Monkeying around is one of my favorite moves on the pilates trap table! When we were younger we all loved the monkey bars, right? SO… why not get back to them with a little help from our pilates equipment?

For those of you who have your own equipment, awesome! For those of you who don’t, no worries, head to your nearest and dearest pilates studio and demand to try some new moves! Most teachers love input from their students. AND teaching advanced pilates moves to seasoned students is super rewarding and fun!

SO… next time you’re in the mood for a challenge, take some notes and head to the pilates equipment.

BALANCE CONTROL FACE DOWN:

This move is definitely challenging. I usually do it on a lighter spring so I can focus on my working my abs. If you go too heavy, you’ll have too much support and feel more shoulders, less abdominals. But hey, totally YOUR CALL.

Start kneeling on the reformer and placing your hands as I’ve done on the shoulder blocks. Engage those glutes and abdominals as you place your feet, one at a time in a small V position on a low footbar. Check your alignment to make sure your wrists are directly under your shoulders then begin pressing straight arms forward a few inches, returning to center. I do around 8-10 of these before moving on to the more advanced single leg version. If you (or your teacher) feel you’re ready for it, make your feet parallel and lift one leg off the foot bar. Repeat the arm motion another 6-10 times then move on to the other leg.

By the time you finish you should feel an opening of your chest and back, a tightening of those abs and glutes and a lengthening of your spine!

For a more advanced option, lift your footbar to a high position.

STAR VARIATIONS:

Based on the classical “star” exercise, I like to use a lighter weight so I can feel the workout in my abs. AGAIN. I know, I’m abdominal obsessed LOL!

I begin on my knees placing my hand at the center of the footbar. For added support, don’t forget to put your headrest up. It helps. Next I lift up onto the side of my foot and stack my feet and legs. Squeezing my glutes I inhale as I push the carriage away and exhale to bring the carriage back in. Belly button pulled toward your spine the entire time! Keep your arm up overhead on your first attempts as seen in my photo below.

For a more advanced movement you can drop your free arm toward your hip as you press the carriage away from the foot bar and drop your hip. Lift the hip and arm up as you come back in and feel those obliques firing up!

Advancing your variation, lift the top leg off of your lower leg. You can press out and in like this or for an extra advanced movement, keeping your core super engaged, careful not to let your hip or rib cage drop.

You can also hold the carriage still, away from the foot bar as you lift and lower both your arm and leg for a set of 5-10 reps. (the arm lowers to the hip as the leg lowers on top of the lower leg)

Further advancement could have you bringing your arm and leg in front of you toward one another as you press the carriage out.

There are so many variations, start with the basic and work your way up!

HANGING ARCH & V:

I LOVE this one and so did my fit pups ha ha!

Make sure you have the right distance and placement of the trapeze when starting. I also prefer to use “sticky pads” on the bar for my hands to insure they do not slip!

When ready, place one foot at a time on your trapeze (I prefer the top to the sling, it cuts into my ankles less when doing lots of reps). Find a neutral plank position and as you take an inhale, arch your body all the way up as shown in my photo. This stretch feels amazing on your spine! Point those toes as you lift your sternum as high as you can and ferociously squeeze those glutes. Exhale coming back into plank and inhale again, lowering your butt to take a rest. Repeat 5-6 times before taking your feet down for a rest. Remember you can always go back up and do more, however, I recommend doing fewer reps of quality than more of quantity!

RUSSIAN SPLITS:

Gotta love these guys! They’re great for your inner thighs and hamstrings! Begin by placing your front ball of the foot on a raised headrest. Hands on the shoulder blocks. Then take the back foot to the outside corner of your low foot bar on a diagonal in turn out position. Straighten your legs as best you can as you lower and lift your body!

If you’re up for the challenge, lift those arms and place them to the side or behind your head

I like to do at least 10 reps to really get into the stretch!

After your first set with straight legs, bring yourself down into a low lunge and begin extending and bending your front knee. Keep the back leg straight and hands on your shoulder blocks.

For a more advanced position, stand up tall and place your hands on your hips, back of the head or out to the side!

Match the 10 or more reps you did on the first step of this movement for an ultimate leg stretch.

STANDING SPLITS (facing the footbar):

These are my go to for big classes! I always end with these guys or definitely place them somewhere in my routine. Everyone LOVES them. And seriously, what’s not to love? Whether you are holding onto the bar or standing tall for added balance and strength, this is an amazing hamstring stretch. My legs always feel so much looser after I finish a series of these guys.

Try 10-15 each leg. I promise you won’t regret it!

These advanced moves take a lot of time and practice to master so most definitely bring your patience! Remember to engage your core, squeezing those abs and glutes during each stretch. What I love most about these exercises is that I not only feel more limber afterwards, but I feel stronger and more balanced. Each position requires a tremendous amount of mental and physical strength. My mind feels a lot clearer as a result.

TRY IT! And give me your feedback please :)!

xx Shanna