Overview
Coordination is the classical combination exercise: arm pull, leg press, and spinal curl all at once. It is demanding because the pieces must move together — the breath coordinates the arms and legs, and the abdominals hold the curl throughout. Teach it only after the Hundred and the Short Box series are clean.
Setup
- A lighter setting (in our reference ladder: 1 Green or 1 Yellow); footbar high.
- Lie supine with the legs in tabletop, head and chest lifted, arms reaching for the straps overhead.
Key Teaching Cues
- Coordinate the exhale with the arm pull and the leg press — one movement, not three.
- Keep the lower back anchored as the legs extend; the curl stays lifted.
- Move the arms and legs together — no lag or rush between them.
- Inhale to return: legs bend back to tabletop as the arms sweep overhead with control.
Common Faults
- Rushing the sequence and losing the breath connection.
- Letting the legs drop and the low back arch as they extend.
- Losing the curl — the head and chest sinking as the arms pull.
- Holding the breath during the press.
Variations
- Regression: keep the legs in tabletop and work the arm pull and curl only.
- Progression: keep the legs extended long for the full sequence.
- Safety: keep the head supported and use neutral variations for clients with osteoporosis or cervical sensitivity.
Programming Notes
Coordination is a milestone exercise: teach it only after the Hundred and the Short Box series are clean, and place it as the bridge from those to the inversion family. One set of three to five repetitions with a full breath between each is demanding enough; build slowly from the regression.