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Feet in Straps & Arm Series

Intermediate Modern Flow Supine Straps & Arms ⚡ Express ⏱️ 30 mins 📋 15 Exercises
Props needed:
📦 Hand Weights

Plan Overview

A 30-minute supine-led flow on green springs: pelvic articulation and footwork to open, a long feet-in-straps block under the 2 Green setting, then a kneeling footbar press, a seated arm series on the box, and a frame-hang finish.

Sequence Flow

Warm-up 4 steps
1
Pelvic Tilt
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 3:1 articulate
Transition: Pelvic tilts — inhale to feel the stomach expand and the lower back arch, exhale to clench the glutes, tuck the tailbone under and flatten the back
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 2 Green Springs Footbar: Medium Headrest: Up
⚠️ Caution: Low Back Pain (Articulate slowly and keep the ribs down; stop if the low back aches.)
Focus Cue:

"Peel spine off mat one bone at a time like a string of pearls."

2
Pelvic Bridge
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 2:2 smooth
Transition: Glute bridge — press through the heels and squeeze the glutes at the top without arching the low back
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 2 Green Springs Footbar: Medium Headrest: Up
⚠️ Caution: Low Back Pain (Articulate slowly and keep the ribs down; stop if the low back aches.)
Focus Cue:

"Peel the spine up and down one vertebra at a time."

3
Footwork: Parallel V-Plie
Reps: 10 reps Tempo: 2:2 smooth
Transition: TEACHING FOCUS: heels together in V on the footbar, exhale to press the carriage away, inhale to control the return — establish the breath-and-press pattern here
Use: Regression: Lighter Springs
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 2 Green Springs Footbar: Medium Headrest: Up
⚠️ Caution: Knee Issues (Turnout from the feet can torque the knees; keep the knees tracking over the second toe and use a lighter spring.)
Focus Cue:

"Keep your knees tracking directly over the center of your toes."

4
Footwork: Wide Stance
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 2:2 smooth
Transition: TEACHING FOCUS: feet wider than hip-width, toes straight ahead — same exhale-press, inhale-return pattern, pressing evenly through both feet with the knees tracking over the second toes
Use: Regression: Narrower Stance
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 2 Green Springs Footbar: Medium Headrest: Up
⚠️ Caution: Knee Issues (Keep the knees tracking over the second toes and the range small; stop if the knee complains.); Low Back Pain (Keep the pelvis anchored and the ribs down; stop if the low back aches.)
Focus Cue:

"Keep the knees tracking over the second toes in the wide stance."

CHANGE — springs before the straps series (step 5)

Springs 2 Green → 1 Green. Footbar stays Medium; headrest stays Medium. This single setting carries steps 5, 6 and 7 (lift and lower, leg circles, reverse leg press) with no further change.

Main Set 6 steps
5
Feet in Straps: Lift & Lower
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 2:2 controlled
Transition: Lift and lower — tailbone heavy, neutral spine, do not dump into the lower back as the legs travel
Use: Regression: Single Leg
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green Spring Footbar: Medium Headrest: Medium
⚠️ Caution: Low Back Pain (This one demands strong pelvic anchoring; reduce the spring and stop if the low back aches.); Pregnancy (Supine strap work can compress the vena cava after the first trimester; elevate the head or use side-lying alternatives.)
Focus Cue:

"Pull the ribs down and keep the pelvis anchored at 45 degrees."

6
Feet in Straps: Leg Circles
Reps: 6 circles each way Tempo: 2:2 smooth
Transition: Keep the feet in the straps — legs lower together, circle wide out to the sides, return to centre, tailbone heavy throughout
Use: Regression: Smaller Circles
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green Spring Footbar: Medium Headrest: Medium
⚠️ Caution: Hip Impingement (Circumduction can catch at the front of the hip; keep the circles small and in a pain-free arc.); Low Back Pain (Keep the pelvis anchored as the legs circle; stop if the low back rocks or aches.); Pregnancy (Supine strap work can compress the vena cava after the first trimester; elevate the head or use side-lying alternatives.)
Focus Cue:

"Only make circles as large as you can maintain a quiet, still pelvis."

7
Feet in Straps: Reverse Leg Press
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 2:2 controlled
Transition: Hips flexed to 90 degrees, knees soft — press the legs down toward the carriage through the hips, then float them back up, spine neutral
Use: Regression: Bent-Knee Press
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green Spring Footbar: Medium Headrest: Medium
⚠️ Caution: Low Back Pain (Excessive hip extension can strain the lumbar spine. Keep the pelvis neutral and the press range small; stop if the low back aches.)
Focus Cue:

"Keep the low back long and the pelvis neutral as the legs press down."

