Out & About #734 | Sum Pilates Session #6 Recap

​Congestion on the 401 hasn't stopped a day since the province's entry into Step 3. And allow me to clarify: I wholly encourage and support economic recovery and a gradual return to normal life, however rarely can one bring oneself to declare affection for grueling travel times.
I tend to drive less during the week, and shorter distances at that, leaving weekends as my only period of escape. In preparation for this week's session at Sum, I took to Google Maps. The route was far darker red than I would have liked, leading to an early departure and avoidance of the 401 as much as possible.

The alternate route took me to Hwy 7, where I would traverse nearly 15 km before two ladies would pull up next to me and honk for my attention. I peered over at the duo, both unmasked and one with hands occupied by a McFlurry. "You got a flat tire!" the driver called out to me. "The back one."
I cast a quick glance towards the back, but proceeded to my destination without stopping. At the nearby Starbucks, I was able to confirm the status of the tire, which was, indeed, as severe as the ladies had implied. Tire treatment was temporarily put on hold, as it was nearing my appointment time.

We commenced on the Reformer instead of the Cadillac, with the box attachment positioned on top of the Carriage. Warmup duration was brief in the form of breathing and awakening of the upper back. I was then eased into a variety of core-building activities. Keywords such as "tabletop" and "imprint" were instantly translated to engaging certain muscles, while descriptive instructions assisted when imagery was vague: "straight back, as if you're growing taller".
The most notable progression was conducting a rollup without the tension "pull-through" bar. The range of motion was now far greater, indicative of greater control required. Legs were bent over the box rather than kept straight in the starting position on the Cadillac. The arms remained outstretched in front of the body, palms placed at either end of the fitness hoop. I would then slowly lean back towards my tipping point, first by tilting the pelvis, then stacking the spine.

​Another variation of core engagement was the straight-leg roll-up. The first version involved threading one foot through the fitness hoop in tabletop position and securing the other foot underneath a support strap. I would then roll back slowly while straightening the leg. Instead of halting at the tipping point though, I was instructed to continue bending back, relaxing the head and shoulders at the other end of the Reformer box. Curling back to the starting position on the basis of pure core strength was a challenging task, but it offered a grand sense of accomplishment and fabulous stretch to the hamstring and spine.
A second version eliminated the hoop and involved three introductory rounds of bending and straightening the lifted leg. Both hands would start grasping the ankle lightly, then travel down the leg to the thigh while rolling down. The process would reset once the head and shoulders were relaxed, then summon core strength ("bringing the ribs together") to return to the seated position. This exercise was one of my favourites from the session, given its attention to flexibility, mobility, and stability.

​The next series of exercises involved lying on the side. The upper leg would be lifted at hip height, lower leg bent and slightly forward, upper arm outstretched at a right angle, and lower arm bent to support the head. Tension band in hand, the aim was to bring the upper arm as close as possible while striving to maintain stillness in the trunk. With pains emerging from the previous day's Pump It Up! and bowling activities, tremours only prevailed with additional reps.

Navigating to the Cadillac, I was guided through a series of tension bar-assisted squats. Beyond engaging the thighs and upper body, the core would also be engaged when returning to standing position. Next up were squatting torso twists: The tension bar was pushed down while descending into a ninety-degree formation with the knees. Both hands would then shift towards one end of the bar, where one arm would be lifted to lead rotation to the back. The same would be repeated on the other arm. Likely the most challenging portion of this move was not the rotation, but the force required to keep the tension bar in place.

​Hip squats and a tension bar-imposed leg lift were then discussed. Due to general weakness in the upper body, I was unable to hold the tension bar stationary. Consequently, we maneuvered back to the Reformer, where I would execute wide straight leg raises for the core and side/lower glute muscles. More core work, in the form of tension band-attached knee-ins were attempted with tremendous effort. I was quick to admit difficulty in the move, but rapidly followed up with a desire to build and succeed.
I did not use the Barrel on this occasion, however a handful of kneeling side bends were included in the routine. 

​As with previous sessions, we concluded with stretching, namely careful control of the spine and twisting stretches for the upper back and scapula. A few more words were exchanged following the class, for my instructor would be departing for other opportunities in the coming month. There was promise of meeting again, though perhaps - as she suggested - in a group class setting, since I "now have the fundamentals".

I thanked her again, then proceeded to tackle the fearful task at hand: my Flat Tire.

A friend that I had hurriedly phoned had arrived for assistance. As a resident of the nearby area, he brushed off any effort involved to undertake the drive. Unfortunately, it was determined that neither he was familiar with the tire change process. Gratitude for his moral support was expressed. I then turned to CAA for help.
By this point, the skies had evolved a grim grey, droplets pouring down on me. Following roughly forty minutes of confusion, the spare was mounted and the flat lifted into the trunk.

I thanked the technician several times and was about to bid farewell when he informed me of the driving conditions I would be required to adhere to:
"No highway, no speeding, no going past 50 km."

​Dumbstruck, I repeated his words out loud. "No highway?! So how will I get home?"
"Local." he shrugged.
"No speeding - okay. No going past 50 km..." I trailed off, struggling to process the new information.
"No more than 50 km." He confirmed, "If you get into an accident, we will not help you."
I began to stutter, "But I live in Mississauga!" The trip would have potentially exceeded the 50 km limit, and even more so if travelled on local roads.
"You can go 50 km, or even 100 km, but if you get into an accident, we will not help you." He reiterated.
"Well then." I thought, "It's going to be a tedious ride."

​As much as I dreaded the lengthy drive, orangecane reminded me that at least I hadn't gone further. At least it wasn't Barrie. And she was right.