Let's get technical, technical - Episode 9

This fortnight on That Physical Culture Podcast, the girls sit down with the incredibly talented Ash Mensforth, founder and creator of Avant Garde Method.

Ash brings a wealth of experience from her career as a professional dancer, and this conversation is packed with insight for anyone serious about improving their physie technique.

We dive into the big topics every physie girl thinks about (and occasionally stresses about):

turnout, leg lifts, strength, control… and how to actually train your body to support what you’re asking it to do.

Ash breaks down the mechanics behind movement in a way that makes sense, while also addressing one of the most important (and often overlooked) areas of physie — injury prevention. Because pushing your body is one thing… keeping it functioning is another.

We also chat through Ash’s journey as a professional dancer, what she’s learnt along the way, and how those experiences have shaped the way she now teaches and supports dancers through the Avant Garde Method.

It’s equal parts education, inspiration, and a gentle reality check on how we’re all treating our bodies.

If you’ve ever:

questioned your turnout, forced a leg lift that had no business being that high, or ignored a niggle hoping it would magically disappear… This episode is for you.

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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

If you’re looking for official guidance or technical instruction, this isn’t your place. But if you love physie and the culture that comes with it, you’re very much in the right room.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:04

Oh it was my Welcome welcome This is seriously how sick I am I'll I'll take the intro today Yeah you're gonna have to I literally sound like a man You've got as deep a voice as I do how deep is your love how deep's your love Oh okay welcome welcome welcome to that Physical Culture podcast I'm your host Renee Walker and I'm joined by my very unwell co-host Justine Rugby Yep she's sick she's injured Justine walking wounded Rigby we're doing a little intro for um an interview that we did we pre-recorded uh about a week ago and it's since then our friends got a little bit unwell. Oh fuck um tell us all about what we're gonna be hearing about today.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Uh I will, I will. First of all, I just have to tell you, seriously, everyone I put on our socials just a photo of me and my bandage because I like to just update the fairs. Well I just like to ro I just really like to document my it's now turned into an annual annual injury adventure as I like.

SPEAKER_03 1:21

Injury Palooza.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Yeah and I can I can tell you this injury is no interest in than the previous ones that I've done.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

There's no home bake seriously it's no festival just no home bake festival we're not annual it's an annual thing so like just to bring people up to speed this is just I'm notorious of getting injured right but not in any interesting way no the most boring

Boring ways to be injured

SPEAKER_03 1:51

way but stupid as well so I was injured twice last year this time last year I did a grade two calf tear on my left calf at well it was at technically it was at fizzy it's a very dangerous sport however my teacher is very very quick to say I didn't do it doing fizzy we had just finished something and I went oh I'm just gonna go to the toilet and I skipped to the toilet and I literally went oh grade two calf test skippity doodar day skippity skibbity fucking doodar day so that was a fun that was like a two-month re-hang song so stupid and then later in the year just before open teams I got out of the car and did a grade one tear on my hamstring it's about as bad as doing a like hemi sitting down on the toilet legit I would take that over it'd be funny at least I literally I was getting out of the girl the car was pretty boring taking the girls too fizzy so I did that one and that was fun so then this one is probably like a little bit more maybe legit but not really and this has got I have to premise so we uh in this interview we have interviewed Ash who is um a Reforma Pilates teacher this was not done on her watch so I just have to really premise this don't worry it was not her and to be fair it was all me but um I would like anyone to find me someone who has done like nearly a grade two calf um quadricept tear on a reformer Pilates machine find me somewhere so um do you remember when the rail um they did like a dumb ways to die song?

SPEAKER_04 3:41

Yeah but I think ways to die but yours is um boring ways to injure yourself yes it's now actually just got embarrassing like I I don't think you were there at Fizzy yet like when I know you were there last Tuesday I rocked up and here I am hobbling in and our teacher goes she just like looked at me she's like what if you do it and I went I don't really know like it's just standard and then you just sat up the front and watched us for the whole class until like right then and you could just see your face going this is useless.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

I'm gonna go home now silly so tune in I don't know I've got an MRI Tuesday just I just I'm over it I'm just so I'll build MRIs for the win though oh yeah guys probably shouldn't be saying this it turns out it's meniscus hashtag meniscus we'll just leave it there it could be meniscus it could have been it could be um well yeah I have done my ACL anyway so that's that and then I've also just decided to get sick because my kids are coughing constantly coughing on me.

