The Cadillac: What's Not To Love?!
There are so many reasons why we love the Cadillac! The Cadillac is a beautiful piece of equipment, but it does a whole lot more than just turning heads. The Cadillac is so versatile. You get all the springs you use on the Tower–the Leg Springs, Arm Springs, Push Through Bar, and Roll Down Bar, plus you have the addition of the Trapeze, the hanging straps and the bars of the Cadillac frame itself.
The Cadillac is a great tool for anyone practicing Pilates at any level. You can use it for extra assistance and support or for adding that extra bit of challenge that can take your Pilates practice to new heights.
The Cadillac provides support. It can help you work up to doing exercises that might be too challenging elsewhere. The Mat of the Cadillac is lifted off the floor which gives you the option of doing Mat work without getting down on the ground. This is perfect for anyone with knee issues, or folks that have trouble getting on or off the floor.
When you do the Push Through exercise on the Cadillac you gain stability through your shoulders, and connection to your Powerhouse. The Push Through Bar also helps you build up to your Teaser. If you have trouble with the Teaser this is a great way to build up strength and articulation to make this challenging exercise work better for you.
The Flying Eagle is a challenging exercise that will help you get height in your Swan Dive by opening up your shoulders and chest while building strength and length through your back. This is also a good lead up to doing Breaststroke on the Reformer.
The hanging Straps don’t use any springs, but are also a versatile component of the Cadillac. If you want next level length through your spine, the Traditional Ending with Half or Full Hanging will really give you what you’re looking for. You can also do your Ballet Stretches standing on the Cadillac with one foot in the strap–when your leg is suspended from the strap instead of supported by the Barrel, you get a slightly different stretch through your hips and legs that can feel really great.
The gymnastics aspect of the Cadillac is one of a kind, and can be truly so much fun. There so much you can do with the bars that you might not think was possible, but the Cadillac will often show you that you’re even stronger and more capable than you think.
One of our accomplished Instructors Gordon is a long time fan of the Cadillac. You may have seen his own impressive acrobatic skills at the studio / Instagram, or maybe you’ve watched as he guides clients through learning how to safely practice inversions during a private session.
“It’s true that most people are capable of a lot more than they realize, and I love using the Cadillac to show clients that. At first it might be a little scary, but you can be guided through the steps and build up to truly amazing things on this piece of equipment.”
Of course it’s very important to build up to these more challenging acrobatic feats safely and under the right supervision. Breathing exercise using the Roll Down Bar and the Trapeze is a good place to start. You’ll be fully supported while finding challenge and length as you coordinate your breath with the work of your arms on the bar, lifting your hips while your feet are safely in the Trapeze.
The beloved Reformer may get the most attention, but at the end of the day if you could only have ONE piece of Pilates equipment the Cadillac should be in the running. If you aren’t familiar with it, ask your Instructor to introduce you in your next session and we know you’ll fall in love!
“I love the Cadillac because of the endless versatility. I love it for Mat work, and as a learning place for things like Teaser, but mostly for all the hip and shoulder openings and general spinal mobility and inversions!”