I’ve seen it all! Stepping inside the tiny space between the springs and the edge of the Mat, stepping on the edge of the Reformer and crouching to sit on the black pad, and the biggest offender of all – straddling the Reformer *gasp*. So, maybe you’re flexible and agile and straddling is not a problem for you or maybe you’re really stiff and tight and you swing your leg over and hope for the best. Either way, don’t do it! We never work outside the width of our body. You always hear the cue, “only as wide as your shoulders” or “only as wide as your Mat”, taking your legs even wider puts you at risk for injury and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take. So how do you get there correctly you ask?
- If you’re newer or your spine is tight: sit on the black pad, bring your feet to the frame, get yourself centered, hands hold the front of the Reformer, bring one foot to the foot bar and then the other centered, in your “V”, big toes on.
- If you’re more seasoned and experienced: sit on the black pad get yourself centered, scoop your abs, and bring both feet to the foot bar holding the front of your Mat in a quick, efficient, minimal extra movement manner.
Next time you go into this series, pay attention to how you get in. Pilates is all about precision, see how quickly and properly you can get into position.
