Spine Corrector Extension

Right at it. Hi everyone, Amy here. I'm using the spine corrector today for a workout. You'll need a thera band. That's it. And I have the longer spine corrector. This is a different style for me to be working on but as you lot of you know, I like to play around on different apparatus, different equipment.

I think it's important for all of us movers to change the environment within that what we what we work on. So that you continue to feel new things, new connections, and and just keep playing that card to switch it up. We've got all this apparatus to choose from. It's beautiful. Why not use it all? And feel new things, all the time. Okay. So you'll see me on this today. It actually feels really good today for me to work on this. So focusing today shoulder opening, upper back extension, chest opening, basically kind of extensor muscles. Alright.

Less about the flexor, less about the abs in the crunchy way. Let's just be more open, upright, and long. And with that said, I want you to start feet wider than your hips. I'm with my hips facing the back, you know, of the barrel. Hold onto your thera band just for holding on to it purposes. We're gonna work on squatting down to get our butt down on the corrector. So right away, just start with a knee bend, shift your hips back and sit. Okay.

We're gonna practice that several times. Getting up, lean forward, dig those heels down into the ground and stand. We're going for 10 of these. Bend and hinge, And it's a rather low seat to get down on. So, you know, you're gonna have to move your hips and get into your legs. You can bend the knees first and then hinge to sit.

Or you could do it all in one motion, bending and hinging to sit. Either is good. Focus on the heels, pushing down into the ground, right here to power you up. Hip extensors right away. So you can see I'm kinda doing a little hybrid of both styles.

One, differentiating knees and then hips and then one I'll merge right into. It's fine to do either. However, it's gonna be best for you to get yourself down. Okay? I'm thinking maybe twice more. I didn't count.

That's okay. And then the last one where I do want us to stay. Okay. Now organize your legs so your heels are more in front of your sitting bones. You've got a 90 degree angle at your knee and then up at your hip and let's put that fariband right across the front of your shin bones. And just for a moment, bring your arms right alongside your Amy, a nice fist, your wrists are extended.

And just hold yourself with integrity in a nice upright posture. Take a deep breath. Focus on your axial, elongation, sacrum tail all the way up to the tip of your head. And the last breath to prepare. Okay. So let's feel our extensors.

Here we go. We're gonna pull on the bam. Let's just do an exhale. And an inhale. So arms are nice and straight. Elbow is straight.

Pull So look forward. See something out of your eyes. Try not to lift your chin or drop your chin. Ideally, the point of your nose is straightforward. Okay. And my hands are going pretty close to the spine corrector frame.

Focus right away on opening out the width of the chest. And as you pull on the thera band, making sure that the head doesn't jut forward, so you actually have to feel your neck engage to stabilize how your head is on your spine. Let's take out two more times. And you're probably feeling though we're gonna stay on this last one. You guys pull and hold that just this your nature pulling against your shin sitting upright will make your lower abdominals contract.

You feel that? I hope you do. Alright. So now let's take the the pull again and hold. We'll do a little percussive breathing rhythm and just pulse the arms. And four, three, two one and just rest for a minute. Okay? We're gonna go for another round of that. This last second round trip, if you feel already feel like, oh my god.

All it feels like is that you're rolling this forward use this queuing. I'm gonna have you think about something. From the back of your underarm, move it from back to front and then carry that up and over your shoulder and then to wrap it again. So, arm pit from back, to front and up and over the shoulders. You can kinda see that wheel like energetic that I like to think about the circles and we'll do that again. It may help you sustain the connection into your shoulder, extensors there. Okay? And your upper back.

So here we go. Pull that hole. The side of your rib cage is also nice and lifted. Move your armpit from back to front up and over your shoulders. Here we go. Levelize your gaze, and for three, two, one, and release.

Yeah. Okay. Put it underneath your feet, balls of feet you're gonna probably wanna tighten up the end of the thera band and let's work I didn't say we're working too much about the front of the body but let's even it out. Okay. And just work a little bit of bicep connection, upper body connection. So Amy thing, levelize your gaze, getting some blood flow, moving the armpit from back to front, up over the shoulder, down the back. If you want a little more challenge, keep your arms lifted, and we'll go for five more.

