Marion Freijsen A blog about Sports, Fitness & Health

Wundachair

No, I didn’t make a spelling mistake- this piece of torture is called the Wundachair. It’s part of the standard Pilates session – and it is really quite amazing.

A simple piece of “furniture” invented by Joseph Pilates, it is a box of wood with a moving pedal on one side that resists movement based on it’s spring structure. Sounds complicated but it really isn’t when you see it. It allows you to do a myriad of exercises for your core muscles, arms and even legs in a wide variety of positions. Personally, I love the Elephant. Standing with both feet on the paddle (see picture left), you hold onto the sides of the “sitting” area, standing with your tummy tucked in and back slightly bent, arms straight. Then, simply by engaging your abdominals you allow your feet to rise up with the springs assisting the paddle to come up as you effectively lift your weight up into your stomach muscles. It sounds incredible and the first time it really is… you stand there thinking that bottom shelf will never lift up. It takes a bit of getting used to but is one of the best stomach exercises I have ever done. Over time, you can move the spring up to it’s lightest setting and I am told that people exist that can do the whole thing WITHOUT resistance … I am not one of them, I can tell you.

The wundachair is one of those pieces that I would definitely like to have as part of my “at home” workout space. It allows you to do so much with such a simple piece… no wonder it is called a Wunda-Chair…