Pilates
Reformer Long Spine Massage
Reformer Long Spine Massage is an advanced Pilates exercise that lifts your hips into a shoulder-supported inversion with your feet in straps. It trains abdominal control and smooth, controlled movement through your spine.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Advanced
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Lie on your back with your shoulders against the shoulder rests, arms beside you.
- Place your feet in the straps with your legs together, extended diagonally above the carriage.
- Raise your legs toward vertical over your hips.
- Roll your pelvis off the carriage onto your upper back, reaching your feet toward the ceiling.
- Separate your legs to hip-width.
- Roll your spine back onto the carriage gradually, from your upper back to your pelvis.
- Lower your straight legs to the starting diagonal.
- Bring your legs together to finish the repetition.
Form cues
- Keep equal tension in both straps
- Reach long through your legs
- Breathe continuously through the movement
- Keep your gaze straight up
Common mistakes
- Swinging into the liftUse a smaller lift that you can initiate without throwing your legs toward your face.
- Dropping the pelvisSlow the descent so your spine settles progressively rather than landing as one rigid block.
- Arching as the legs lowerEnd the leg-lowering phase before your ribs flare or your lower back arches farther from the carriage.
Safety
Rolling too far onto your neck can place excessive pressure on the cervical spine. Losing strap tension or carriage control during the inversion can cause an abrupt, uncontrolled descent.
- Set the headrest completely flat before starting.
- Have a qualified Pilates instructor select the spring resistance and supervise while you learn the exercise.
- Check that both foot straps are secure and the ropes are evenly adjusted before lifting.
- Support your weight across your shoulders and upper back, not your neck; end the set if you cannot maintain that support.
If you have neck or back problems, osteoporosis, or medical restrictions on inversions, consult a physiotherapist or doctor before attempting this exercise.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Pilates Reformer
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 1–2
- Target
- 3–5 reps
- Rest
- 1 min
Use a small number of precise repetitions rather than continuing into fatigue.