SPEAKER_04 4:47

Yeah it's I sound like men it's early in the season I've got to say we're what in um April yeah it's very early from the flu oh no no this is me standard I know but it's just we're I just can't believe we're kicking off sixth season it just feels very early. Yeah everyone go get your flu shot I gotta go get my flu shot this year too I can't do that. Holy hell I don't have the time who's got the time to be sick no one no one yes you've got a big week coming up too got a big week so I just I'm over it so she's we're holding it we're holding it together.

SPEAKER_03 5:21

Oh my god we're just walking wounded emotionally wounded we're just all the things yeah so we're fun though yeah sure we'll just say yeah but we've got a really good thank god we did the chat last week we've got a really amazing chat um with Ash and it was um all around fitness and um which I wish we recorded this.

SPEAKER_04 5:46

Oh we also talked about injuries.

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Yeah about um you know trying not to get injured but um she's a wealth of knowledge so tune

Tune in to hear from Ash Mensforth from Avant Garde Method

SPEAKER_03 5:55

in after the break where we're gonna be deep dive in with Ash. This episode of that physical culture podcast is proudly brought to you by Instinctive Health.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

Instinctive Health is all about evidence based integrative care with a big focus on gut health, hormones energy and overall wellbeing.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

They're not about quick fixes or symptom band-aids they're focused on getting to the root cause of what's really going on in your body.

This podcast is brought to you by InstinctiveHealth.com.au

SPEAKER_04 6:22

Which honestly feels pretty on brand for fizzy mums because we like to understand the why things work and not just to be told to push through.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

So if you've been feeling flat, foggy run down or just not quite yourself, Instinctive Health offers gut health testing and personalized support to help you get back on track. You can check them out at instinctivehealth.com.au trust your gut nurture your health Okay so welcome to the podcast we've got a very special guest today and her name is Ashford now before you start I want to do a little intro who is Ashno originally from Dubbo Ash began dance training at the age of four and she was accepted into the Western Australia Academy for performing arts at 18 studying a bachelor in dance also a graduate of Brent Street Studio with her certificate of four in musical theatre of musical theatre from there we went to teach uh dance in Hong Kong before basing herself in LA as a dancer and cast manager with the Princess cruisers. She then began her Pilates journey in her late 20s whilst dancing professionally as a way of conditioning her body to stay in shape and prevent injuries. In 2020 fucking COVID she returned back to Australia and stepped into the world of teaching bar, reformer and Matt Pilates. As a new mum Ash then launched Avantgarde Method which is an evolution of her experience creativity and passion. Avantgarde method is not just a workout it's designed to be both for instructors and clients alike to move with intention. So Ash actually offers um workshops online classes and content uh she's also the reformer instructor so if everyone has seen that fun reel um who mic'd me up in a session and absolutely fucking annihilated me.

When Juss got flogged on mic

SPEAKER_04 8:11

So funny oh my god and all I want to say is you're in our world now grandmas yeah watch out watch out did you see my comment said I actually don't think you went hard enough there's always more in the tank me so one welcome Ash and shit a brick that thing that class was so hard I nearly died.

SPEAKER_03 8:35

So everyone you're in for a massive treat as you can see from the bio that I just read through Ash is an absolute wealth of knowledge and we are so so excited to have you on the podcast do you know what's so strange I've always wondered you know when you watch things and you watch their life kind of get wrapped up into a little paragraph when they're introduced and you always wonder what yours might sound like and then as I was listening to this I was like good God oh I've done so much. Dol, you have done so much how old am I? Yeah. And we're gonna be sharing all of Ash's socials and everything like that. But my God so the girl the other day put on it was just this beautiful story of just her singing as well and I'm like doll are you a triple threat?

SPEAKER_04 9:19

Fuck yes like I just wrote back what can't you fucking do are you going to be in a musical song that we can come award oh no I think well I think this is why I I left Australia.

