MOVEMENT 8 MIN READ

Long Stretch Series and Arabesque on the Reformer: Anatomy, Mistakes, Variations and Breathing

The complete guide to the reformer Long Stretch Series and Arabesque: Long Stretch, Down Stretch, Up Stretch and Elephant, with the anatomy, the moments you should feel each one, common mistakes, a progression ladder to Arabesque and how to breathe.

Pilates practitioner performing the Long Stretch on the Elemental TerraFold reformer

The Long Stretch Series is a family of reformer exercises in which you support your own body between the footbar and the moving carriage: Long Stretch, Down Stretch, Up Stretch and Elephant, building towards Arabesque. Each one trains the same skill from a different angle: holding a strong, connected shape while the carriage moves underneath you. Done well, you feel it in the centre of the body and the back of the shoulders, not in the wrists or lower back.

Written by the Elemental Movement Lab and reviewed by Samantha Giam, certified classical Pilates instructor. Updated 1 October 2026. This guide brings together our own teaching with three leading Pilates references, listed at the end.

Before you start: safety on your reformer

On an Elemental Reformer TerraFold™, press the footbar down firmly on both sides before every exercise in this series. It has no lock and is held by its own weight, and here your hands put real body weight through it.
Your feet press against the shoulder rests, so check that the shoulder-rest bolts are tight before you begin.
Step on and off with care: hands on the footbar first, then the feet.
This is intermediate to advanced work. Learn it with an instructor before practising alone.

The series at a glance

The classical order is Long Stretch, Down Stretch, Up Stretch, Elephant, then Long Back Stretch. Some schools teach Down Stretch first. Springs vary by school and reformer, so treat the settings below as typical starting points and confirm with your instructor.

Exercise	Shape	Typical springs	Main challenge
Long Stretch	Plank, hands on the footbar, heels against the shoulder rests	Light, often one	Moving the whole body as one piece
Down Stretch	Kneeling, chest lifted into a gentle back extension	Light to medium	Opening the front of the body without pinching the lower back
Up Stretch	A high, rounded pike, heels on the shoulder rests	Medium to heavy	Holding the centre lifted between hands and feet
Elephant	Standing on the carriage, hands on the footbar, hips high	Medium to heavy	Moving the legs without the shape changing
Arabesque	Elephant on one leg, the other leg reaching back	Medium to heavy	Balance with a square pelvis

The anatomy: what is working

Exercise	Prime movers	Stabilisers
Long Stretch	Shoulder flexors and extensors: front and middle deltoids, chest, latissimus dorsi	Transversus abdominis and obliques hold the plank. Glutes and inner thighs keep the legs as one long lever.
Down Stretch	Back extensors and the back of the shoulders draw the chest forward and up	Abdominals stop the lower back over-arching. Glutes keep the hips forward.
Up Stretch	Hip flexors and lower abdominals fold the body; shoulder extensors move the carriage	Deep abdominals keep the centre lifted. Serratus anterior keeps the shoulder blades wide.
Elephant	Lower abdominals and hamstrings draw the carriage back in	Shoulders and arms hold the upper body still. Calves and hamstrings lengthen.
Arabesque	Glutes and hamstrings of the lifted leg; abdominals	The hip rotators of the standing leg keep the pelvis square.

The key moments you should really feel

Long Stretch

At the far point, with the carriage pressed away and your arms angled ahead of your shoulders, you feel the whole front of the body working at once to hold the line. On the return, the back of the arms and the lats pull you home while the centre stays perfectly still.

Down Stretch

As the carriage moves back and the chest reaches forward and up, you feel the upper back working and the front of the chest opening. The lower back should feel long, never pinched.

Up Stretch

Pressing the heels into the shoulder rests while lifting your centre towards the ceiling, you feel the deep, low abdominals working hard. This is one of the strongest abdominal moments in the reformer repertoire.

Elephant

Drawing the carriage in, you feel the lower belly lift and the hamstrings lengthen at the same time. It is a small movement with a big effort, and it should come from your centre, not from the hip flexors.

Arabesque

With one leg reaching back, you feel the glute of the lifted leg and the deep hip of the standing leg working to keep the pelvis level while the carriage glides.

How people get it wrong

Exercise	Mistake	The fix
Long Stretch	Hips sag towards the carriage or pike up	Shorten the range. The body moves as one piece, like a drawer sliding.
Long Stretch	Shoulders collapse between the arms	Push the footbar away and keep the shoulder blades wide on the back.
Down Stretch	Swinging out and letting the springs pull you back	Reach your heels into the shoulder rests and control both directions.
Down Stretch	A pinch in the lower back	Use a flatter back and draw the abdominals in. The opening belongs in the upper back.
Up Stretch	Snapping the hips down into the plank	Keep pressing the heels into the shoulder rests so the hips lower with control.
Elephant	Turning it into a downward dog driven by the hip flexors	Weight even through hands and feet. Lift your centre, then move the carriage.
Elephant	Heels lifting off the carriage	Keep the heels down and lighten the load or shorten the range.
Arabesque	Lifting the leg higher than the pelvis can hold square	Lift only as high as the hips stay level.
All	Wrists aching	Spread the weight through the whole hand, fingers and thumb together around the bar.
All	Rushing, the carriage banging home	The return should take as long as the push.

Variations: a progression ladder towards Arabesque

Move up a step only when the step before is steady and quiet.

Level	Variation	What it builds
1	Elephant, flat back	The basic two-way stretch between hands and feet
2	Elephant, round back	Deeper abdominal lift
3	Elephant, feet turned in and turned out	Hip control in different positions
4	Elephant, hold and release one hand	Asymmetrical shoulder stability
5	Elephant, hold and release one foot	Single-leg balance with the carriage still
6	Single-Leg Elephant, carriage gliding	Pelvic control while moving
7	Knee to chest, then extend back into Arabesque	Coordination through the full leg arc
8	Arabesque held while the carriage glides	The complete exercise

In the Long Stretch itself, lightening the springs makes it harder, not easier: less spring means more control is needed from your centre.

How to breathe

Schools differ, and some teachers leave breathing to the student once the movement is learned. This is the pattern we teach.

Exercise	Inhale	Exhale
Long Stretch	Press the carriage out	Draw it back in, keeping the line
Down Stretch	Press the carriage back, lengthening the spine	Return forward, lifting through the chest
Up Stretch	Lower to the plank	Lift the hips and draw the carriage home
Elephant	Press the carriage out	Lift the centre and draw it in
Arabesque	Reach the leg long	Draw the carriage in, pelvis square

Breathe wide into the back and sides of the ribs. Never hold your breath. If you cannot breathe steadily, reduce the range or the load.

Is this suitable for beginners?

Generally not in a first session. It requires familiarity with the reformer, reliable carriage control, and comfortable wrists and shoulders. Kneeling exercises such as Down Stretch may not suit painful knees. Wrist, shoulder or back issues need individual advice.

Can you practise it at home?

Only once you have learned the setup and progression for your equipment and experience. Press the footbar down on both sides and check the shoulder rests before you start. Build foundations with our beginner's guide and Shoulder Bridge guide, and see Pilates for Runners and Surfers for how this series transfers to sport.