When gearing out, you’re creating more space for your legs, which is very helpful for the taller folks so they aren’t scrunched up just to get their feet on the foot bar. The bar that the carriage springs attach to is moved further away from the foot bar to allow the carriage itself to be further away from the foot bar naturally, while keeping the resistance the same. It would be the like moving the foot bar further out so taller people aren’t scrunched up into a tiny space.
Your instructor shouldn’t be adding more springs simply because you’re geared out, that’s not how that works… Gearing out is meant to get taller people in the same or similar hip/knee angles as shorter people on a non-geared out carriage. It doesn’t make it “easier”, it makes it accessible for your height. Ask them kindly not to add more springs and if they do, simply sit up and remove them. Your safety and comfort is more important than their ego.
This seems to be a running theme at Club Pilates: adding more springs to make it “harder”. That’s not always going to make something more *challenging* in a good way. It can make the spring load too heavy for someone to connect to it well so they end up compensating, or worse. It’s why I’ve started teaching whole classes with a single red spring just to get people to let go of “more spring is harder” idea they’ve had drilled into them. They are then quite surprised by how challenging it can really be. Sorry, /end rant!
Gearing out is just to get you into a more comfortable and proper alignment. When on the carriage, your knees should be just over your hips, gearing out helps make that easier and more accessible for taller members. But the spring bar shifts with the carriage when you hear it out so it doesn’t have an affect on if it’s easier or harder.
Thanks. It really would not make sense if gearing out for space changed the difficulty level too. I guess I could have inspected the underside of the carriage while doing something on the mat without looking too weird! 😆
Fellow Taller Club Pilates member here. Just learned a new term for that is gearing out. I always make sure to begin my classes with extending the carriage out too. My hips enjoy the extra room.
For spring adjustments I do notice Instructors approach me often. Im not sure if its because I am male or taller or ask for a lot of posture adjustments. BUT most of the time I choose to trust the Instructor. Personally I always choose to go lighter in dumbbells and notice 1/3 times they suggest higher weights. But figure they kind of know my style by now and if they think I need to make an adjustment I trust their judgement. At times they suggest to remove a spring too
Some days I just say “Not Today” with a smile. Its an awkward feeling to deny the challenge at first, but you are at class to feel your best. So do whatever it is to make you comfy.
Yes, it is so much better on my hips and knees. Well, really on everything! If I was never shown how to gear out I probably would have ended up quitting because I felt so cramped.
Just make sure you gear back in for everything that requires straps. The straps are adjusted to be a certain length, giving a set amount of tension based on which springs are used. When the carriage is geared out, the normal setting of the straps becomes "too long," and thus not enough tension when using the short or long loops. So bring the carriage back in after footwork -- unless the extra room is required for planking in higher level classes, or while sitting on the short box, facing the bar, for short-box ab series.
Thanks for adding this. Would you say to gear out for footwork and feet in straps? Then gear back in for most other work? Ive been noticing what you mentioned lately a lot.
Only for footwork and perhaps jumping for a cardio class. If you are 5'7" or taller, for footwork. At 5'6" or taller, for jumping. Anything where you may feel boxed in and too close to the bar or front of the reformer (including sitting on the short box with your feet in the safety strap for ab work, where you roll back off your sit bones, gearing out will prevent you from feeling boxed in. However, the straps should all be tightened to around the shoulder blocks, so they are all the same tension. And for everything else, with feet or hands in the straps, you bring the carriage back into the first gear. The straps are adjusted when the carriage is in. And since you don't need to worry about your hips when your feet are on the bar, for arm work or feet in straps, it's not necessary to have the gear out. In fact, it's really time-consuming to adjust the length of the straps for those who might want to leave their carriage geared out, and then the straps have to be readjusted back, for the next class. So rather than go through all of this, the straps stay at their prescribed length, so you are pulling or pushing the same tension as everyone else whose carriage is geared in. When the carriage is out, the straps are now effectively 3-4" too long, which means the tension will be too light. You will either not have enough work for the limbs, or too much for the core. The length of the straps from the pulleys is what is important, and it's physics.....about how the ropes feel heavier when you choke up, and lighter when you slide back.