SPEAKER_05 9:33

Yeah I think because what we have here is very kind of commercial like the dance world is very commercial based and then if you're in musical theatre there's like few and far between whereas what I really really thrived on was changing it up and having something different every day. I think for me personally having to do same show oh god 18 months cookie cutter same thing every single day whilst I love that people do that thank God because someone's gotta do it. Someone's gotta do it and it's you know I can go at any time because there's still the same you know what I mean about for me I I really really thrive on and that's why I loved Princess Cruises because we had four major productions on that contract plus um ampithe uh um piazza shows deck

Book me a Princess Cruise!

SPEAKER_05 10:31

shows we used to do a lot of like guest entertainment interactive classes and things like that as well so um and I was cast manager so I then got to do even more on top of that so I would host and I would um MC and I would do a lot of backstage tours and do they still do these tours? Yeah I think so I mean I've kind of got my foot out of the door a little bit now but I'm still very much in the loop with people that are still there. So I'm hearing yeah I'm hearing a lot about what you know has gone since COVID and what is still operating. Um but yeah I for me performing on stage is something I get asked a lot about to be a bit of a lot of people would love to see you as well I'd love to come watch you. Yeah and it's just one of those things like I I sit with it for a little bit and wonder if there will ever come a day where you miss I both no yeah I like that that's what I mean like I miss it every single second of every single day and I don't recall a single day where I've not thought about it thought about it or you have to go kind of teleported myself in a moment.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

We wanted to have Ash on and though although so we're always recruiting and um friend of the potty Erin and I are forever recruiting Ash to come and join fizzy and but we want to shove us straight into seniors. Oh yeah absolutely join ladies you have to go join seniors. Oh is that the video that you sent me oh that was just that was just ours that's the ladies that's not seniors I don't think you'd be coming to ladies no we just get her to do it after this people so although she's not a fizzy gal guys we will get her at a point to be a fizzy gal to come in as like a little guest appearance oh my gosh oh my gosh imagine crash but we thought based on your background and everything that you are one of the best people for us to have come on and teach us and to help you know you with your words of wisdom. So what we did is we threw out to our socials about some really common things in physi um that we might all struggle with and you can help guide us in the right direction. So I kind of themed it because we we're inundated with just shit that we're dealing with. Right. That's how the way okay so the first one is um and this is purely just for me turnout. Yes I knew this one was

The turn out ain't turnt

SPEAKER_03 13:01

it's always what tell me what okay what do we work what's the misconception actually this is a very question I want to ask what's a misconception that people think that they need to do for turnout and what should they actually be doing?

SPEAKER_05 13:14

Okay so turnout comes from your hip sockets. So whatever the strength that you have in your inner thighs, hamstrings and outer glutes to rotate your thighs and legs out from the hip that's the max amount of turnout that you'll you'll have so when people think flexible that's not it's not it's about the strength. It's about strengthening the muscles that are going to wrap the legs out.

SPEAKER_03 13:41

Hips. I told you it always comes down to hips.

SPEAKER_05 13:44

Oh we've had this too obviously flexibility comes into it but that more that's more of an extension of then being able to lift your leg. Yes and have the strength to hold it but the initial the the best way to test your full turnout is to stand in first do you use position of the feet?

SPEAKER_03 14:05

They do or the kids call it penguin feet.

SPEAKER_05 14:07

Sure I say pizza slice because now I've been in Pilates for so long that that's kind of what my cueing is it's like a pizza slice. Like a pizza slice. But yes first position where the heels are together you rotate the toes out. Now what happens is the misconception is the further out my toes are the further out my feet are then I've got extra turnout. Yeah what they're doing is they're rotating from the ankle twisting their knee and so the knees are forward and they're rotating on the ground they're using the grip of the floor and then they'll bend their knees forward and they're like just all mangled.

SPEAKER_03 14:43

Because I presuming when you're doing a move like if you play in through something it's all about tracking it's all about alignment.

SPEAKER_05 14:49

So I always say your true turnout comes from where you how you can stand with your knee directly over your two middle toes. Okay. And then you have to point out to the side following that line of the toe that's your true second so all the leg lifts that we're gonna talk about all of the balances all of the holds all of the flexibility of getting it to 90 degrees I'm gonna always say it comes from where your feet and toes are pointing in that first position. The biggest misconception is that your leg like a sidekick we're gonna be talking about sidekicks. Sidekicks is not the side of your body yeah your sidekick is your second turnout which is always in front of your shoulder in front of the body.

