The Swing Method
Sarah Scribner
Is a blend of ballet, cardio, horseback riding, Pilates and yoga in a public park. Who needs a gymnasium? Benefits of this method include toned muscles thanks to tax dollars. Practitioners are utilizing government spending on parks while enjoying recreation.
New York City can truly be your gym (as promised by adverts on subway platforms) if you add this routine to your run:
Sit on the swing and engage your core. Bring your belly button to your spine. Rise from your seat to find space between vertebrae.
Hands should hold to the chains with a bend in the elbow that is similar to playing the piano or holding the reins of a horse. There should be a tension in your arms similar to what you feel while taking a Pilates reformer class.
Begin to swing and use your arms, core and legs to propel the movement as high into the air as possible. Lean back from your core as your legs propel you forward. Enjoy the warm up as the heart gets going at a cardiovascular rate.
After you find a momentum begin to do a retiré devant movement as you swing to work the inner thighs. Those who have practiced ballet will be familiar with this move as it is meant to strengthen the inner thigh as means to perform more complex dance moves (strengthening the inner thigh you will tone your abductors to look best in your genes on the dance floor).
For those not familiar read more about this movement here.
Lay in a reverse plank position using your arms to hold onto the chains while your core and legs are used to balance as you swing in a position as parallel to the ground as possible. Feel the stretch in your body as you swing at a lower rate.
At the end of the reverse plank reps come to an upright position to do a leg lift to target the lower abdominals while staying in a stationary position on the swing.
During all of the intervals continue swinging with an awareness of your breathe. Be engaged in a focused state to allow your own creativity and knowledge of resistance fitness to guide you as you use the swing as a tool to stay fit.
