Class #2619

Standing Group Work

40 min - Class
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Description

Work on smooth and fluid movement in this Franklin Method® inspired Mat workout with Tom McCook. He uses the Franklin Band and Magic Circle to get feedback about the oppositional pull needed to stay in tune with the group. All of these movements include an element of mindfulness and control that is a result of the feedback you get from working in a group and with these props.

If you are working without a group, you can put your Theraband around a fixed object such as a doorknob or pole to do the exercises that used the Magic Circle.
What You'll Need: Theraband, Magic Circle

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Transcript

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Good morning everybody. I'm Tom McCook. I'm back here at [inaudible] any time with a fabulous group of women for a theraband class. And this is inspired by the Franklin work created by Eric Franklin. And this series we're going to do, we're going to be using a magic circle and I like you to image that as the pelvic floor and the band is going to give the ring, we'll give oppositional pull that all of us have to feel to stay in tune with each other. So when we feel the exercises as an element of control in mindfulness, that happens from that feedback. So we're going to pick up the bands.

Now if you at home and you didn't have a band, you just want to hook the band around a fixed object to pull a door knob and make sure it's something that's not going to move when you use the band. Cause that could be a little bit distracting and possibly bad for you. So the quality of movement you're looking for is smooth and fluid through all the exercises. This is going to be related to the spine and the whole body. So we're going to start with their legs, a little bit dent. And the first thing we're going to do is shrug the shoulders shrugs.

So as you inhale, pull the shoulders back slightly up, down and forward, and just connect to your breath to the movement. And I have to be a little less powerful cause I noticed them dragging that ring over here. And one more. Now we're gonna take that right into a squat. So first just retract a little bit and then slowly with your feet a little wider, sit into a chair and then from your low glutes, squeeze back up and release the arms and again retract and sit. Exhale up and just stay aware of your leg alignment, knees tracking right over the middle of your feet. The movement is fluid.

Think strong on the way down. Light on the way up. One more. From there we're going to take it into straight arm pulls with leg bending. So think of reaching straight down as you hinge from your hips and stay aware of your head tail lines. You're hinting at the hips, knees and ankles, and you're feeling your side body, your lats, back of your arms, strong legs. Two more beautiful ladies. One more.

And that from there you're going to pull your left arm back and rotate side bend slightly to the left. As you do that, and then to the right feel there's a slight side, but it's really small. It's more of a rotation. That's it. So you noticed when you side bend slightly, you feel your obliques a little more. And again, one more [inaudible]. Now this time as you pull with your left, take your left foot forward onto the heel and side bend that's back to center. That adds a little balanced challenge and a little more [inaudible] and again and again, and pull one more each side. Last one.

Now this time we're going to go into an arch curl. So as you bend the knees, send the tail slightly back, pull the elbows in and lift and open the top of your chest on a slow exhale curl and around the spine. As you release the tension. Inhale, pull, lift, and arch. Exhale, the curl. Really great for that middle, upper back, strength and posture. Inhale out. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale, curl. Two more. Exhale curl. One more.

Exhale curl. Now lengthen up. Now we're going to take it into a lunch. We'll do two on each side, front, diagonal, one side, diagonal, the other side. So as you pull in to slowly step back with your right leg and go straight down with that back knee. Then come right back up to the start and pull in step back, opposite side. And as you come up just to let go. So you come out of tension, pull in lunch and up.

Pull and lunch. Now just do a very small 45 degree. Turn to your left. Now your goal when you do this is to keep your body square. So that's your body's going to want to twist. So pull in, step back with your leg that's close to the band, into a lunge. Squeeze back up. Release the tension. Pull in, step back with the outside leg up in n release.

So they were talking, pull in, step back with the inside leg and up. And now pull in and outside leg and up. Now we'll rotate to the second side and now pull in again. Now step back with the inside leg. Very different one side of the others and then full step back with the outside leg. I shouldn't talk to distract. This is enough. Pull step inside.

Pull outside and in. Very nice. Now come back to square and we're going to do pulses. We'll do four in each position. Two knees are a little bent and see if you can avoid arching in the lower back and sit the arm bones back and three and nine you're going to pulse for four and pulse. One, two, three, four. Now left arm up right arm down 10 and four one, two, three, four. Now back to three and nine. One, two, three, four. Now opposite side one, two, three, four, back to three and nine. One, two, three, four. Now from here your left arm goes straight up.