SPEAKER_03 15:35

Yeah actually that's an intro because I think that's what our oh we are the worst people to ask about this. But I'm pretty sure that's what the syllabus is probably actually asking a lot but we just presume it's like right to the side of your body you know like parts of the syllabus where they're like you do a sidekick. And do you know why?

SPEAKER_05 15:52

It's because when you see it from the front it looks like it's on the side and that's that's the point.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

Yeah is that it can be done.

SPEAKER_05 15:59

Because your turnout is so Yeah it can't be done correctly. Yes. And you can like my I don't have 180 degree turnout. Ah interesting even if someone had 180 degree turnout the the human body can't do it cannot physically lift your leg in line with the floor it's always slightly in front yeah I couldn't my hip my hip won't like barely leak to the floor. So that's like the first thing I want to say just to try to like hopefully like listeners will kind of go oh thank God like there's like a re there's reason you know around it and there's a way that I'm gonna be able to achieve it and find my true second position without feeling like I need to break my hips and my knees and my ankles and stretch and have a you know a car drive over me in the splits to get there.

SPEAKER_03 16:48

It's not so it's all it it's probably I guess it'd be a combination between stretching but also it's more about that strength. Strength right it's getting those um more stabilizer muscles.

SPEAKER_04 16:59

Yes look at you I'm learning woman I know this is like your topic of subject matter expert yeah it's gonna be my thesis because I just said to her I reckon she would have you would have made such a good physio.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

I would have yeah you love you love I'm like anatomy well yeah I like it but it's because I'm constantly injured so I you're never a good case team who physio and you know I am at the moment. Um balances so this is a big thing for us and we anyone like me fall out of them all the time and there are a lot of single leg balances help us exhale always one exhale and why I say exhale is when you exhale your core engages at its maximum.

SPEAKER_05 17:54

No you wouldn't think that right it feels very counterproductive so when you exhale and you go your whole core you're finding your center and all of a sudden everything is just drawn up like a straw and everything follows. So the activation of your quads the activation of your glute hip everything follows that exhale and that breath out and up and you're just there. Yeah right it's also exhale not inhale don't hold your breath when you hold your breath your shoulders lift yeah your ribcage flares I mean it shouldn't but this is yeah yeah yeah humans that's what we do it's like you're in kindergarten the teacher says sit up straight we all do this yeah yeah no that's not straight yeah but that's just what we know yeah so when you inhale and you're trying to balance your you've got no air no oxygen your shoulders are raised your ribcage is fleshed you're sticking your tailbone out so your whole alignment is way off the other thing is is about knowing um how to transfer your weight so knowing not to lift a leg while your center is still in between your legs it's about being able to shift onto the supporting leg. Know how to engage all of those muscles and then do what you need to work in leg.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

Pulling up sensation like pull your kneecaps up.

SPEAKER_05 19:24

Yeah so um kneecaps is the big kneecaps is the big one so it's your quad that comes from your quadrus out so the quads when they engage that really flexes through the leg and it really strengthens through your calf muscle. Yeah. Do you do any rise um balances on a rise?

SPEAKER_03 19:40

Oh I think we're coming to that that's more turn I well no I think they do I think like the opens and the seniors definitely would maybe not at least on a flat foot focus on the thighs and

Focus on the thighs and the glutes

SPEAKER_03 19:51

the glutes and then the um your your pelvic placement.

SPEAKER_05 19:55

So it's about tucking your tail slightly under and drawing that core up and in on the exhale yeah you're gonna hear all the women going in class now I can't go I mean we I mean I'm always like oh can I just go sidebar for we love it sidewest this you need to try well I need to try this in class I need to try this in class my husband sent me something it was the bee's knees so how there's a Pilates instructor out there I need to send it to you there's a Pilates instructor out there that bought a packet of Party Poppers Oh my god Erin sent this to me this is my worst nightmare I'm not going I will not be in that class the idea was that everybody had to hold yeah so everybody had to demonstrate that they were exhale like breathing at the right times with of the movement. Picture of the birthday party that sounded the party blowers so they all had to hold one in their mouth and do the class and when and they if they weren't exhaling it all the same time it was the funniest these grown adults with little party blowers and the it sounded like crazy that is a three year old's birthday party just spit it up from laughing there were plenty on the floor there were plenty on the floor but yes it is it is one of those things like when you say you'll just suddenly hear like all these women exhale it's like in class like I've got a token few that are like really big exhalers. But I mean but credit to them.

