Jump for Joy: Cardio and Fun on the Pilates Jump Board
The Pilates Jump Board is playful and energizing, and it’s where we really double down on cardio, combining everything we practice on the Pilates Reformer with some airtime.
Classical Pilates builds strength, control, and flexibility. On the Pilates Jump Board, we add a real cardio challenge. Pilates Jump Board work is mostly done in short bursts. A few minutes is plenty because it’s intense: the heart rate climbs quickly, and the breath has to keep up. That makes it a natural fit for interval-style training. Research on high-intensity interval training shows that even short, repeated bursts of effort improve VO2 max, a key measure of cardiovascular fitness.
The Relationship Between the Jump Board and the Classical Pilates Method
Throughout Pilates Jump Board repertoire, we’re lying down and supported, jumping horizontally against the springs, so we get that moment of intense cardio work while ensuring proper alignment. While the spring setting is typically two, one spring may be used to support clients who are rehabilitating from a knee or foot injury, or who are older and are working to build up their strength. A prime example of how the Classical Pilates system is built to meet the body.
Finding Flow in Pilates Jump Board Repertoire
What makes the Pilates Jump Board truly Classical is that we bring every principle from the original method with us:
- From Footwork: the alignment of the legs, the articulation of the feet through toes, ball and heel, and positions like Pilates stance and parallel.
- From the Hundred: steady breath and a strong powerhouse that keeps the torso still while the body works hard.
- From Leg Springs: the long reach of the legs and the connection to the inner thighs.
The Pilates Jump Board doesn’t replace these lessons. It tests them at speed.
Incorporating the Jump Board into Client Work
I teach Classical Pilates at Cottage Lake Pilates in Woodinville, Washington, a Gratz-equipped studio. I will introduce the Pilates Jump Board at the end of the session so we finish on a high note. It’s guaranteed to leave them talking about it for weeks to come. I use it sparingly so it stays a special treat.
The Three Exercises I Teach My Clients:
Clients tell me the Pilates Jump Board is fun and energizing. As adults, we age and don’t get to experience the thrill of jumping as much as we did when we were kids. The Jump Board brings that feeling back again that starts from the grounding into the plush of the board to launching from the toes of your feet, feeling your body take air, and finding the ground again as your knees bend softly to cushion your return. It’s a true run of dopamine and releases a bit of adrenaline that will have your heart pumping.
The Three Exercises I Teach My Clients
- Jumping in Pilates stance
- Jumping with the feet in third position
- Jumping jacks
Finding Your Positioning on the Jump Board
A few minutes on the Pilates Jump Board turns the Reformer into a cardio workout, with every jump drawing on the principles we already practice. Alignment from the top of the head to the ends of your toes, engagement from deep within your core reaching towards the back of your spine and pushing off the board using your sit bones and inner thighs.
Source: Wen D. et al. (2019). Effects of different protocols of high intensity interval training for VO2max improvements in adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 22(8), 941–947.
About Tal Hershko
Tal Hershko, MA, is the owner and instructor of Cottage Lake Pilates, a Classical Pilates studio in Woodinville, WA, equipped with authentic Gratz apparatus. She completed the Metropolitan Authentic Training (MAT) Pilates Program, studying with master teacher Dorothee VanDewalle in the lineage of Joseph Pilates through Romana Kryzanowska. At Cottage Lake Pilates she teaches privates, duets and small group classes, and loves helping clients find strength and ease in their bodies.
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