Look towards it as your legs lengthen. Now take it behind your head as you bend the knees and look back. Take it back up. As you lengthen the legs, rotate center, reach up, look towards the hand as it goes behind you. Bending the knees as it lowers. Lengthen up and center. And again, lift, rotate, reach, lift and center. Lift, rotate, reach, lift center, one more each side and reach.

Lift Center. One more lift set. And now we do the whole thing. One more round. And if you only have time for that, that's good. But if you've got time, we'll go another round. So first thing, knees bent. Take the shoulders up, back and down. Just fill a nice fluid quality of the movement of your shoulder blades and see if you can keep your neck easeful like you're milking those upper back muscles. One more. And now pull in feed a little wider and sit a little deeper into your squat this time. And then squeeze up as you release. And again, dry in and sit.

Trying to keep my pelvic floor in the middle and fall and up. And two more exhale out of the bottom. One more. Bring the feet a little closer. Parallel. Now straight arm pulls as you squat slightly in Hindu change. Inhale up, exhale the pool, fill that head tail relationships. You get a nice line from your head to your tail. And again, one more.

And now his knees, a little bent. Pull with your left. Pull back through the elbow and side bend. Slightly. Inhale, center. Exhale the pool in health center, Cell Pool Center, XL. Pool. This time as you go, left, left foot, forward center, right there you go. And again, and right and left and right, one more each side last time. Now from there we're going to go into organizing our pelvis and do a little arch curl. So as you pull in, tailback, lift and open the top of your chest.

Retract your blades, exhale the curl the whole spine as you release again. Inhale, lift and open. Exhale, curl. Three more. Inhale, lift and open. Go Up. Exhale. Inhale, lift, and open. Exhale, curl one more, and curl. Now lengthen up. We're going to go into lunges against. As you pull in, slowly step back with your right leg and go straight down this time. See if you can feel your glute on the back leg is staying active all the way through the lower ring it.

Inhale down. Exhale out of the bottom. One more. Now it diagonal. Turn to your left. We're going to start with your left. Your inside leg pulling back. So first pull in, step back with your inside leg. Squeeze back up. Release the tension. Pull in, step back with your outside leg. Release the tension. One more each side and outside and rotate to your right.

Nice work. And again, now pull in, step back with your inside leg and up. Pull back, step back with your outside leg. Nice and smooth. Just keep the quality nice and fluid. One more and back to square. And now we're going to go into our impulses. Elbows, a little bent. Shoulders set in the joint at three and nine. Pulse, one, two, three, four. Now left up right down. Pulse, one, two, three, four, back to three and nine. One, two, three, four, right up, left down one, two, three, four, back to three and nine. One, two, three, four. And as you lower the arms, take your left arm up as your arm goes up, lengthen the legs and reach back behind the head. Looking towards the hand, bending the knees. Now go up as the arm goes up, back to center, up with the right, rotate in, reach up and center up and rotate and reach. Lift and center up and reach up and center.

One more each side and reach up and center. Last time up in center. Now we're going to change positions. So we're going to walk this way. Going a little walk around the room. And what we're going to do now instead of facing into the ring, we're going to face away from the ring. So now you get to work your body from this direction against the pole. And the first thing you're going to want to do is put your head, hold the band with your first finger and thumb and held it like you're about to do a pushup. So hands are at about armpit level.

Feet are about six inches apart. And then you need slightly, that's in step a little closer to the ring. You guys soon. Don't get ejected. Here we go. That's it. Now from here with legs bent on the exhale, just slowly pressed the arms and legs straight. Pressing your arms to mid chest level in health to bend. Exhale, straighten. Take it that slow. Inhale to bend. Exhale, straighten. Inhale to bend. Exhale, straighten. One more. Exhale the straighten.

Now we inhaled the band. This time as you press, press your hands to eye-level. Inhale to bed. Make sure it's not too high in to ven. Exhale the press now as you're pressing. Keep the top of the chest open and be careful to keep your lower back long and again, two more. One more. Now back to the first position. Legs bent this time as you pressed the mid chest level, round the head and tail forward and pull the waistline back.

As you bend the elbows, lift and open the chest into slight extension. Exhale the curl. Inhale, bend and lift. Exhale, curl. Inhale, bend and lift. One more time. Exhale, curl. Inhale, bend. [inaudible]. Now we're going to go into a single arm punch to start your legs.