8
Lying Twist Release
Reps: 4 each side Tempo: 1:1 with breath
Transition: Release the straps — exhale as the knees lower to one side, inhale to return through centre, shoulders anchored down
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green Spring Footbar: Medium Headrest: Medium
Focus Cue:

"Exhale as the knees lower to one side, inhale to return through centre."

CHANGE — footbar and headrest before the cat cow (step 9)

Springs stay 1 Green — no change. Footbar: Medium → Down. Headrest: Medium → Down. Then come up to all fours with the hands on the footbar.

9
Cat Cow Stretch
Reps: 6 rounds Tempo: 1:1 with breath
Transition: Come up to all fours, hands on the footbar — exhale to round the spine toward the ceiling, inhale to arch and lift the gaze, one vertebra at a time
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green or 1 Yellow Spring Footbar: Down Headrest: Down
Focus Cue:

"Inhale to arch and lift the gaze, exhale to round the spine toward the ceiling."

CHANGE — springs before the kneeling lat pull (step 10)

Springs 1 Green → 1-2 Red. Footbar stays Down; headrest stays Down. Kneel with the balls of the feet against the shoulder rests and both hands on the footbar, shoulders stacked over the wrists.

10
Kneeling Lat Pull
Reps: 6 reps Tempo: 2:2 controlled
Transition: Knees against the shoulder rests, hands on the footbar — phase one pulls the carriage to the hands from the armpits, phase two keeps the shoulders over the wrists and pulls up with the abs and knees
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1-2 Red Springs Footbar: Down Headrest: Down
Focus Cue:

"Pull from the armpits — the lats draw the carriage toward the hands, not the arms bending."

CHANGE — springs before the spinal release (step 11)

Springs 1-2 Red → 1 Yellow. Footbar stays Down; headrest stays Down. Applies to step 11 (child's pose over the carriage).

Cool-down 5 steps
11
Spinal Release
Reps: ~1 min Tempo: slow breathing
Transition: Child's pose over the carriage — hips back toward the heels, arms reaching forward, settle the breath
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Yellow Spring Footbar: Down Headrest: Down
⚠️ Caution: Knee Issues (Kneeling can irritate the knees; pad under the knees or use a seated alternative.)
Focus Cue:

"Take full, settling exhales as you rest."

CHANGE — springs, footbar and box before the arm series (steps 12-14)

Springs 1 Yellow → 1 Green (or 1 Yellow). Footbar: Down → Medium. Then set up: box into short box position, sit tall facing the footbar with the straps in hand. Steps 12, 13 and 14 all run on this one setting — no further change between them.

12
Seated Front Raises
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 3:1
Transition: Sit tall on the box facing the footbar, straps in hand — raise both arms to shoulder height without lifting the shoulders
Use: Regression: Reduced Height
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green or 1 Yellow Spring Footbar: Medium
Focus Cue:

"Keep the shoulders down and away from the ears as the arms rise — no shrugging."

13
W Raises
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 3:1
Transition: Draw the elbows up and back into a W, squeeze the shoulder blades, pause, lower with control
Use: Regression: Lighter Spring
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green or 1 Yellow Spring Footbar: Medium
Focus Cue:

"Squeeze the shoulder blades together as the elbows draw back into the W."

14
Seated Triceps Extension
Reps: 8 reps Tempo: 2:2
Transition: Elbows glued to the ribs — only the forearms move as they extend down and back against the straps
Use: Regression: Lighter Spring
Reformer ⚙️ Springs: 1 Green or 1 Yellow Spring Footbar: Medium
Focus Cue:

"Keep the upper arms glued to the ribs — only the forearms move."

Cross-body shoulder stretch

Bring one arm straight across the chest and hook the other arm over it, drawing it closer to the body. Hold for 3-4 breaths, then change sides. Equipment: none — no springs in hand, sit or stand off the carriage. No change is needed for the final step either: the frame hang stretch is a standing stretch on the floor inside the frame, so it uses no springs, footbar or headrest setting.

15
Frame Hang Stretch
Reps: ~1 min Tempo: slow breathing
Transition: Stand inside the frames holding the shoulder rests, knees soft — let the spine hang long and breathe
Focus Cue:

"Inhale to grow tall, exhale to let the spine hang and soften."

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