Anatomy of a Pilates Session: "Just for You" the Ankle Edition

Fix your Feet, Fix your Powerhouse: The Pilates 2×4 Exercises

I dearly love my weekly lessons with Karen Frischmann.

I learn so much about the method, I find balance in my own body and I understand more deeply how Pilates as a system all hangs together.

About once a year I have a little check-up lesson with Jay Grimes.

I have questions for him of course. And I will have had plenty of time until my next lesson with him to work on corrections or comments he made.

While doing the Footwork in my most recent lesson with Jay he asked me a question.

“Have you been doing the 2×4 exercises?”

For a nanosecond I thought he was giving me a compliment. I soon came to my senses and realized he was politely pointing out that I should do exercises for my feet.

Well… no.

Too fixated on the Reformer to venture elsewhere in the studio, I vowed I would work on the 2×4 exercises after every workout.

It would take more than half a year to follow up on his advice.

#procrastinationheals

About 7 months later I dusted off my 2×4 and got to work.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Jay suggested it would be helpful to work on the 2×4 exercises in front of a mirror.

Great, I’ll be my own Pilates teacher.

Fix your Feet, Fix your Powerhouse: The Pilates 2x4 Exercises

I focused initially on 2 of the standard exercises:

  • Tendon Stretch – the vertical version of the 4th Footwork exercise
  • A classic 2×4 exercise I learned under the name ‘Standing Foot Exercises‘ – a combination of Tendon Stretch-esque movements: bend the knees, lift the heels, straighten the legs, lower the heels, and its reverse.

Looking in the mirror proved to be invaluable.

I have a disobedient foot/leg/side. Perhaps you do as well?

Now I could see my naughty foot and fix it.

That’s when the fireworks went off in my center. One small adjustment in my foot/leg turned on all kinds of connections on that side of my powerhouse.

Aha!

Could this be Jay’s intention all along?

Who doesn’t want to fix their powerhouse?

With any Pilates exercise or variation that I deem ‘good for what ails me’, I like to get feedback from Karen in my Monday lessons.

Karen is great at taking what I bring into my lessons and shooting it into the stratosphere of connection. We mined a ton out of the 2×4 exercises and they began to seep into all of my workout.

What’s to be done when you cannot connect your lower body into your center because you are upside-down in the Jackknife?

Add a little 2×4 to the mix!

The repetition of the 2×4 exercises in my body can be called upon in exercises where my feet are not in contact with any apparatus.

Perfect for all those upside-down Mat exercises!

Put the ‘Full’ in ‘Full Body Workout.’

What’s good upside-down HAS to be good for standing up. Good standing posture is no easy feat (oh where would I be without the foot puns).

It’s a challenge to fully utilize the lower body in standing exercises and ignite the powerhouse.

#2x4totherescue

I love to use the 2×4 as a teaching tool for the Standing Arm Springs series on the Cadillac.

Remember the Standing Arm Springs are not just arm exercises!

You must rely on all the muscles that make a strong standing position to find success in the Standing Arm Springs.

Let’s take a few examples:

Fix your Feet, Fix your Powerhouse: The Pilates 2x4 ExercisesFix your Feet, Fix your Powerhouse: The Pilates 2x4 ExercisesFix your Feet, Fix your Powerhouse: The Pilates 2x4 Exercises

It’s easy to get caught up in the upper body action of these exercises. But what’s the standing body doing?

Just the simple act of balancing on the 2×4 for the Tendon Stretch exercise will connect the lower extremities into the center.

The 2×4 exercises communicate so much more than I ever could with my words.

A Scrubbing Bubbles moment

Who doesn’t want an exercise that does all your work for you?

The 2×4 is a game changer.

It’s a great tool to enliven the lower body and prepare you for the Standing Arm Springs.

OMG where can I get one???

The 2×4 – sometimes called the ‘upholstered foot exerciser’ is available from most Pilates equipment manufacturers.

Here’s a link to one made by Gratz Pilates:

http://www.pilates-gratz.com/collections/accessories/products/upholstered-foot-exerciser-bar

Alternatively, check out this post on pilatesology.com and make your own 2×4 in minutes!

https://pilatesology.com/2015/04/diy-how-to-make-your-own-pilates-2×4/

Enjoy!

How do you make the lower body come alive?

Share your Pilates Secrets in a comment below.

6 Responses

  1. Doesn’t it always start with the feet?! I find my low back rewards me with an ahhh when I start with a little foot corrector. My seat decides to join the party and pull its load which for me is quite a lot. Tee hee. Must incorporate the 2 by 4 as well. You seem to address what I need most in your blog. Mind or should I say body reader you are! Thanks Andrea! ????

    1. So glad you enjoyed this timely post! Yes it is amazing what the 2×4 can do for the our bottoms 🙂 Thank you so much for reading and for sharing in your love for fixing the feet. So many exercises…so little time…

  2. I have been paying more attention to feet, definitely will be purchasing a 2×4. Are you able to share more info/tips on the feet? Thanks for this post.

    1. Hi Jodie – check out this link coming on Friday to my YouTube channel – it is a workout for the feet using the toe corrector and the 2×4. I’m also currently obsessed with my left foot so there is sure to be more foot content coming LOL. Thank you so much for reading and for reaching out to connect here with me. xox

  3. I swear … somewhere I saw a recommendation to really challenge your footwork and your own internal connection by placing the 2×4 on the foot bar during footwork on the reformer. Now I can’t find it anywhere on the internet. Are you familiar with this use of the 2×4 Andrea?

    1. Hi Mary Beth –

      I think the Footbar you are speaking about comes from Kathy Grant lineage? It’s not actually a 2×4 but it does look exactly like one – I am not sure, maybe it is also called the 2×4. I would check out Blossom and other Kathy Grant lineage teachers for any info. This is not something I have worked with but yes I hear great things about it. Thanks so much for reading and for checking in here with your questions 🙂 I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. xox

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