FEETUP TRAINER EXERCISES USING PROPS
mini band ankle dorsiflexion and abduction
FeetUp Trainer Exercises Using Props | Mini Band
Lately, I’ve been thinking of creative ways to do FeetUp Trainer exercises using props. Today I decided to incorporate a mini band in my FeetUp Trainer finisher to a vigorous leg day home workout. I selected a mini band (also known as a booty band or hip band) of strong resistance and wrapped it around my feet before mounting the FeetUp Trainer.
In order to prevent the band from falling off, I held tension by flexing my feet and keeping them apart. Once inverted, I stabilized one leg and pulled the opposite knee towards my chest. As a Pilates instructor and practitioner, I used the following Pilates Principles while performing this exercise:
1) Concentration – mind body connection. I really had to focus on the stabilization of one leg while the other one is performing the exercise.
2) Center – all movements originate from the center of the body. Core is always engaged, which helped keep my body in alignment during the inversion work.
3) Control – each movement is intentional. Focusing equally on movements in both directions, pulling my knee in towards my chest and resisting the band as I pressed the heel towards the ceiling.
4) Precision – a result of using concentration and control. When I was performing the reps, I tried to repeat them exactly with the same range of motion and same intensity.
5) Breathing – purposeful breathing can assist movement. During this exercise, my exhales helped with exertion (knee in to chest) and my inhales helped while I released tension in the band.
Once I completed 15 reps on each leg, I decided to finish with abduction holds. Keeping my legs straight and feet flexed, I pressed out against the resistance of the band as far as I could while maintaining control. Then I held it out for one count before I began to slowly release tension on the band. These abductions were much more challenging than the ones I did last week with the booty band around my thighs and toes pointed! I did 10 of these abductions, that’s it.
My goal for today’s FeetUp Trainer exercises was to enhance the lower body workout that I just finished. For example, squats depend on ankle dorsiflexion mobility so I kept my feet flexed with the mini band wrapped around them. As a result, I felt a deeper connection to the exercise (especially the abduction hold!) than I normally do with my feet in plantarflexion.
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