A little bent on the exhale as you slowly lengthen. The legs, press your left arm towards the mid line at about the bottom of your breastbone. Inhale, bend as you come. Return. Exhale, right. Inhale Center excesses. A little bit of a rotation so you feel from the back, the front muscles under your scapula into your waist. And again. Now this time as you can rest your left arm forward, tap your right toe forward and hold for a moment and feel that fill your waistline's, pulling back as you press into the band. Inhale, back to center now, right arm forward, left toe touch. Inhale, center. Exhale, turn and touch. Inhale, center.

Turn in touch and again, press center. Press Center per us center. Press Center. One more each side. Press Center. Prs Center. Now from here we're going to do pulses to direction. So take your arms out to three and nine. Bend the knees slightly.

Set the shoulders low. Now we're going to do four pulses at three and nine. Ready? Pulse, one, two, three, four. Now left arm up, right. I'm down in pulse. One, two, three, four, back to three and nine. One, two, three, four, opposite side, one, two, three, four. Back to three and nine. One, two, three, four and a step back. Just a little bit close to the ring and puts your elbows on against the band with your arms bent at a right angle. And then with your feet close together, we're going to do a little peck press with a small lunge. So have your arms in external rotation, meaning that your elbows are under your hands and on the exhale as you step forward slowly with your left leg, press your elbows forward just a little bit.

Inhale the step back to the beginning XL right side. Inhale Center. Feel that back to front. Wrap from your back to your chest muscles. Inhale, center. Exhale, press. Inhale Center. Exhale, press now, center, XL, prs. And again, exhale, press one more each side, everybody last one, very nice. Now from there, take the band to overhead, holding it with your hands and your elbows would be a little bent.

This is an ab pulse, so bend the elbow slightly and set the shoulders low in the low away from your ears and bend your knees slightly. Now. Imagine as you pull the band forward from that connection from your underarms pulse, the tail forward in the waistline, backs on the XL pulse. Inhale to return and pulse. Inhale, return and pulse. She had the lower back lengthening as you pulse center. Pulse for more, and again, two more.

One more. Release the arms down to your side. Now from here with your legs a little bent, we're going to go through internal and external rotation of your shoulders with flexion and extension of the spine. So slowly roll the shoulders in. The palms will face in towards the body as you curl the spine and relax your shoulder girdle. As you lengthen the legs externally, rotate the shoulders, pull the blade slightly in and open and list the top of your chest. Exhale to curl, bending. Inhale, lengthen and open.

Exhale the curl. Inhale, lengthen and open. Three more. Inhale, lengthen and open to more. Lengthen and open. One more length. Lengthen an open step a little further away from the ring. Soften your knees and from your hip joints hinge forward.

Now this is be a little shoulder release. As you inhale, shrug your shoulders towards your ears, towards the back and towards your waist fluid. Circle three more. Two more. One more. Now this time is the length and down. Leave them down in hinge a little lower. Just nod your head yes a few times. Rotate it. No. Take a nice fluid breath on the exhale.

Feel your sit bones get heavy and slowly rule up through the spine. Ah, and that's the finish for the ring. Now from there we're going to go to another set without the ring where we put it on our foot. So now we're going to take the bands and you use it in a standing series where you put the band on your foot. And just a little sidebar on that. So these bands are 10 to 11 feet long and these are Franklin bands that you could order.

If you want to get this specific band@acompanycalledoptp.com. And they have a whole series of Franklin information and material in the blue band is stronger. They also have a a green lighter band if you'd like to have one or the other. So the circle, the ring you want, it's about the size of your head, like the circumference of your head. And then you'll tie a knot. Now you want to make sure that you don't put the knot on the bottom of your foot because then it won't feel good.

So we're going to put it on you on your left foot or your right foot, and then have the band on the bottom. Now double it to wrap it around the foot again so it snug, and then come to standing when you're ready. And I take the other end of the band and lie it across the floor from the inside to the outside. So it goes like this. You just gotta go, but bomb now from there. So you might want to go take it from your band side and then drag it across. There you go. It's banned macrame. That's it. Now from there, you're going to stand on that and then have your feet about shoulder width apart in a little bit of turnout. That's it.

And then take the band and put it across your palms at shoulder level. Now just tone the back of your legs as you stand straight and bring your head right up over your spine and set the shoulders back and down. And as you inhale, do a small squat and the x. As you reach into the ground, reach into the band in health, the bend. Exhale and notice that you're going down to go up. So as you go down into the floor, the shoulders melt down so the neck can stay long. Now press back a little bit and bended behind your head and press and again and press two more and one this time. Press and hold. Now stand into the band and reach into the ground and slowly turn the body nice and smooth side to side and feel like you're turning more from the belly button up instead of from the hips down.

