Lagree exercises on video: 33 moves on the Micro Pro

What the video shows

The video lasts just over ten minutes. The coach presents thirty-three exercises you will meet in class, all performed on the studio’s machine, the Micro Pro. They are grouped in three blocks, in the order the body works: the core first, then the lower body, and finally three exercises with the bungee, the machine’s elastic strap.

For each core and lower-body exercise, the coach explains three things: what it works, the right position and the mistake to avoid. It is what you also hear in class, when he moves from one machine to the next to correct positions.

Each exercise has its own chapter on YouTube: no need to watch it all in one go, you can jump straight to the one that intrigues you. The timestamps below match those chapters. If you do not speak French, the images are enough to follow each move.

Planks and core: fourteen exercises

The first block, and the longest: planks. Hands or forearms rest on a platform, feet or knees on the carriage, the moving part of the machine. The carriage slides back and forth while the core has to stay still: that is where the core work happens. The exercises come in families, with their variations.

• Saw (0:58), Wheelbarrow (1:12), Saw on elbows and feet (1:27), Giant saw (1:46) and Reverse giant saw (2:02): the saw family, where the carriage goes out and back like a blade.
• Bear (2:16) and Reverse bear (2:34): on all fours, knees lifted off the carriage.
• The catfish (2:50), Reverse giant catfish (3:06) and The mega catfish (3:21).
• Plank to pike (3:38), Plank to pike on arms (3:53), Reverse plank to pike (4:10) and Reverse plank to pike on arms (4:22): from the plank, the hips rise towards the ceiling.

Lower body: sixteen exercises

The second block: legs and glutes, with plenty of lunges. Most of the time, one foot rests on a platform and the other on the carriage, which you have to hold back without jerks. The “carriage kicks” variations add a carriage movement to the lunge, and the side lunges work the inner thighs. The Runner’s lunge speaks directly to people who run: Lagree for runners explains what the method brings them.

• Elevator lunge (4:43) and Elevator lunge carriage kicks (5:01).
• Escalator lunge (5:14) and Escalator lunge carriage kicks (5:34).
• Express lunge (5:50) and Express lunge carriage kicks (6:03).
• 5th lunge (6:22), Floor lunge (6:37), Runner’s lunge (6:54) and Spider lunge (7:10).
• Adductor side lunge (7:26), Side lunge (7:42), Giant side lunge (8:00) and Giant kneeling inner thighs (8:14), for the inner thighs.
• Hamstrings leg curl (8:30) and Hamstrings one leg curl (8:46), for the back of the thighs.

With the bungee: three exercises

The last block uses the bungee, an elastic strap attached to the machine. It adds a resistance that does not come from the carriage springs, and it forces you to keep control of the movement all the way through.

• Bungee push up leg (9:00) and Bungee side push up leg (9:12).
• RYTHM bungee elevator lunge (9:24), a variation of the Elevator lunge with the bungee, named after the studio.

Watching it before your first class

You do not need to know these exercises to come. In class, the coach announces each move, shows the position and sets the resistance of your machine. Classes last 50 minutes, with six people at most, one per Micro Pro machine: he has time to correct everyone.

The video is mostly there to ease any apprehension. If you have never seen a Lagree machine, a few minutes are enough to understand what a class looks like, and why the pace is slow. The first-class guide completes the video, from what to wear to arriving at the studio, and starting without being sporty answers the question many people ask.

The trial class costs €30, with no commitment. RYTHM Lagree Studio runs its Lagree classes in Toulouse at JBM Sports, 32 rue du Languedoc, 100 metres from Carmes metro station, and they can be taught in English on request.