What do you do when your legs are too fatigued to keep suspended, but there's nowhere to rest them?
I’m new to reformer Pilates, and I’m struggling with something during feet-in-straps exercises. When I’m lying on my back with my feet in the straps (usually with three red springs as this is what the instructor always says to do), I eventually reach a point where my legs are so fatigued that I genuinely need to stop and rest, but I can’t figure out where I’m supposed to put them.
If I bring my legs up toward my head, the straps provide some support, but I still have to actively use my muscles to keep my legs suspended. I can’t just relax and let the straps hold their weight. If I try lowering my legs toward the footbar so I can rest my feet on something, I can’t actually reach it, and my legs end up getting dangerously close to the springs and spring box.
I’m essentially stuck in this weird middle ground where my legs are too exhausted to keep holding up, but there’s nowhere I can put them down to take the weight off. I start moving them around trying to find a position where I can completely relax my muscles, but nothing works, and the more tired I get, the harder it becomes to control them. I actually start to panic a little because it feels like my legs are trapped in the straps, and even taking the straps off requires more strength and coordination than I feel like I have left.
Is there a specific position you’re supposed to move your legs into when you need a break during feet-in-straps, where the springs actually support their weight? Or are you supposed to take your feet completely out of the straps every time you need to rest? Is it an issue of not having enough resistance on? For what it is worth I am very bottom heavy as an ex soccer player so my legs do weigh a lot.
Basically, am I missing something really basic about how you’re supposed to safely stop in the middle of these exercises? Thank you!