That's it. I smooth breathing. Now from here, setting the shoulders down, lift the breastbone and extend and look up back to neutral, and then just do a very small flection and then come back up and extend back to neutral and small selection than back to neutral and bend. Now unhook it off the foot that it's not wrapped around and we're going to take it into a side bend. So take it across the palm on from the outside to the inside on the side that you're standing, that it's wrapped around your foot, just that shoulder level. Now, now bend the knees.

Now press up and side bend as you pull on the downside arm. Inhale up and then exhale up and over. Inhale, exhale up and over. Three more times, nice and smooth. Feel the strength of your legs, your waistline, and imagine your muscles are just like the band. They're flexible and strong. One more.

Here comes an interesting moment. So you're going to take the band in the hand of the side that it's wrapped around your foot and bring your heels together. Bring your heels right together. Now rapid towards the back of that leg, around the front of your Shin, below the knee. And then all the way up to the hip on the side that it's not on your foot. She looks very official. That's in a, hold it at that hip over there and you can double it so the band won't be dragging on you.

Now we're going to do a sidestep into a PA or a squat, but the heels will stay down. So you're going to step towards the side that the band is in your hand. So you're gonna step out to your side. [inaudible] pushing into the band and come right back and step and feel how that tension activates your leg. Muscles. Head stays right over the pelvis. And now go out.

Now go up and lift the heels down and in there we go. And step, you've got to get kind of used to that, how it sits on your foot by playing with it a bit. So let's all go out together. Source, step down, up, down, and now we'll add the arm, go down, up, down, and then down, up, down. And then two more up, down, and then one more down, up, down. Now we're going to add a rotation towards the band side.

So you're going to rotate as you go down. Go Up, rotate to the other side. And then so it go down, up, down in, in one more up, down now a side bend, so side up, side in, side up, side in two more side up, side in, side up, side in a step out and hold [inaudible] as you feel like you pushing your knees back. Doing okay. I know that's, that's, that's, that's the wild card. Now, now for here, keeping your knees, they'll just pulse your heels forward. Like you're pushing your sins into the band. Want to be a cowboy. There we go. That's it. One more. Now shift towards your left or your right and then lift the heel on your left side. That's it. And feel how you're shifting, but you're keeping the pelvis level. There we go. One more. Each side.

That's it. Back to the, so now we have our speed skating moment. So you're gonna Skate forward three steps and now skate back three steps. And forward to know what you're in for today. Did you? And then skate back. Awesome. So now we have a little bit of a band change.

So see how the band on your right leg is a little below the knee. So you're going to take it just that one side and take it above your knee all the way up to your hip. That's the only change. Just like that. Perfecto. [inaudible] now from there, take your right foot forward under the ball of your foot. There you go. Now get nice and tall. Now with the toes, flick the floor away. That's it. And now to the side. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now to the back.

Throw the sand away. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now we're going to do toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, heel. Four more. One, two, three, four. Now side. So heel, toe, heel, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel. Three more. One, two, three. Now to the back. One, two, three. Nice and tall. Four, five, six, seven, eight. Now switching legs. Stand on that leg. Now press the other leg into the dance where you want it below your knee on the other side. Now just press the knee forward in parallel into the band like a knee fold. Stay up on your standing leg. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now turnout, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now parallel out. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now turn out back. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now parallel back. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now going back to your first leg.

Now you're going to swing the leg in points. We'll do front, side, and backs. You're just going to go one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now turn out one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, a to the back. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Standing on that leg. Now swing your left leg forward and touch the ball, the foot to the floor. Bring your right arm forward and imagine your right shoulder blade is dropping. Your right, your left sit bone is dropping.

As you swing the leg in a semicircle to the back, open the arm to the side, and then front. Now if you feel like you can take it further, you can keep the foot in the air head right up over the spine. Nice and fluid. Four more. One more and down side too. Hmm, let's switch feet.

So you'll put the, make sure the knots not on the bottom and then double it around the foot so it's snug. And then the first thing we'll do is we'll stand now, take the foot and direct the band and drag it from the standing foot across the midline so you can stand on the other end. Then have your feet about shoulder with small turnout and bring the band across your palms for the overhead press again. There you go. That's the most treacherous thing. That'll happen. It's all good. And now, now set your shoulders low on this, this round. Even think of keeping your center of gravity even a little lower.

