Reformer Repertoire
Foot Work:
Développé
Alternate Names
N/A
Derived From
Classical Reformer: Footwork I Toes
The exercise was adapted and created to assist ballet dancers with the développé ballet movement. The exercise achieves this by creating stability and strength in the stance leg, with movement, precision and pace in the other leg.
The Sleeping Beauty ballet has a renowned series of choreography for two dancers called the Bluebird pas de deux (video available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCvpfvwXxWI) which the Pilates exercise we know as développé was allegedly created for as a training exercise.
Primary Element
Stability
Why for Primary?
The Footwork series continues to warm up and prepare the body for what is to come by further developing pelvis stability and continuing to use the larger muscle groups of the legs.
Can the legs move independently of the pelvis? Keeping the pelvis still and moving the legs is the aim here, creating and testing the stability of the pelvis, in particular the stance leg or leg connected to the Foot Bar.
In addition it relates to reflexology as the sole of the foot positioning links to specific organs of the body (Clain Pilates, 2002).
Secondary Element
Strength
Why for Secondary?
To strengthen hip extensor muscles (gluteals and hamstrings) and knee extensor muscles (quadriceps) and to help align the ankle, knee and hip joints.
Tertiary Element
Mobility
Why Tertiary?
The hip, knee and ankle joints are all working here, although not always through their full range of motion.
Repetitions
8-10 each side
Apparatus Setup
Suggested springs
- Number system: 2 springs
- Colour system: 2 x red springs
- Resistance: medium
Headrest position flat unless any neck issues or the client feels more supported with the head lifted using the headrest or a slightly deflated Pilates ball or cushion.
Foot bar one position is set at one position down from vertical, or on many Reformers the top angled position.
Plane of Motion
Sagittal
Targeted Muscles
To connect with, activate and develop the pelvis stabilisation muscles the focus is on gluteus medius and gluteus maximus and the deep abdominal muscles transversus abdominis.
To work on strengthening the leg muscles the focus is on the below muscle groups:
The ‘knee extensors’ or quadriceps muscle group of the anterior thigh facilitate the pressing away from the Foot Bar creating a concentric contraction.
They comprise:
- Rectus femoris
- Vastus intermedius
- Vastus medialis
- Vastus lateralis
The ‘hip extensors’ or hamstring muscle group of the posterior thigh facilitate and control the return phase of the movement creating an eccentric contraction.
They comprise:
- Biceps femoris
- Semitendinosus
- Semimembranosus
Warnings
Not suitable for some hip, knee and ankle pathologies, or if the client is unable to work in a pain free range of motion during the exercise. Also consider working in a reduced range of motion (80%) for clients with hyper-mobile joints.
Execution
Lie supine on the Reformer in a neutral pelvis position with the balls of the feet on the foot bar in line with the ASIS (hip bones). Arms positioned beside the body with the shoulders squared against the shoulder blocks. Lift one leg to a tabletop position.
Exhale to straighten both the footbar and tabletop legs, extending the hip and knee while maintaining a neutral pelvis position. Inhale to bend both legs returning towards the stopper or park and extending the tabletop leg long over the footbar then returning to tabletop position to finish.
Observations
Do a body scan of the client taking note of the following points
- Pelvis
- Are the hip bones even horizontally or is the client hitching, leaning towards or biasing one side? Staying stable through the stance leg becomes more difficult with greater movement of the lifting and lowering leg
- Can the client move their legs through the different positions without their pelvis moving and staying controlled through the stance leg?
- Legs
- Are the knees dropping inwards? Can the client work in a slight external rotation and aim to roll thigh bones outwards to assist in abductor muscle engagement?
- Feet
- Are the balls of the feet on the Foot Bar and the toes relaxed?
- Is the table top leg’s foot softly plantar flexed?
- Is the inside of the Foot Bar foot lifting or leaning outward? (supinated)
- Is the inside of the Foot Bar foot rolling inward? (pronated)
- Apparatus
- Is there tension on the springs the whole time? Or is the carriage crashing to the stopper or ‘park’ indicating a lack of control and a push by the client beyond their ideal range of motion? If the carriage is crashing encourage the client to reduce their range of motion and slow their movement down to focus on controlling the return phase, or reduce the spring load so the client can control the springs.
Learning Style Technique Cues
Auditory – word associations that connect mind and body
- The aim is to keep the pelvis still whilst the legs are moving
- Say the client’s name when you’re about to interact with them
- Press the ball of the foot, the padded section below the toes, into the foot bar and keep the toes relaxed
- Open or unfold the tabletop leg slowly, maintaining control and avoiding hitching the hip of the table top leg
Visual
- Imagine a pole or broomstick across the hip bones – maintain the pole at horizontal and try not to hitch the hip of the tabletop leg
- Imagine the ballet movement of the same name which, from a standing position, the working leg is drawn up to the knee of the supporting leg and slowly extended outwards and held there – demonstrating control
- Look up and check that the toes are long and relaxed not gripping around the foot bar
- You may demonstrate a part of the movement as a visual representation for the client to see
Kinaesthetic
- As you press the legs straight feel the abdominals and centre of the torso engage
- Try not to collapse the torso as you bring the carriage in
- Try to match the resistance of the springs by pressing the feet down into the foot bar on the return phase
- Wriggle the toes to ensure that they’re not gripping onto the Foot Bar
Modifications and Variations
Regress the exercise by
- Reducing the spring setting to one red and one blue spring to connect into the pelvis stability component of the exercise, practice deep core muscle activation, and reduce the leg load
- Reducing repetitions and/or pace
- Reducing the range of motion so the client can focus on pelvis stability without the hip flexors taking over. Create more of a pulse movement from the extended leg position halfway into the stopper to avoid going into deep hip flexion on the return phase
- Only working on the extension of the tabletop leg to the ceiling, before adding on the rest of the movement
- Regress to Foot Work: Parallel Toes – Single
Progress the exercise by
- Increasing the spring settings to two red and one blue springs
- Placing a slightly deflated Pilates ball or instability prop under the pelvis to further challenge pelvis stability
- Working with a Jump Board instead of the Foot Bar and adding a jump off the stance leg when the table-top leg extends to the ceiling, landing before bending the tabletop leg and extending it long over the top of the Jump Board
- Progressive Repertoire to work towards
Series and Transitions
This exercise is part of the Foot Work series which includes a range of other foot positions in singles and also doubles in the fundamental repertoire. The Foot Work series can also be found in the Wunda Chair repertoire and the Cadillac repertoire.