And four. So, yes, about your biceps, but upper back extensors. Keep your posture up. There's four and five. We'll do a lot more of that in a little while, but just to kind of get you warmed up. Okay. Spin yourself around. Now, one of the things I love about the spine corrector, especially this longer one, I will say you've got more room here for your thorax, your rib cage, your head, to be on.

And the step is not quite such a severe drop. So it might feel nice for some variety and it's completely fine if you're on the grass or something else, but I want you to get your sacrum right at the front, walk your rib cage chest, up over the hill and then put your head back. Alright? So the back of your your head should be right on top of that barrel area on the side of going over it that way. Okay. Put your thera band in your hands just over your lap and a comfortable grip, take a nice deep breath, and we're gonna do the same queuing underarm, armpit, moving from back to front up and over your shoulder. I mean, you can see that loop, back to front, up over your shoulder.

To keep that openness here. Okay. Moving the arms now inhale to the 90, exhale all the way unless you're not ready. If you're not ready, you stop right above your chest. And then back down, okay, carrying on. Inhale and exhale. I'm not pulling on the band yet. I'm just holding it.

Making some nice arm arcs. Inhale. And exhale. Go to wherever your arms allow you to go. Don't push. Feel movement, right? Even if it's just the ever inkling of sternum coming up toward the throat to the chin, that direction.

I should feel pretty good opening things up. Havens exhale. Twice more like that, moving the armpit from back to front up and over the shoulders. Stretch more and lift and lower the band one more time. So as the arms go overhead, maybe you can connect the feeling of your thoracic spine also traveling with you with this band.

It wants to go this way, doesn't it? Art yourself or stretch your legs forward. So getting that two directional stretch, hold and then bring your arms down. Okay. Hover the band above your thighs, make a soft fist, and then just pull on the band, feeling your, center shoulders, the side of your shoulders work, and then pull again. I'm gonna have you do four in each position.

You'll see what I mean. So this low level, a b ducting the arms, try not to pinch your shoulder blades together. Okay. Now, let's move the arms unless you're not don't want to. I'm gonna go right above the chest. You could also stay low, four times here. You're gonna notice the band comes down toward you and goes back up.

I'm not so much thinking about pulling the band toward me, although it's coming that way, as I'm pulling my arms across the room wide and lifted one more there and your inner thighs are together, aren't they? They are? Okay. Now, you could stay there or go the third range, which is that high v that we were just a minute ago four times. Pull. The band will probably come to the top of your head and pull. Notice what you feel in your shoulder blades. You're starting to kind of just normally naturally come down your back body They like going there here.

Pull down. Okay. Re arc the arms to the hips. So we're gonna do this in three stages. Pull from low, pull from middle, pull from above, and then arcing down. And we'll do four sets. Okay.

Here we go guys. So, open up, stabilize the collarbone, integrate your inner thighs and let's go. Inhale, exhale, and a b duct above the chest. Above the head, And then all the way down over the hips, three more rounds. And all the way down, keep the legs together. So they're coming together as you pull the arms out. They come together as you pull your arms out.

You probably feel your obliques. As your arms pull out, your legs pull together one more time, and and all the way down. Wonderful guys. Okay. All the way to above the chest. Now pull just one arm down pulling you I'm thinking elbow toward the ground the other fist I'm kind of punching up toward where the window is there, the top of the arc window in a diagonal, and then this arm punches up.

And then the other one pulls down and lift. Pull down. And lift, pull down. Again, the inner thighs are working nicely together. Try not to shift your ribs, pull, and if this feels too easy by all means, shorten that band. Here we go eight more times.

So you'll get more work from your rear shoulder right around the scapula. And as you pull, imagine yourself doing an upper back bend or swan movement quality in your upper spine over the arc. Okay. You've got four more. How does the spine? How do the spine and the upper arms relate.

We know extremely intimately last time there. Okay? Now rest your arms over your hips. You might wanna slide your hands back out wide. We're gonna go up and over that high position again Similar elbow bending, but this time it's coming here. The band will be right over your face.