So when the arms go up, you can keep your neck and tops of your shoulders relatively soft. So just feel your alignment. And just slowly descend into a squat as the legs lengthen. Lengthen the arm and bend three more and two and one. Now we'll go behind the head bend. Straighten. Breathing is fluid. Two more and one this time. Stay long and go into rotation.

Okay. Feel that you're turning from your rib cage and your waistline. Okay, one more. Each way has you come to the center lower. Take it out from under your foot. Take it across the hand from the outside to the inside on the strap side foot and just start like you're basically in the way you positioned with when you were going to do the press, but it's not under your foot anymore. Now, then the knees now slowly lengthen and side. Then inhale up and bend. Exhale up and over. Ice and fluid breathing all the way through. Going down to go up two more and one very nice.

Now take the band in the same side as the foot that it's on that side and bring your heels together. Now wrapping it around the back of your calf on that side. Rapid across the front of your shins. Both shins below the knee. Then take it up to the hip on the side that the f the straps not on your foot. There you go. So you're wrapping it around basically twice.

Perfecto. Then you might want to double your band so it doesn't get in your way of your stepping. Very nice. Now from here, we're going to step out to your right on the side that you're holding the bands to step out and as you play a push out into the bands to the knees can track right over your feet and then back to center. Now this time, feel the strength down the spring coming back. That's it. So you're cultivating a sense of fluidity and spring. Easy breathing, nice attitude.

It's all good. And now we're going to take it into a going down, going up, going down, and in, down, up, down. I kind of mess up your arm movement here. I kind of play with it a little bit and again, and up and in, one more down, and then they'll go into rotation towards the holding band up. Now see if when you rotate that you don't want to rotate your knees, your hips, think it's just your torso. Then you squeeze up side so they get the weight is centered on your feet.

One more in rotation and now a side bend side in side up, side in, two more side up, side in side up side. And now step out and now we're going to pull us into the band. That's it. And feel how you're pressing out into the band. So you feeling the back of your hips and your inner thighs.

One more. Now post to your right, left leg lengthens. Center left. There we go. Little moment but on some Barry white. We're good fun. Where are you side now it's our speed skating moment.

The Olympics are coming. So you're going to sidestep forward and back and one more set forward and back. Back to the center. Now just remember now with on your left leg, you just going to take the band above your knee so it comes up towards your hip. That's basically the only change. Now from there, take your left foot forward onto the ball of your foot. You're going to do toe flicks, but stay nice and tall and just flick the floor away. Five, six, seven, eight and out of the side. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight to the back. Throw the sand away.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. We do toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel side, two, three, four, six, seven, nine, 10, 12, two more. One, two to the back. So heel, so heel, heel, heel. So three more. One, two, three. Now switching legs. Stand on your left leg and like a knee. Fold a parallel knee fold. Press your right knee into the band. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Turn out front. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Parallel out. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Turn out back. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Parallel back for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Switching legs. Stand on your right now. Point and lift your left. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight to the side. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight to the back.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Switching legs. Swing your right foot forward. Touch the ball, the foot to the floor. Bring your left arm forward. Now feel like your left shoulder blade is heavy and you're right. Sit Bone. Now. Sweep the leg out to your right as you open the arm to the left and forward again. You can touch the floor each time or you can keep it in the air.

Nice and fluid. Stay in the center for more. Re One more and release. Take the band off for a second and jump in. Feel your legs and there we have it. Thank you for joining us to help you enjoy. See you next time. I applied his anytime.

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Comments

I can't wait to take this class! I have that exact super long Franklin band! Excited to use it again!!
Yep. I knew I'd love this class! My legs were shaking and I worked up a sweat. Thank you for another great class Tom. Loved working with this band in such creative ways:)
Wow very creative and interesting class. Thank you for inspiring me.
An amazing creative class, felt like quite a tough but fun workout. Thank you again and again Tom.
Very inspiring and creative class. Loved it. Thank you
1 person likes this.
Tom, this was a great and fun workout! did it to my class last Friday and they loved it!
Thank you :)
How long are your bands?
Hi Antoinette, In the class the bands are 11 feet long. They're Franklin Method Bands and you can get them at OPTP.com in the Franklin Method section. You can also use shorter bands, the longer bands give you more room. Enjoy!
Just did this class again! Love using the Franklin Band:)

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