Lindsay’s 3 Favorite Spinal Flexion Exercises

I am excited to introduce our newest Pilates Instructor: Lindsay Rivera. Lindsay has been teaching Pilates for more than twenty years and is a wonderfully intelligent and caring instructor. Read Lindsay’s bio to learn more about her story here.

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I’m Lindsay Rivera, a Pilates Instructor with over 20 years of experience teaching all sorts of bodies. I don’t always have a lot of time to work out, so when I do I focus on exercises that deliver the biggest impact. These movements work my whole body and make the most of every minute. My body loves a good challenging spinal flexion exercise, but I know that it’s important to progress through each flexion exercise even if I don’t have much time. These are my three favorite spinal flexion exercises in order of how I progress not only myself but also my clients.

Roll Down with Side Bend / Waterskiier on the Cadillac

This flexion exercise always helps me feel lengthened, strengthened, and toned. It’s great for beginning clients as well as practitioners with years of experience. Everyone can find work in a Roll Down on the Cadillac! This is my favorite variation.

Begin by sitting tall stacked on top of your sit bones facing the roll down bar. Sit with your legs as straight as possible but not hyperextended. It’s ok to bend your knees if your hamstrings are tight. Align the inner edge of each foot on the uprights. Wrap your hands around the center of the bar keeping the wrists straight. In image 1 I’m wrapping my right hand over my left hand (the hand placement matters as you’ll do this on both sides).

1. Inhale, and lengthen your spine.
2. Exhale, rock your pelvis backward and begin to articulate through each vertebra of your spine, rolling yourself down to the mat. 
3. Inhale, take the top hand (right in image 2) off the bar and reach up and over to the opposite side of the mat. Take the same side foot (right in image 2) off the upright and cross it over the opposite foot for a full-body side bend.
4. Exhale and continue to breathe into the side bend and imagine creating more space along the side of your body that’s lengthening.
5. Inhale, come back to center by replacing your foot to the upright and your hand to the roll down bar.
6. Exhale, draw your chin towards your chest and allow the spring to help articulate your back up to the starting position. Meet (but don’t overpower) the energy of the spring to help access your abdominals.
7. Inhale, and think of getting as tall as you can in the starting seated position.
8. Repeat about 6 times per side, and make sure to switch sides!

Helpful tips for this spinal flexion exercise: Remember to breathe, stabilize the shoulders, and lengthen the waist away from the hips. Find sequential power up and down the whole spine. 

Rollover on the Arc

The arc is an amazing tool that can add extra support and/or challenge based on your body’s need that day. The Rollover can be leveled up or modified making it a versatile full body, spinal flexion exercise for advanced clients. The focus is on strengthening the core and opening the back of the body (hamstrings and spine).

Getting into the starting position for the Rollover can be tricky. The easiest way is to lay down with feet wide enough to slide the arc between your feet and then bridge yourself up using your hamstrings and glutes. Now you have space to slide the arc underneath your sacrum and find the starting position.

You want your head, neck, and upper back (just enough that you aren’t carrying your weight in your cervical spine) on the mat and your hips on the apex of the arc. With your hips and spine settled into place, keep your hips still on the arc and extend your legs straight up like I do in image 3. Similar to Roll Downs, it’s alright if you have tight hamstrings and need to bend your knees slightly.

I like to stay here and breathe until I feel a shift in energy and body awareness before adding some spinal movement.  If you don’t have any contraindications for deep spinal flexion, you can try the following hip lift and add more range as you’re ready.

1. Inhale to prepare.
2. Exhale, lift your hips an inch up off the arc. Use core strength to pick the hips up off the arc instead of swinging with momentum. Be sure to keep the neck long and straight, eyes looking up to the ceiling.
3. Take a sip of air and then exhale to return your hips to the arc.

When you are strong enough to keep a nice lift in the hips you can further progress this spinal flexion exercise by curling your spine further to eventually having your legs parallel to the floor (image 4). Take your time to progress and always maintain control. You can even work towards lowering the feet to the mat (image 5), which requires a lot of spinal mobility and shoulder and hamstring flexibility.

The many progressions to this exercise make it a wonderful challenge, as well as a mini inversion which can have benefits for those without contraindications. 

Hamstring 3 on the Chair

Another full body spinal flexion exericse challenge that can be an exercise for a lifetime, challenging both beginning and advanced clients is Hamstring 3 sometimes called Washer Woman or Pull Ups on the Chair.

I set my springs to 1 and 3 to start. You can always change as needed for more or less support. My 6-foot male client is going to need more support than my 5-foot female client; it’s just physics. You’ll be able to lower the springs for more of a challenge the stronger you get, but that’s not the goal of this exercise. The goal is to have fabulous spinal flexion control and range while challenging your entire body.

Start by placing your hands on the sides of your Chair and making sure you have a strong grip. The heal of your palm needs to be safely on the seat. Once you’ve set your arms, step onto the pedal in a Pilates V. On the EXO Chair I’m using, my Pilates V is roughly the width of where the springs attach to the pedal.

1. Inhale, with straight (but not hyperextended) arms and legs, squeeze hips together.
2. Exhale, dome your spine up. Feel the energy travel from spring up through feet and into belly. Try not to lean or shift, keeping your weight on the pedal so the spring can lift you and help you find your abdominals to flex and open the spine.
3. Take a sip of air at the top of your motion, then exhale and lower the pedal with control, returning to the starting position. Try not to let the pedal slam back down, as the goal of this exercise is control.

To add a challenge, pause at the top of your lift, allowing springs to close as much as possible. Open up the back, breathe into the lungs. The longer you hold, the harder it is to keep alignment.

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