Don't worry, and lift. Other side, bend. Extend. Now there's a change. Both elbows are gonna bend right in and up. Okay. Here we go. So elbow extension elbow extension of both come in and over.

Start with the second arm, bend, stretch bend, stretch both arms, bend, repeat that second arm, then we'll vary it up, bend, and lengthen, bend, and lengthen both arms. Okay. Now take this arm, one arm, arch it long straight arm over your chest toward the opposite hip and then back open now the other arm, keeping the arms straight this time, So it's arcing over your chest. You've got to pull on the band and release. Now both arms and the wrists are gonna cross and then back out. Okay? Start with one arm over the chest, exhale back over your head. Inhale over the chest.

Both arms move, both wrist cross. Start with the second arm. Inhale, exhale. The opposite arm that doesn't move is reaching that band to the back corner of your room while the other one moves over you the wrists cross. We have one more set, then we're gonna put it together, arm and over. On and over both wrists cross. Okay. So here's the deal.

It's a lot of work you guys Go back, rewind, bend the elbow toward your corrector. You've got your diagonal line, restretch it. Other elbow, bend, straighten out both elbows, bend and straighten. Now, we do the straight arm version over the body you want. And back straight arm over and both wrist cross. I think you see the pattern. We have three more sets and Both straight arms over your body and reach.

Keep the band as hot as you can. Both wrist cross. Back to bent elbow, start with the second arm and pull. Both elbows and are you doing more swan? Yes, straight arm and straight arm. Both wrist cross.

You have only one more pattern. We're almost done being in this position. But you'll probably notice you've gained more extension Havens to over that barrel. Yeah, straight arm, one, go over that barrel, and both arms cross. Finish with your arms over.

Take a joyous inhale exhale. Okay. Bring your arms down. That is a long time to be there. Rest for a moment. Bend your knees.

Place your feet in wiggle your pelvis. Okay? I did want to do one kind of like tummy thing into the zone. Use your theraband, put it behind your head Okay? Extend your legs back again. Unweight your skull and do a really, very, very, very, very beautiful of cervical flexion, cervical flexion, cervical. I'm not doing so much thoracic flexion. I just don't want us to really shorten and crunch this spot of us.

Let's try to keep this really long. Can you use your neck a little bit more? I'm gonna move this so you can kinda see. Okay. There. Then also if we work our deep throat and neck flexors, you can somewhat pull your head back into the thera band as you reach your elbows forward. Okay? I'm not very high off my shoulder blade tips.

We're gonna pull the knee in. And extend. Let's exhale that other side in. Repeat first thing exhale. And four more. Havens to keep the hips relatively still, meaning no hiking on one side and up and down both legs, let's see what Havens, try not to move the upper body position and exhale.

And inhale and exhale so you have to really pull your stomach in of course reach your elbow tips forward two more. Last time, hold it in bicycle a leg bicycle a leg. Keep your head somewhat reaching back in your thera band, levelize your gaze, Eight more. Can you reach the leg a little longer on the floor? Just four more and we'll leave this position six and seven and eight and then just place your feet. Let this go. Pull here. I'm gonna just actually take that away from my head. Now how to get up from this position, you can certainly roll up.

Why not just use your hand on the floor, slide your hips in and get yourself to here. Alright? Great. This we don't need for a moment so just set it there guys. Put your hands back. One on either side of the top of the barrel. Please don't push your arms close together if you have any shoulder issues, you probably would Havens known by now with all that overhead arm work. But for those of us who are working on more range, which is a lot of us in our thoracic spine shoulders, let's gently pull the elbows toward one another behind our back.

As we move the armpit again from back to front this way and over the shoulders. Okay? Just feel the side chest ribs here high. We're gonna do a little percussive breathing to close those elbows again. Levelize your gaze. This isn't for everyone. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to do that.

Four three took me a long time to even want to dry. That's really hard for me. Okay. Here we go. Lift those hips. I want you to bring your feet closer together by a little. Pell the curl now just a little bit.

