By this point, I had already deemed the situation a total loss with no chance of postponement. But when faced with the two options of losing a pricey pilates class or braving the stomach pains, I naturally took to the latter and geared up accordingly. After discussions with the owner, however, it was agreed that both members of the 2:1 package would attend the session, with me "taking it easy".
A round of errands were performed, constituting a "primer activity" before our commute towards North York. Four McDonald's were investigated for the availability of Yu-Gi-Oh x Hello Kitty and Friends Happy Meal toys. Exodia Pompompurin and Dark Magician Hello Kitty were spotted, but Cinnamoroll was still nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, I also made an unexpected appearance at the household of my browsing partner, enlisting assistance for the transport of rice from T&T into my kitchen.
The warm-up involved standing behind the Chair, placing both hands of the pedals, and rolling down to press the pedals towards the ground. With only one red spring affixed to the apparatus, the starting tension was most definitely lighter than Jin, which made the exercise easier. I often anticipate the exercises to grow more challenging while progressing through the reps, thus sometimes err on the side of caution. The difference of Min vs. Jin is often next-day soreness vs. on-site burn respectively.
Stepping both feet onto the pedals, we then transitioned into calves raises and drops. Next, the feet would be staggered and placed perpendicular along the width of the pedals. With one hand on the support bar and the other arm extended outwards, lateral bends would be executed as to engage the obliques and side body. This would then transition to side leg lifts while maintaining one hand on the support bar and one foot on the pedal.
Turning to face the platform, we were instructed to grip both support bars and extend the arms. Keeping the arms straight and arches of the feet firmly planted on the pedals, the body would hinge backwards into a squat. As opposed to keeping the back entirely straight, we were advised to sink into the squat with a "poster tilt" of the pelvis. This equated to a moderately rounded C-curve, an uncommon alignment for conducting squats. The exercise wasn't incredibly difficult, but likely served to activate the hamstrings. With fingers wrapped about the support handles, it was far easier to reach a 90-degree seated position in mid-air than with traditional squats.
Addition of a green resistance band would elevate the exercise fantastically and contribute manageable levels of upper body work. The band would be sandwiched between the bottom of feet and the pedals of the Chair; both ends would be kept stable by keeping the resistance band taut and shoulders down.
- The first round involved keeping the arms raised to shoulder height and maintaining said height while pressing the feet down and out, and finally retracing its path back.
- The second round involved performing same set of exercises, but with the arms extending up and over the head as the feet pressed down against the pedals.
Despite the seemingly simple movement, it was no easy feat to keep spine tall, shoulders down, and core engaged ("scoop the belly!") throughout. All in all, I found immense joy in this low-impact exercise - and had unknowingly prepared for it in my earlier workout of the week.