5 Uses of the Stall Bar – Liz Zaharis

If you’ve made your way around the studio in recent months you’ll notice a new and very exciting addition, a stall bar. This structure resembles a wide ladder and offers bars at various heights used for countless strength and flexibility exercises within moderation. Remember – never push your body into a stretch its resisting!

Here are just 5 basic moves you can try when you have some time before and/or after your next class!

1) Simply hanging from the bar is great for the SPINE. It relieves any tightness in the lower back– before and after a work out. Immediately, you’ll feel your spine lengthen and you’ll walk away feeling taller.

2) For ADOMINAL work you can hang on the bar, facing out, and lift your legs so they’re parallel to the floor. Holds or leg lifts will definitely give your core a serious work out.

3) QUADRICEP & HIP FLEXOR exercises can be done quite a few ways but here’s one where you stand facing out, bend the knee and place the top of the foot on the bar where you can press inward to deepen into the stretch.

4) To focus on HAMSTRING flexibility try single leg stretches at different bar heights or maybe splits. The bar gives you control so work toward squaring shoulders and hips, using the bars for leg placement and pull yourself in to intensify the stretch.

5) Open the HIPS. Just like a figure 4 stretch done on the floor, the same can be done at the stall bar. Again, using the bar to actively pull your chest forward and control the intensity of the stretch.