Now lean your body weight onto your arms lift your pelvis up, go into those hip extensors, use them, lift your pelvis up. I don't want you to thrust your head back. Look straight forward. Focus on the shoulder extensors, the hip extensors, the back extensors. Okay? Hold.

Now, how to get out of this? I don't want you to collapse when I sit the butt right down in the corrector. Look out the window if you have one. Stay lifted. Set yourself down. Let's do it three more times. And extensors. Stay for full inhale, exhale sitting down.

Do more. We have one more. More hips guys. More hips. Let's get more hips. More hips.

Yep. And down we go. Also not fabulous on the hands but that's part of the deal. Okay, just rub them together. Let's move into some sideline work. Okay? So I'm gonna turn to face you. Let's go ahead use your band, put it around your knees, bring it up over your knees, tie a little bow.

Not too tight, but enough. Okay? Now we'll do some clams, some hip extension. Yes with the band. So close around. Put your knees together, ankles together. And I again want you to really walk your rib cage spine over the barrel, pull this elbow into it and then make a fist and put your head down.

You could also do it on your wrist this way, but I'm being nice to you. You were just on your wrist. So why not just stabilize it and go like that? Okay. This hand will be on your hip and let's just do some clam action 10 times. Make sure that's above your knees and two and three. It's okay if it goes slack at the bottom you pick it right up anyway and six. So all that work we did in the upper spine, upper back, feel that going to work here.

You should be looking right at me and eight or your class and nine and then keep this last one ten up. Okay. Lift the thigh. Try to keep it relatively parallel and just start to pull it back a little. You won't be able to go far because of what we've tied here. Focus on the back of your hip. Okay. What might feel nice to connect is this front bottom leg might need to pull forward to allow you to pull back more.

I think you're gonna feel that. Let's exhale and four. Going for 10. Five. You might have to push the bottom foot down on the floor a little bit and Havens. And eight and nine. Hope we're feeling that now let's try the tenth one, go all the way to straighten your leg.

Use that hold it down on the ground. It's pretty firm thera band. This one's pulling forward. This one's pulling back. Hold it there.

Hold this in. Get yourself connected. Now carefully lift it, re bend. Let's go five times only. Pull all the way back hold. And all the way in.

Let's do something with this arm. It just feels nice to stretch. Get a good diagonal and feel your whole body move together and three more like that reach. Got my heel on the floor last two. And in should feel pretty good and hold.

Now carefully lift the straight leg from the back. Lift, you're gonna have to dig this elbow into your barrel. Lift, pull down. Lift, I'm gonna lower this arm for a little extra of support for stability. Just three more, pull it down and pull it down. And pull it down and that is plenty. Okay. Let's do one spinal rotation.

It's okay to rotate. This class isn't truly designed for osteoporosis but we could do it for osteoporosis. I truly think it's okay to rotate the spine as long as we've done good elongation and we have to rotate, right? You have to rotate in life. As long as you're doing it with integrity, you're not loading it, you're not rolling on it, we are doing a little bit of movement, but we're not forcing the rotation. If anything, we're trying to lengthen those segments.

Some more life can go between and lack compression decompress. Okay. That's my opinion. I'm sticking with it. I'm gonna turn around and then let's do our clam this way.

And again, you're your ribcage spine, right? Walk that over. You wanna get as long of a spine as you can. That's fed decompression. If you just slumped over, then we're in trouble. Alright? Kind it. And press and close and press and close and press and my elbow there is on really pulling into the corrector and six right in the hip seven eight nine and then hold it now, lift flex your foot and start to pull back and forward.

Pulling back. And four. We're trying to keep your upper body in one position. Hold on to the edge with your up front arm to help you leverage the pull back. Five more times. So hip extension.

And two, you may need the other leg to pull forward to get that oppositional connection to. Alright guys last one. Remember, you pulled it, you went all the way down. Hold there. Take your arm in a diagonal, really feel stretch the band. Okay. Now, bend it in and return exhale stretch.

Get your heel to the ground, stretch. Inhale. The other leg needs to pull forward so you can pull this one back three and four. Let's go for it. Reach one more time.

