Short Box Series
By Amanda Turner
5) Pre-Tree Stretches - I won’t go into too much detail here but a few things to take note of:
*Anchor the knee to the shoulder, do NOT let it move - I don’t care if your knee doesn’t straighten. News flash: mine doesn’t and I like to think I’m flexible.
*Make sure the spine is lifted, staying on top of the sits bones - do not round back or tilt the pelvis back, this takes the stretch away.
*Make sure your hips and shoulders are square.
*Make your movements intentional, use your breath as your guide. No flailing limbs - that won’t get your leg any higher ;)
6.) Tree - Here’s the challenge. Without the strap from the Reformer, you might not be able to get your leg straight up to the ceiling, you may keep your leg forward, being mindful to keep it stationary as you go through your three reps. Come forehead to knee and shift back until the right leg is lifted. Only walk as far down as you can get up, without moving the right leg closer toward the floor.
I get it - Short Box Series (SBS) wasn’t my favorite when I first started Pilates either. I didn’t understand what it was doing or why I needed to do it because I have loose hamstrings. Or maybe for you, you’re stiff and tight, or your scared of falling off the Reformer, or maybe it’s something else hindering you from LOVING SBS. But doing it this way will change your perspective. You’ll learn what it means when I say anchor, and wrap the glutes - because you have to. You’ll learn to scoop your abs away from your thigh in Tree to walk up and down the leg - because you have to. And then you’ll take those lessons to the Reformer and you’ll become more confident in your movement and stronger in your execution. Tack this onto the end of your Mat workout while spending more time at home in these next few weeks and I promise you’ll look forward to trying it on the Reformer.
While we have previously examined Tree, since we’re all surviving the Coronavirus quarantine together, I thought it would be an excellent time to go over this series seated on the Mat, Reformer Mat style! As a reminder, while traditionally performed on the Reformer, it can also be done seated on the Cadillac with a Box underneath the feet, on the Wunda Chair with the arches pressing the pedal down, or seated on the Mat. Feel free to follow the same instructions or try seated on an ottoman with your feet on the floor, heel underneath the knee, pressing your feet firmly into the ground. Also, if you feel your hip flexors working overtime, roll up your Mat and sit on it for a little lift, which should alleviate the tension.
This series is excellent for stretching the back, stretching the hamstring, and stretching the hips and glutes while also strengthening the entire powerhouse. Make sure you’re nice and warmed up before doing this series. I recommend doing your Mat exercises and then giving this series a try.
Let’s get started:
Set Up - You’ll sit on the floor with your legs extended, feet are a fist distance apart and parallel.
Reminders - As a “knee-locker” myself, I like to keep my knees slightly bent, firmly pressing my heels into the floor and wrapping my glutes to give me a little extra lift.
1.) Round Back - Arms wrap around your waist, and you’ll round your spine back to the Mat, one vertebra at a time, inhaling. Keep those heels anchored, do not let your body slowly inch back on the Mat throughout the five reps! Exhale, press your arms into your abs, press your heels into the floor, and round the spine up - being careful to not let your shoulders round in. Let your abs do the work, not your shoulders! If you arch back on the Reformer, you’ll be unable to do that here, but you can roll all the way back to the floor. Keep in mind that without the Reformer foot strap, you might not be able to roll back as far. Go only as far as you can sustain good form. Five reps total.
**This is a great option to clean up those arch backs - reminding you to use your abs to pull the spine back into the well, instead of the weight of your head!**
1.) Round Back - Arms wrap around your waist, and you’ll round your spine back to the Mat, one vertebra at a time, inhaling. Keep those heels anchored, do not let your body slowly inch back on the Mat throughout the five reps! Exhale, press your arms into your abs, press your heels into the floor, and round the spine up - being careful to not let your shoulders round in. Let your abs do the work, not your shoulders! If you arch back on the Reformer, you’ll be unable to do that here, but you can roll all the way back to the floor. Keep in mind that without the Reformer foot strap, you might not be able to roll back as far. Go only as far as you can sustain good form. Five reps total.
**This is a great option to clean up those arch backs - reminding you to use your abs to pull the spine back into the well, instead of the weight of your head!**
2.) Flat Back - Place hand over hand, and then both hands to the base of the skull where it meets the top of the neck. Do NOT push your head forward, think of ever so gently lifting the crown of your head to the ceiling to lengthen your spine.
Keeping the knees soft, heels pressing down, hinge your spine back on your inhale and return upright on your exhale. Only go as far as your abs can stay scooped and do not let your back round. Hint: if your feet come off the floor, you’ve gone too far back and need to anchor your glutes more! Five reps total.
3.) Side Bend - Pitching the spine slightly forward, you’ll Side Bend right, inhaling, and return to center on your exhale. Same thing to the left. Do not let your elbows come forward - keep the elbows open, the shoulders plugging down into their socket away from the ears. Also, do not crunch one side to get a bigger stretch on the opposite side, you want to lengthen both sides. I like to think of reaching the crown of my head to the high diagonal. Three sets total.
4.) Twist - You know the drill; twist to the right, keep your spine lifted as you pitch out inhaling, exhale as you come back to center. Repeat to the left. Again, keep those knees soft (have I said that enough yet ;)) and heels pressing down.
You’ve probably noticed that each step so far in the Short Box Series gets harder and harder, you need more of your powerhouse and Pilates principles to maintain proper form. Round Back and Flat Back you learn in your first few sessions. Once that’s looking great, we’ll add in Side Bend. And Twist - well it’s a combination of Flat Back and Side Bend so you know it’s that much harder. There’s always a method to the madness!
5) Pre-Tree Stretches - I won’t go into too much detail here but a few things to take note of:
*Anchor the knee to the shoulder, do NOT let it move - I don’t care if your knee doesn’t straighten. News flash: mine doesn’t and I like to think I’m flexible.
*Make sure the spine is lifted, staying on top of the sits bones - do not round back or tilt the pelvis back, this takes the stretch away.
*Make sure your hips and shoulders are square.
*Make your movements intentional, use your breath as your guide. No flailing limbs - that won’t get your leg any higher ;)
Deepen the abs, anchor through the extended left leg, use your exhale to come back up, forehead to knee. Repeat two more times. It’s HARD. All abs, no assist from the black strap. Sit up tall and cross the right ankle over the left knee and stretch forward. Repeat on the left side.
I get it - Short Box Series (SBS) wasn’t my favorite when I first started Pilates either. I didn’t understand what it was doing or why I needed to do it because I have loose hamstrings. Or maybe for you, you’re stiff and tight, or your scared of falling off the Reformer, or maybe it’s something else hindering you from LOVING SBS. But doing it this way will change your perspective. You’ll learn what it means when I say anchor, and wrap the glutes - because you have to. You’ll learn to scoop your abs away from your thigh in Tree to walk up and down the leg - because you have to. And then you’ll take those lessons to the Reformer and you’ll become more confident in your movement and stronger in your execution. Tack this onto the end of your Mat workout while spending more time at home in these next few weeks and I promise you’ll look forward to trying it on the Reformer.
Enjoy!
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