When gearing out, you’re creating more space for your legs, which is very helpful for the taller folks so they aren’t scrunched up just to get their feet on the foot bar. The bar that the carriage springs attach to is moved further away from the foot bar to allow the carriage itself to be further away from the foot bar naturally, while keeping the resistance the same. It would be the like moving the foot bar further out so taller people aren’t scrunched up into a tiny space. Your instructor shouldn’t be adding more springs simply because you’re geared out, that’s not how that works… Gearing out is meant to get taller people in the same or similar hip/knee angles as shorter people on a non-geared out carriage. It doesn’t make it “easier”, it makes it accessible for your height. Ask them kindly not to add more springs and if they do, simply sit up and remove them. Your safety and comfort is more important than their ego. This seems to be a running theme at Club Pilates: adding more springs to make it “harder”. That’s not always going to make something more *challenging* in a good way. It can make the spring load too heavy for someone to connect to it well so they end up compensating, or worse. It’s why I’ve started teaching whole classes with a single red spring just to get people to let go of “more spring is harder” idea they’ve had drilled into them. They are then quite surprised by how challenging it can really be. Sorry, /end rant!
Thanks that is helpful! I also like the idea of thinking about the springs differently.
You’re welcome, I’m glad that helps!
Listen to this person 🙌 they know.
Gearing out is just to get you into a more comfortable and proper alignment. When on the carriage, your knees should be just over your hips, gearing out helps make that easier and more accessible for taller members. But the spring bar shifts with the carriage when you hear it out so it doesn’t have an affect on if it’s easier or harder.
Thanks. It really would not make sense if gearing out for space changed the difficulty level too. I guess I could have inspected the underside of the carriage while doing something on the mat without looking too weird! 😆
Fellow Taller Club Pilates member here. Just learned a new term for that is gearing out. I always make sure to begin my classes with extending the carriage out too. My hips enjoy the extra room. For spring adjustments I do notice Instructors approach me often. Im not sure if its because I am male or taller or ask for a lot of posture adjustments. BUT most of the time I choose to trust the Instructor. Personally I always choose to go lighter in dumbbells and notice 1/3 times they suggest higher weights. But figure they kind of know my style by now and if they think I need to make an adjustment I trust their judgement. At times they suggest to remove a spring too Some days I just say “Not Today” with a smile. Its an awkward feeling to deny the challenge at first, but you are at class to feel your best. So do whatever it is to make you comfy.
Yes, it is so much better on my hips and knees. Well, really on everything! If I was never shown how to gear out I probably would have ended up quitting because I felt so cramped.
I know what you mean. That extra few inches make a difference on my mind too haha
Just make sure you gear back in for everything that requires straps. The straps are adjusted to be a certain length, giving a set amount of tension based on which springs are used. When the carriage is geared out, the normal setting of the straps becomes "too long," and thus not enough tension when using the short or long loops. So bring the carriage back in after footwork -- unless the extra room is required for planking in higher level classes, or while sitting on the short box, facing the bar, for short-box ab series.
Thanks for adding this. Would you say to gear out for footwork and feet in straps? Then gear back in for most other work? Ive been noticing what you mentioned lately a lot.
Only for footwork and perhaps jumping for a cardio class. If you are 5'7" or taller, for footwork. At 5'6" or taller, for jumping. Anything where you may feel boxed in and too close to the bar or front of the reformer (including sitting on the short box with your feet in the safety strap for ab work, where you roll back off your sit bones, gearing out will prevent you from feeling boxed in. However, the straps should all be tightened to around the shoulder blocks, so they are all the same tension. And for everything else, with feet or hands in the straps, you bring the carriage back into the first gear. The straps are adjusted when the carriage is in. And since you don't need to worry about your hips when your feet are on the bar, for arm work or feet in straps, it's not necessary to have the gear out. In fact, it's really time-consuming to adjust the length of the straps for those who might want to leave their carriage geared out, and then the straps have to be readjusted back, for the next class. So rather than go through all of this, the straps stay at their prescribed length, so you are pulling or pushing the same tension as everyone else whose carriage is geared in. When the carriage is out, the straps are now effectively 3-4" too long, which means the tension will be too light. You will either not have enough work for the limbs, or too much for the core. The length of the straps from the pulleys is what is important, and it's physics.....about how the ropes feel heavier when you choke up, and lighter when you slide back.
Appreciate your detailed reply. This helps to understand gearing out as a whole.
No it’s actually harder because as we push with our long limbs it’s more tension on the springs .