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Welcome back. What are we doing today? Today, we’re on the exo chair doing ballet stretches. This is for guys, girls, and everybody in between. So what are we doing here? We normally do this exercise on a ladder barrel But today, because we have the chair here and it may be easier for you to get your leg up here, we’re gonna do it here. So we’re gonna face the back of our exo chair, The spring is on high for something that we’re gonna gonna do at the end of the workout. So facing your chair, I’m standing in parallel, take your leg across the EXO chair and bring it to the top of the chair.
So cross it up and over, and then find that happy place. Now take a second and find your footing. Both of your hips will be facing in the same direction. Your foot foot can be pointed or flex depending on what you’re trying to work. So you have options here.
Figure out what feels really safe and keep that knee soft. So starting out tall spine, reach your hands up to the ceiling, and then reach and arch over I’m gonna point it now and reach arch over and hold that stretch. As you’re holding the stretch, Think for aiming for about 30 seconds here. If you wanna live here longer, please do so. If you want more control, you can put your hands on top of the exo chair.
Let your head be heavy and let it fall towards your knee. Only going as far as you feel a safe stretch. We don’t want anything to pop. Yes. Really rise the chest and lift the ribs away from the hips when you inhale and exhale. Good. And when you’re ready, press that heel into the the chair and then lift up out of that stretch.
Wonderful. Turn your body to the side. So your knee will stay up towards the ceiling. Again, pointed or flexed toe. Your hands are on your hips. Find your balance, reach your opposite hand up towards the ceiling, and then reach up and over sliding the hand down and taking that stretch.
For additional stretch, maybe go into a diagonal, but I like it right here. And again, stay tall. If you tend to dump in the hip, really come out of that hip and to stay up to arch over, stretch of the obliques. Don’t forget to reach that neck away from the shoulders as well. Good. And then come up to the top. The next part of this extra size, we’re gonna face backwards.
So keep that foot there where it is. You see it there? Woah. Hello. Here we go. And then the top of the foot will rest on the chair. Hold the hips here.
Both hips are facing forward. You can reach the arms out for balance. Or out to a tee or up, up to you. I’m gonna stay right here for me. And as I say here, really find that stretch in your hip flexor.
Extra credit if you like it. You can bend or bring that leg, the working leg a little closer and then bend both legs for a deeper stretch, feeling that hip flexor as that knee drives down, hello stretch, I like it. Both legs are working. Straighten that leg and then carefully take it up. Sweep it across the top of the chair, and that side is done. Next stretch, we’re gonna turn and face the axle chair.
Again, take the right leg to the front of your exo chair for a pigeon stretch. I’m gonna extend my other leg out to the back maybe heal is pressing through. This is your pigeon stretch. Totally okay to stay here. If you’d like to deepen this stretch, Take your hands to the pedal, both sides, and stretch down.
Let the head be heavy. So the back heel is reaching to the back wall. Hands are pressing down. Arms are straight, long neck. Long, long reach through the top and the bottom of that foot.
Amazing. I’m gonna separate my hands and I’m a ride the pedal up, give myself a little back extension, I look like little Mermaid, and we are done with that side. Good. Carefully come off the chair. You’ve got another side to work. So let’s do that same setup adjusting the pants.
Alright. Tall spine. Feed in parallel. Sweep that leg up and over to the top of the exo chair. Good. Adjust the hips.
Tall reach up. Good. And then reach over for the stretch. Yes. My left side needs a little more love. She’s liking this. I like it too.
A couple more breaths here. Good. And then use the back body to bring you back up to the top. There you are. I’m gonna turn my back to you, but you know what we’re doing. We’re doing the side here. So the side is here.
Bring that knee up. The right hand will reach up to the ceiling. Slide down the leg. And reach with the neck, reach with the fingertips. Each breaths try to find a little more stretch.
To deepen that stretch, maybe go a little bit further than you thought you could go. Good. And then when you’re ready, come back up to the top, we’re almost there. You guys and we’ll try to see if this leg will cooperate as we turn to the back wall. It’s cooperating.
I like it. Alright. Center those hips. Find that stretch. Again, arms can come out.
Find that balance or a tee, or you still have that option to go straight up. Good. Gonna slide my foot towards the back of the chair and see if I can find that hip flexor stretch on this side. I like it. We’re right there. Gonna bend both knees, tall spine, pull everything in here.
There it is. Powerhouse is working, glutes are firing. I like it. Yes. Hold it. Hold it.
And I’m gonna straighten that leg. Sweep my leg down. And take it off. I was worried about that second leg. Alright. Let’s take it to the front and go into that pigeon stretch. Now these are options you have.
You can also take that stretch into a IT band stretch by just changing the position of your legs so you have lots of options here. So here I am holding on to the sides of the exo chair, reaching that back heel, My foot is on the ball, and I feel that stretch through the hamstrings. It feels delicious there. So this is good here. Extra credit. Wanna take your hands to one side of the pedal. On the opposite side of that knee, press the pedal down, and let the head rest.
And what I’m feeling here, I’m feeling a widening in my shoulders, The pressure I’m getting from the spring, I have the spring on the top. It’s giving me feedback, so I’m pushing that resistance into the chair, and I really like it. I’m gonna push down a little bit further and see if I can find more stretch in my back and my neck and shoulders. There it is. Linthin. Linthin. Linthin.
This side is extra stretchy today, and then we’re gonna ride this paddle all the way up. Give myself a little extension love, take that hand to the opposite side of the pedal, Paul proud spine, Good. Good. Good. Good. Gonna even come up a little further. I think I could do it on this side. Oh, I didn’t know I could do this. Alright.
Take a stretch. Oh, I know I didn’t do it on the other side, but this is just the extra credit thing. Alright. I like it. I crack myself up sometimes. Alright. Stepping off very carefully.
To the back of the chair. Extra extra credit. Go ahead and take the arms up. Take a little dive down. Holding onto the chair, pressure hips back, and just press into the tabletop, Let the hands come to the floor and then roll yourself all the way up tends across the board, like you’re on the USA gymnastics teams, and you are done. Again, add it on, do it by itself, stretch, longer stretches, so many options with ballet stretches on the exo chair.
I will see you for the next workout. Bye.
