Pilates isn’t about performing “party tricks”… but if there ever was one, the magic of a Pull Up on the Wunda Chair is quite the show-stopper. It frequently surfaces in the final portion of a session, for myriads of reasons: it’s quick to set up, it’s a phenomenal showcase of strength and control, and incredibly uplifting (pun 100% intended). Walk past the Wunda Chair with a couple of minutes left on your session and chances are your teacher will at least be tempted to throw this one in.
The Pull Up in a few simple steps:
Divide your weight evenly between hands and feet.
Unweight the pedal by curling the ends of your spine towards each other.
Keep going.
KEEP GOING, even as you descend.
“Simple”, we said. Not “easy”.
The Wunda Chair, “the silent artist”, has its built-in quirks. For one, it’s not readily modifiable beyond the spring resistance, which means that there is only so much to adjust to make this controlled catapult work—it’s really up to the moving body to find that ever-elusive (yet ever-essential) “in & up”. But the good news is that most of the magic happens in the initial unweighting of the pedal. Lift it by a hair in the proper setup and with control, and you’ve accomplished the exercise; then you have a lifetime to get it to “party trick” level, but remember: Pilates isn’t about performing “party tricks” 😉
Let’s take this month and dedicate ourselves to this movement from the why to the how. If you’re on Instagram and want to share your #pullup with us, please tag us! Post a picture of your practice, ask a question, contribute answers, and share your top cues and tips.