The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body. Together with the gluteus medius and minimus, along with other deep muscles that attach here, they work to allow the legs to extend, abduct, adduct and rotate. These muscles also assist with stabilization and mobility of the pelvis girdle and trunk, and power us on our walks, runs and bike rides.
For Week 4 of the At Home Reformer Challenge, we focused on firing up the glutes with five Reformer exercises from the STOTT PILATES® repertoire.
For those who are new to Reformer Pilates, try completing 6 reps of each exercise. If you want to challenge yourself and increase the intensity, complete 8-10 reps, and if you’re an advanced practitioner, aim for 12-15 reps.
Over the last month, we’ve built up a library of exercises targeting the arms and back, legs, core and glutes, so now you have a full-body Reformer workout that you can do at home any time. To find more workouts like these, visit our new streaming platform, Merrithew Connect™.
Here’s the recap of the whole workout for Week 4.
1. Hip Rolls
Starting position: Supine on carriage. Heels on bar hip-distance apart and parallel.
Movement: Roll hips up off carriage. Push carriage out, dropping hips slightly. Bend knees to return carriage lifting hips back up. Roll down to carriage.
Tip: Use lighter tension to increase glute and hamstring challenge.
2. Side Splits
Starting position: Bring carriage and stopper to positions 1:1. Stand with one foot on carriage, the other on wooden platform. Legs parallel and under hips.
Movement: Push carriage out. Return.
Tip: Increase tension for more glute challenge and decrease tension for more inner thigh challenge.
3. Knee Lift on Box
Starting position: With box across middle of carriage and body side-lying on box facing pulleys. Strap around top knee. Bottom arm supporting head. Spine neutral.
Movement: Push leg up to ceiling moving carriage out. Return.
Tip: Can be done with feet staying together or top foot lifting as top knee lifts.
4. One Leg Pull on Box
Starting position: With box across middle of carriage and body side-lying on box facing pulleys. Strap around top ankle. Bottom arm supporting head. Spine neutral.
Movement: With top leg straight, push back. Return.
5. Long Spine
Starting position: Supine on carriage. Feet in straps. Legs straight on diagonal. Head rest down.
Movement: Hinge legs to ceiling. Roll spine up and off carriage. Open legs hip-distance apart. Roll spine down. Push legs back to diagonal.
Thank you for joining the At Home Reformer Challenge! What kind of challenge would you like to see next? Email: communications@merrithew.com