SPEAKER_03 21:39

Like it's they're really could you do that you've got to really get that doet. Yeah yeah. All right so sitting up in long sits so we had to explain what a long sit is to Ash. But um so we actually had a few people so we've gone through that with Nicky about um get your fanny to the floor. Get your fanny to the floor, get your vagina on the floor, get your cooch on the couch We've all we all know about your pelvic placement, but it's keeping that stamina. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 22:05

Okay. So was this the one that said, why am I losing my breath?

SPEAKER_03 22:10

Yeah. So why is it so hard to speak?

SPEAKER_05 22:12

Why am I losing my breath sitting in long sit for 30 seconds? My first question is check that you're breathing. Breathe in. Yeah. No, because it's true. And it is. It's sometimes we don't even realize.

SPEAKER_03 22:24

Oh we don't breathe. Like honestly, like the amount of times our teacher has to be like, breathe. Yeah. Breathe. You've got to breathe.

SPEAKER_04 22:31

But you just don't. I also have ADHD and I hold my breath like a tick. Like if I'm thinking about something, like I'm like, I've got to get something done or I'm like really thinking hard. It's like people who poke their tongue out and they're like, like, I hold my breath. And like there's been times where Scott has been like, um, can you breathe? Like, are you okay over there? And I'm like, no, just thinking. So that

Breathe... so you don't die

SPEAKER_04 22:55

is challenging.

SPEAKER_05 22:57

Yeah. Yeah, it is. So that would probably be why you're feeling like you're losing your breath, is that you're not breathing out. Yeah, yeah. Um, but it is really hard. If you don't have long hamstrings or flexible hamstrings to get yourself into that right angle, of course, if you've got really tight hamstrings, your back is only going to allow to be back here. Yeah. So to sit yourself up, that's hamstrings. Yeah, okay, okay, okay. Um then it's core, it's lower core strength to be able to hold your spine long.

SPEAKER_06 23:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 23:35

Um, but it's all about thinking of that lower back. So imagining that someone's got their palm on your lower back and just gently pressing. Oh yeah. We've got a lot of like scoop backs, right? So if you imagine that someone comes up to your back and just pushes it up, yeah. So just I I always used to say belly button to thigh. So pull your belly button towards someone's got the front of your tights or your panel is pulling forward. Yeah, right. Yeah. Um that's that's probably why a lot of people are really struggling because to hold trying to get up into that position is really hard. And when it does require so much core strength, yeah, yeah, yeah. You can't you're not letting go. So it's just about building the strength in your core to be able to use your diaphragm up here to still breathe. That makes sense. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:27

Yeah, right. There you go. Whoever I forget who wrote that in, but there you hopefully that um that helps you.

SPEAKER_04 24:33

I feel like it's reminding me how out of my body I am. Like I just don't quite connect the

The brain/body connection is void

SPEAKER_04 24:40

mind with the body that well.

SPEAKER_05 24:42

So I'm like, I can't even like understand how that might feel.

SPEAKER_03 24:46

Yeah. But I guess blood is. Yeah, I gotta say, because there's so many like that's all the cueing, right? Like so when they when Asher or the teacher is is cueing you what they should be doing, how you speaking.

SPEAKER_05 24:57

So when I teach, I use a lot of imagery. Yeah, right. It's really a lot of in imagery.

SPEAKER_03 25:03

That is so helpful though, because some people are a bit more like visual, like you are okay. What does that actually mean?

SPEAKER_05 25:09

Yes. What do I need to imagine I'm doing for my body to understand to do that? Because not everybody knows navel, believe it or not.

SPEAKER_04 25:18

Oh, like that your belly button is a navel. Yeah, people don't know so many words.

