels or balls of the feet, feet slightly turned out or in, ankles pointed or flexed, single leg or double leg). One red spring works well for the tall kid, looking for a medium resistance.

 

Movement: Exhale to straighten the knees and press out. Inhale to bring the carriage back in. Maintain a neutral spine throughout. 10-30 reps or until the kid gets bored, then try another option at the feet.

 

 

Ball rolls

 

For those playing at home, place feet on medium to large ball or foam roller. This one was a $2.50 impulse buy from the bins at Target.

 

Setup: move the ball so that the hips and knee are as close to 90 degrees as possible. The tall kid has chosen to position her feet in turn out on the ball (other options are calves on the ball, feet slightly turned in or parallel, ankles pointed or flexed, single leg or double leg).

 

Movment: Exhale to straighten the knees and press out. Inhale to bring the ball back in. Maintain a neutral spine throughout. 10-30 reps or until the kid gets bored, then try another option at the feet. She has to concentrate a bit to keep the ball from rolling side to side and maintain stability at the pelvis and low back. The resistance is not even close to what she experiences on the reformer, but the mechanics at the hips, knees and pelvis are very similar to the motion on the reformer.

 

Click here for at home ball roll VIDEO