Overview
Pulling Straps is the prone pulling foundation of the reformer: lying chest-off on the long box, the client pulls the straps back against the springs while the chest lifts into thoracic extension. It teaches the shoulder blades to lead the arms and builds the upper back that balances all the flexion work in a session. Pulling Straps II is the same theme with a T-shape pull — a regression that isolates the scapular squeeze.
Setup
- A medium-strong setting (in our reference ladder: 1 Red or 1 Green); footbar down, long box on the carriage.
- Lie prone with the chest just off the front edge of the box, holding the straps above the hardware with the arms extended forward.
- The legs extend long behind, the pelvis anchors into the box, and the gaze stays down.
Key Teaching Cues
- Exhale to pull the straps back along the sides of the equipment, lifting the chest into thoracic extension.
- Lead with the shoulder blades — draw them down and together before the arms do anything.
- Keep the pelvis anchored and the ribs long; the lift comes from the upper back, never the neck.
- Inhale to extend the arms forward with control.
- Pulling Straps II: pull the straps out and back in a T-shape, squeezing the shoulder blades, then return with control.
Common Faults
- Shrugging the shoulders as the arms pull.
- Lifting the chin and craning the neck to watch the straps.
- Sinking the chest or letting the pelvis rock off the box.
- Pulling with the arms only — the shoulder blades must lead.
- Snapping the return instead of controlling it.
Variations
- Regression: use Pulling Straps II (T-pull) with a lighter spring; reduce the range of the pull.
- Progression: slow the pull and hold the straps at the finish for two counts.
- Safety: keep the pull in a pain-free range for shoulder impingement — never force the straps behind the body — and keep the spine long rather than over-extended for spinal stenosis (see the Shoulder Impingement Protocol and the Spinal Stenosis Protocol).
Programming Notes
Place Pulling Straps in the prone or upper-body block, alongside Swan and Breaststroke, and use it as the pulling balance to Seated Row. Two to three sets of six to eight repetitions build the endurance the arms need before the straps work returns.