SPEAKER_05 25:22

You know, it's o I'll only start yeah scaring um sternum. Like the anatomy, like you can't assume, and unless you start getting your regulars who you then okay, they know this by now. Then I start to use those words. But you're like I I hate to say dumb it down, but really you do dumb it down and you make your year ten kid at all times. And you make it a bit more playful and a bit more imaginative, and you try to make it a little bit more um relatable. Like when someone comes in to do a Pilates class for the very first time and I say pelvic floor.

SPEAKER_04 25:53

Yeah. Oh, they don't know what it is. What the hell

What is the pelvic floor?

SPEAKER_04 25:56

is it?

SPEAKER_05 25:57

Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 25:58

I didn't really know what it was for a while, to be honest.

SPEAKER_05 26:00

Yeah, and and it really is from women who have never gone through trialbirth.

SPEAKER_03 26:06

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_05 26:07

A lot of women who have never had to learn about your pelvic. No, but you learnt about when you were pregnant. When you were pregnant, you l suddenly all of a sudden you you had a baby sitting on your what all of that loss of control was. Yeah. But unless you've been through it, pregnant, you don't so you know it's the exact same sensation as when you're busting to go. Oh, yeah, and you're busting and you're holding all those muscles that switch on, you can do it right now. All those muscles that you're holding your wean.

unknown 26:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 26:43

That's pelvic floor activation. So when I just say that in class, everyone's like, oh my god, that's so cool. Like I've never thought about like that. And you just kind of you you start to understand what you need to do for people to understand, and that's what makes people come back because all of a sudden, now they've got this whole their world's just been blown open with this feeling in their body they've never given a lick of thought in their whole life.

SPEAKER_04 27:08

The thing that worked for me last year, because I have like a banana back when I march, like I'm like just about to do a backflip. Like I'm gonna start back like walking on my hands soon. Um, yeah, the teacher was like, think of your front like a backpack, like when you tighten your straps when you're going to school, yeah, and it brings you forward. Ribs close over at still do that every Tuesday and Thursday night. I go, zip up. Yeah. But it is. It's something it makes me feel folded over, but I think she's trying to say because you're so far back.

SPEAKER_03 27:45

It feels like you're all curved over. Yeah, no, actually, I've noticed that yours is not as far back anymore.

SPEAKER_04 27:50

Oh, it's getting better. It's getting heaps better. Yeah, I turn my core on.

SPEAKER_03 27:54

Turns out that's a thing.

SPEAKER_04 27:56

Is your pelvic floor part of your core? I always found that confusing.

SPEAKER_05 28:00

Your your pelvic floor muscles. Yeah. It's I mean, it's all connected. It's a lot further down. But it's all connected because once they're engaged, those pelvic floor muscles, once they're engaged, is when your core can engage absolute. So that's supposed to initiate, it's supposed to be first. You're supposed to draw that in first once that's in. Hold on to that muscle for that long.

SPEAKER_03 28:25

Well, that's why you should be doing your kegels. Yeah, that's your wee sensation.

SPEAKER_04 28:29

So that's like maybe seven seconds maximum.

SPEAKER_05 28:34

Oh, you could do an hour, but that's my other good life because I've had to hold in Wii's for hours on end many times in the house.

SPEAKER_04 28:42

She has an overactive. Maybe that's why I've got such a strong call because I never go to the toilet.

SPEAKER_03 28:46

Mine's overactive and causing a lot of issues.

SPEAKER_04 28:49

Your pelvic floor must look like Hulk.

SPEAKER_03 28:53

They're not serving me well, so go beat it. Um, okay, so kicks. So with kicks, we do um we do high kick. So in fizzy, right, um, you don't necessarily have to um kick really high. It's kind of they're just always like, it's all about um the shapes and um like the control a lot, right? So people really do want to know is a how can they get their kick higher? So that's one thing. But the second thing is is a lot of the times as well, we have to be able to do a stand-in leg hold and ultimately you're trying to get it at 90 degrees. Okay. And a lot of people just get like me, you just get stuck and you're like, I I cannot get any higher. And everyone thinks it's a flexibility thing, but I feel like it's probably wrong.

SPEAKER_05 29:41

My first question is are you lifting your leg is in the in the routine? Yes, these leg lifts that you're doing, yeah. Are they trying to 90 degrees? No. Is it in parallel or are you in rotation?

