Top Five Fav MOTR Strength Building Moves

I love hearing why people purchased their MOTRs. Here’s the story of how and why I purchased mine:

When I fell in love with Pilates, I fell in love with mat Pilates. Every part of mat Pilates literally and figuratively moved me. And then I walked into a reformer studio and took a handful of classes, and it felt all too good to be true. And then I found the Cadillac. And then the Chair gave me a killer workout. And then I went through Pilates training, opened my own mat studio, and decided that I wanted - needed?- wanted/needed - reformers for group classes. But there was not the space to have multiple reformers.

And then MOTRS were revealed. OK, I thought the concept was cool, but I wasn’t really sold. The first few times on the MOTR it felt confined and restricted. Until I realized that this was the tool/prop/apparatus that was missing from Pilates. Typically we are so accustomed to work the smaller muscles in Pilates. But the MOTR, the MOTR was a marriage between my love for Pilates and my love for weight training. It expanded my entire Pilates universe. If you haven’t used the MOTR for concentrated strength building thrn you’re missing out on so much of the MOTRs capabilities. Here are my top five favorite strength building moves with the MOTR:

1. pull-ups: if you’ve never been able to do a pull-up (or maybe have never cared to) then these are a great way to build back strength. Use medium to heavy resistance onVRMs. Put hips into bridged position, end of roller between shoulder blades. Cross straps, and squeeze shoulder blades together while pulling straps away from VRMs. Gently release to starting position, keeping shoulders away from ears while extending arms straight. (6-8)

2. Plies + high fifths: stand on roller with both feet wide and placed toward the edge of each end. Place inside arm (hand closest to MOTR arm) in front strap, light resistance, other arm extended laterally. sink hips low, keeping knees tracking middle of feet and back parallel to wall. Drive weight into heels and activate glutes and thighs to stand back up, all while reaching arms above crown of head with slight bend in elbows. (6-8 each arm)

3. Running biceps: stand or kneel facing front (facing arm). Place hands in straps with medium resistance. Roll shoulders back and keep elbows under shoulders, pinned against side. Alternate bicep curls, keeping rest of body totally still. (10 each side)

4. Balance back fly: stand in roller facing front, hands in straps, light resistance. Hinge forward at hips and extend one leg out and up in the air. Squeeze shoulder blades together and bring backs of hands up toward the ceiling. Maintain balance as you gently release straps to starting position. (4 each leg)

5. Squat Presses: using the MOTR arm only with light to medium resistance, place feet in straps and hold arm, overhand grip, in hands. Flip elbows underneath the arm, with hands placed next to VRM. Send hips back and down into a squat. Drive weight through heels and straighten out legs while pressing arm up toward ceiling. Return back into squat with arm under chin. (10-12 repetitions).

Try these moves and let me know what you think!