Exercise #4052

Swan Prep

2 min - Exercise
57 likes
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Description



Muscle Focus: Abdominals.

Objective: Strengthening the back extensors and mobilizing the spine.

Reformer Setup: Start with one medium tension spring. Tension can be made heavier or lighter depending on the resistance desired. Place the Long Box onto the carriage with the short end of the box against the shoulder rests. The Footbar is up.

Start Position: Lie prone on the box, with the hands on the Footbar in line with the wrists. Legs are straight and level with the box.

Movement: Straighten arms to move the carriage then lift the head and thoracic spine into a Swan position. Keeping the arms straight, return the carriage while the body elongates and lifts. The body goes back down as the carriage goes back out. After final repetition, lower the body back down to the box, bend the elbows to bring the carriage home. Repeat as desired.
What You'll Need: Reformer w/Box

About This Video

May 22, 2020
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Transcript

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This is swan on the long box, one variation out of many. So what Christie will do is she will come down onto the box on your stomach, on your front. The hands are gonna go onto the foot bar and we're gonna orient the wrists and the elbows in a straight line, so just drop your elbows for me just a tiny bit so we have that nice straight line from wrists to elbows. You see the hands are turned slightly in. Now, that will shift as the arms straighten.

The legs are energized and reaching not higher than the box, but level to the box so that there's just some energy in the hip extensors. So as we prepare to move, the scapula glides down and it's as the result of that glide in the scapula that the arms straighten. As the arms straighten, you'll see the wrists turn, so now they're again in line with the elbows. So we started with them a little cocked, now they're straight. We then lift the eyes, the gaze, and then the mid back starts to lift and we keep the arms straight to bring the carriage in.

And then we take the spine out and as the body goes back to the box, it's a reverse articulation, so that the last thing to go down is the head and the first thing to lift is the head. So the eyes come forward, you're looking where you're going, there's support through the center of the body from the abdominals and then pressing back out. The breath pattern, the breath pattern would be inhale to elongate and lift the body. And exhale to take the body down on the box. Once you've done that as many times as you're gonna do, you bend your elbows and pull yourself back in.

Very nice, Christie, thank you. Swan on the long box.

Comments

please more exercises!!!
2 people like this.
Lovely. These short breakdowns are completely wonderful for PA subscribers who are not Pilates teachers and just breeze through reformer workouts. These tutorials will be game changers for them. Well done, ladies. 
1 person likes this.
Love these @ more short tutorials
More coming my friends as SOON as we can get back to the studio!  Stay safe and healthy and mobile.

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