SPEAKER_03 29:53

Um some times. No, so sometimes it is it depends. So so what Ash means is whoops, um, sometimes we are in ongoing ping penguin feet. Sometimes you are kicking like maybe towards the side, so you keep like kick to the corner. Yeah, but sometimes it is just in parallel. So if you're standing in parallel and then more often than not, um like kicking at the front, yes.

SPEAKER_05 30:18

Are you standing in parallel and kicking this?

SPEAKER_03 30:20

No, so you are sorry, you're standing turned out, and then yeah, you want to be able to keep Okay, with very different muscle groups. Yes, okay. Oh, hit us. Oh, this is probably almost cocking everyone up. I'm asking that question first. So sorry, yes, you're keeping in like a turnout and then you're kicking out, yep, sorry, and we we we want to keep that turnout really nice. So if it was in parallel, that's your quad and hip flexor.

SPEAKER_04 30:44

If we do anything in parallel, sorry, that's where can you imagine just how pants are they?

SPEAKER_05 30:49

Because I've been seeing and hearing so much about marching. So when I my interpretation of that is the is like a parallel note. So that's why I actually turned out. It's like a penguin march. Penguin march, yeah. Perfect. So to and when you lift your leg, are you stand are you coming from two straight legs and just lifting? Sometimes it's through like a little band.

SPEAKER_03 31:14

Sometimes it's through like a a slight bend. More often than not, it's from a straight leg. Yeah, it's it's it's pretty straight.

SPEAKER_04 31:21

It's pretty straight. But there are other codes of fizzy that do like really hard legs. Ours are s like slightly softer, but they're mainly look straight.

SPEAKER_05 31:31

In one of in the video that you sent me from rehearsals the other night, I did see that you do like a little um devla pay up at 90 degrees on a on a big leg. That's the bane of my existence. So it's just it's and this one being so specific. The difference differs so much.

SPEAKER_03 31:50

So just to give, and you can cut this out if you want to, but to give um, so Ash, when it comes fizzy, right? Um there are so we do march-in, which is all in like turnout, but we're gonna do a whole episode of marching because it's I fucked. Yeah. Um so then they do cardio, which is kind of like a warm-up and it's kind of like a dance, but kind of not like a dance. Then you do a floor drill. So I think that's the other one I sent you, so it's all floor-based. Yeah. Then you do a contemporary, which is the other one I sent you. Then you do exercises where it's all about really sharp precision, and then you do a dance. Okay. In all of these um routines,

Explaining Physie to a dancer

SPEAKER_03 32:26

you're 90% of the time, always in a turnout, like always in second, sometimes you are doing from a straight leg of a kick and a hold. Sometimes, like this is probably the first year from contemporary is probably the only one.

SPEAKER_05 32:39

Okay, so if I was to ignore what I saw in that and just assume that it's mainly just a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 32:44

And I think that's probably the majority of what people ask me.

SPEAKER_05 32:47

Okay, so um if if you're in a second position, like sorry, a turned-out position, it has to come from the heel. The heel. The heel. I mean, imagine

Lift from the heel like you have a pulley attached

SPEAKER_05 32:59

that the heel is initiating the lift, and that's a really good what is a rope with a two nailed it. So when so if you imagine that something is happening, your muscles, your brain sends the message to the muscles to make it happen.

SPEAKER_01 33:24

So you're wild. So I have never heard this before. Yeah.

unknown 33:28

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 33:29

In dancing, when I grew up dancing from the age of four, I can still remember, like I say teacup when I've been teaching dancing all these years. I have used the word balance a teacup, balance a tick. I still use it in Pilates. That damn teacup. On your head. Heel. On your head. So what you're trying to achieve is that your rotation is so turned out you can balance.

SPEAKER_01 33:56

Oh my god. Something on your head.

SPEAKER_05 34:01

But because I'm thinking, okay, that's not that's not gonna balance a heel. What do my muscles need to do? What do my muscles need to do? But how does it? But okay, but obviously, for someone to if I was to get you to do it, you're going to use every other muscle and manipulate your body into a position to do it. Right.

SPEAKER_03 34:25

But does that mean my leg will get higher?

