Exercise of the Month: Frog Back Progressions on the Split-Pedal Stability Chair™

Postural changes don’t happen overnight. They develop gradually, often going unnoticed until familiar signs start to appear. The head begins to shift forward. Shoulders round and slump. The lower back tightens as the hips become more restricted. That’s not just getting older; it’s your posture responding to habit.

In this two-part progression, Patrick Przyborowski, Merrithew^® Lead Instructor Trainer and Founder of Over Fifty Fitness in Dayton, Ohio, guides the Frog Back and Frog Back with Hips Up on the Split-Pedal Stability Chair^™. STOTT PILATES^® Certified Instructor Julie Hensley demonstrates the exercises, which strengthen the posterior chain, improve scapular control and enhance trunk stability—all of which are key factors for countering postural changes.

Watch the Exercise

Understanding the Biomechanics of Postural Imbalance and Recovery

This exercise is especially helpful for clients managing postural decline related to aging or lifestyle fatigue like prolonged sitting and tech neck. These habits put stress on the cervical spine, weaken scapular stabilizers and reduce thoracic extension. Over time, this imbalance cascades down the kinetic chain, limiting hip mobility, disrupting core engagement and reducing overall functional movement.

Key Benefits

This exercise helps correct and counter postural imbalances by:

• Strengthening the Posterior Chain: Activating muscles from the calves to the upper back to support upright posture and prevent forward rounding.
• Improving Scapular Control: Building scapular mobility and stability to support shoulder girdle mechanics.
• Increasing Trunk Stability: Engaging the upper body to stabilize the spine as the lower body moves in suspension.
• Improving Upper Body Push Capacity: Strengthening the triceps and muscles around the shoulder blade, like the lower traps, lats and teres major to help push away from the chair.
• Enhancing Hip Mobility and Strength: Recruiting the glutes and deep hip rotators, encouraging flexion, extension and lateral rotation at the hip joint.
• Improving Balance: Requiring control on a small base of support with only the balls of the feet and hands.

Exercise Progressions

I. Frog Back (two heavy middle springs)

This intermediate-level exercise is performed in a suspended seated position and involves full-body coordination to stay lifted. Scapular stabilizers and depressors maintain shoulder placement, while the lats and posterior deltoids support shoulder extension. The erector spinae and abdominals work in unison to hold spinal alignment, as the lateral hip rotators and quadriceps control the pedal press and return.

*Recommended repetitions: Start with five repetitions using a steady three-count pulse to build rhythm and control.

II. Frog Back Hips Up (two heavy bottom springs, and one light top spring)

This advanced progression increases the demand on the posterior chain by shifting the suspension point. With hands placed on the back corners of the chair, the exerciser exhales to press the pedal upward, inhales to release slightly, then exhales again to lift the hips into a near-horizontal position. The glutes and hamstrings control the pedal movement while keeping the hips lifted.

Clear cueing makes this variation easier. To help maintain proper alignment, encourage strong scapular stabilization and upper body engagement to resist any backward shifting—for example, “Draw your shoulder blades gently down and back, and imagine lifting your hips straight up toward the ceiling”.

A gentle hand on the lower back can offer tactile feedback to encourage vertical hip lift. Additionally, using the Maple Roll-Up Pole along the spine provides a visual and physical reference that helps reinforce alignment and adds a layer of safety throughout the exercise.

Modifications for Frog Back

1. Begin with Pedals Split and Hold an Isometric Position: Focus on staying upright, drawing the shoulders down and away from the ears and slightly increasing lateral rotation at the hips.
2. Maintain a Bent Elbow Position: Emphasize elbow flexion to activate the triceps and posterior shoulder musculature, reinforcing scapular stability and promoting upper body strength.
3. Add Leg Movement: Lift one leg while pressing the pedal down, then switch sides. This variation challenges unilateral stability and reinforces the foundational principle of maintaining pelvic and trunk alignment. What matters most is staying centered, not how high the pedal lifts. We don’t want to sacrifice our stability to increase range.

Modifications for Frog Back Hips Up

1. Try on the Reformer Box: Practicing on the Reformer Box lowers your center of gravity and provides greater support. Focus on driving the hips up with an exhale, similar to a crab bridge. Without pedal resistance, return the hips to the box with control.
2. Introduce the Stability Cushion^™ Under the Feet: Placing Stability Cushion^™s under the feet introduces gentle perturbation. Encourage light weight shifts from side to side while maintaining lifted hips and minimizing rotation.

Patrick’s Pro Tips

• Coordinate Breath with Movement: With a natural spine, inhale to initiate pedal flexion, then exhale to press the pedal down with controlled eccentric engagement.
• Lift Vertically for Safety: In Frog Back, press through the arms to achieve a vertical hover off the front edge of the chair. In Frog Back Hips Up, initiate a vertical lift through the hips rather than allowing the body to shift backward. Aim to keep the pelvis aligned over the base of support.
• Engage the Torso Stabilizers in All Planes: Activate the abdominals, obliques and back extensors to maintain a neutral spine and avoid overextension or flexion of the lumbar spine.
• Maintain a Forward Gaze: Direct the eyes forward to support cervical alignment and minimize undue tension in the head and neck.
• Focus on Floating: Whether suspending the body or pressing the pedal, emphasize a sense of lift and lightness to maintain control and avoid collapsing through the shoulders or spine.
• Control the Return: Use the quadriceps and lateral hip rotators to modulate the upward return of the pedal with precision.

Stability and strength don’t come from quick fixes but from steady, purposeful practice. Explore the movement, refine your cueing and build strength throughout the entire posterior chain to help you stand taller, move with confidence and stay supported both in motion and at rest.