Okay. Then the harder part of this, I'm gonna put this hand back down on the barrel. To support Amy, and to lift and pull it down for five. And four, three, and two, and one that is plenty. We deserve that rotation. Move forward.

Put your hand behind your head. This one, I don't remember where I put it to be honest with you. I think I may have just done this wherever it feels right. The other hand is definitely holding the head. You're still working on lengthening. It's a great stretch.

Okay. So guys, let's come on up to standing. Take your thera band off of your legs. We're gonna do a little bit of standing work here before we're finished and I don't even think we need that anymore. I was thinking about it but we don't need to. Okay. Let's work on some front support on our hands bend your knees, place your hands up top.

This is quite narrow. My shoulders are about as wide as this is, so it works for me. If this is too narrow for you, you could put your hands on the side or you could maybe just do this on the floor. Alright? But we're going back down shoulders over wrists, fingers closed on this exercise. Gaze forward of your corrector out on the floor, hold yourself steady. Okay. We are already in this line earlier.

When we were lying on our back, and I said, close your legs, right? Pick up your stomach. We did the leg movement into the torso. We're gonna do it again. And one, alternate legs, and three, and four, just four more times, pull in, and six. This knee is coming straight forward for this little round.

Now, walk your feet in a little, take some weight off your wrists, just give a little upside down stretch, and then we'll come back and do that again and then this time take the knee to the opposite forearm. So a little bit of rotation. Okay. Once again, front lego to start us. Here we go and pull to the opposite elbow and or in the direction of it won't get all the way there. I don't anyway.

And four, the standing leg remains very strong and stable for you. Seven and eight and once again just stretch. Okay. From here what I want you to do to get up to standing, bend your knees, place your hands on your thighs, come through from a hinge and then we're gonna do a little bit more shifting some weight. So step forward one foot up on your barrel, lunge deeply into it, lunge deeply. I do definitely want you to take this knee over your ankle almost more over your metatarsals. Okay? It's good for you. Put some weight into this leg.

Let's reeb kind of rebound a little bit. The opposite leg is long. Your heel is on the ground. Okay, you're probably wondering, okay, what next? Keep going. What I want you to connect to, what are your heels doing against the surfaces?

Push this heel firmly on the barrel. You should feel this. Should feel the other heel on the floor, other side. In the next three, that'll be one, we're gonna step backward. Two, you have to push back from this foot to this one. Okay?

Other side. We are there for a while. Take your time. Let these muscles stretch. Let these joints flex. Get your knee over your second, or metatarsals.

If you can't make the adjustments, and then just start to move forward and back. Getting some weight into those legs. K we're almost done. So what I'm gonna do with this after we do that step back is we'll do the alternating step one foot forward step it back 10 times and so you know it's coming. Okay. So let's take three more of these to the next one we're launching backward and then here. So weight shifting, lunge into it, push back, change sides.

Okay? Try not to do any extras with your feet. If you can help it, especially the teachers that are watching this that you give clients later, I do this a lot with my clients at home and almost all of them do that extra little tap dance. Try not to have them do that. Okay? You wanna say stick it. Shift.

It's just an interesting, proprioceptive in an agility kind of thing. Balance, speed it up a little bit. They'll have fun with that shift. Okay. How about eight more. Whatever works for your arms, you could add the thera band another day. Whoops.

Okay. One more each side. Yeah. Okay. And then just step your two feet together Okay guys we're gonna wrap it up. Let's step it in front of our correctors. Let's just face each other. I'm gonna open my stance just a little bit.

Yeah. And just take inventory on how your posture feels. Hopefully, you feel more upright. I really feel my upper back. It feels kind of buzzy tingling, we did a lot for those, muscle groups back there. So just slowly raise your arms.

If they come to join overhead, wonderful, I hope that you can. I'm gonna clasp them and then reach them up. Feel how long you can feel in your whole body anchor your heels and just take like three or four breaths together. So thanks for playing on this particular spine corrector if some of you join me with this one. Just remember, keep playing on the environment in the Pilates studio.

There's so much thing so many things to offer in here. Change it up a little bit from time to time. Your body will really be happy. Your mind will really be happy too. And I will see you next time.

Thank you so much.