SPEAKER_05 34:28

Yes, because you're working the muscles. Oh, you're not blocking. So because you're rotating from the hip and the thigh and the glute, you will you'll you will physically be able to, when you're strong enough, twist to that.

SPEAKER_03 34:44

Okay, so when we're kicking, right? So I think a lot of people are like, I just want to get my kick higher.

SPEAKER_05 34:49

If you were to stand and say, kick your leg up, and you were to go, okay, I'm going to initiate, like, or I'm gonna put a soccer ball in front of me and I'm gonna kick the soccer ball with my heel.

SPEAKER_01 35:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 35:02

So if so already when you think of the shape, your muscles follow. Yeah, the teaker. And that's for that's for more so when you're holding.

SPEAKER_03 35:13

For when you're holding.

SPEAKER_05 35:14

Yeah, kick is very different.

Think of the shape and your muscles will follow

SPEAKER_05 35:16

You get a bit of momentum in a kick, so you have that on your side. Um they want us to kick slowly. Slowly, yeah. So it's still kind of class as a leg lift and a lower, I guess. Um but it's also about the supporting leg.

SPEAKER_03 35:30

The supporting leg. Yeah, yeah, okay, locking it in.

SPEAKER_05 35:34

Just m making sure it's secure, like a trunk, a tree trunk. Because what tends to happen is that also comes from inflicts uh uh not being flexible through the hamstrings, which is okay what everyone's offering.

SPEAKER_03 35:48

Stretch my hamstrings, stretch my hamstrings.

SPEAKER_05 35:50

It is hamstrings because if you're not lengthened through the hamstrings, your tail tucks under. And so that's what happens, right? So your tail tucks under, your back crunches, your knee bends, and you're trying to.

SPEAKER_04 36:03

And my teacher goes, nah, if you're gonna do that, just kick lower. Yeah, yeah. Ton overdoor.

SPEAKER_05 36:09

That's how you're gonna get to that 90. Yeah, you're never gonna get it if you keep practicing the wrong way. Okay, so for start low, start low, train those muscles to it, and then it will just start coming back. Yeah, she does, she does say stop.

SPEAKER_03 36:24

So we're saying, so when we went to hold, it's all about think of the teacup.

SPEAKER_05 36:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Think of the teacup on your foot. Yes. And imagine that it's there.

SPEAKER_05 36:33

Supporting legs, so it's back to those quads, it's back to pulling that kneecap kneecap up. But I will say, because this is what I see used to see all the time, I'd say it, plant the seed, and then I would instantly see my kids especially, they would like crank their hips and all the sorts of things. So you have to imagine that without moving your entire body, can you just swivel?

SPEAKER_01 36:58

Yeah, I think.

SPEAKER_05 36:59

You just gotta swivel. And that's how you train yourself at home. Get in that long sit, rotate your feet out, yeah, just slightly lift your leg and start to swivel. Okay. Not only is that building strength here, that's helping your hip flexible. And then when you're in standing, suddenly.

SPEAKER_03 37:28

And so with your then if you want to get your kicking up, is that gonna because you're gonna be because you're kind of theoretically working all of these hip stabilizer muscles anyway, like this these front arm flexors, that's gonna be bringing that up anyway.

SPEAKER_05 37:44

So if you think about it mechanically, yeah, if you've got like your parallel leg, and it is, it's literally what you just pulley system. It's the pulley system. Yeah, it is the pulley system, but think about it as um wrapping around your thigh. So to rotate, imagine you've got um some ribbon, yeah, right, and someone's got the ribbon and they're going like this.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

Yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's all it is.

SPEAKER_05 38:10

It's if you just picture something, yeah, you'll you're it's don't don't underestimate what your mind can send messages to your body and the muscles. Like about here, is it?

unknown 38:22

But look at your tone.

SPEAKER_02 38:23

And I don't even start me with it.

SPEAKER_05 38:25

Oh, but see, see like do that, do do that again, do exactly that again. Okay, freeze. Now can you see that right hip though? Yeah, I'm so turned over. Yeah, so but that's it. So if you know what it is that you need to correct, no, but but it's all it will take is literally one week. Yeah, right. Like if you did that and you just train yourself to sit back down.

SPEAKER_04 38:46

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 38:47

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:47

Your muscle both butt cheeks. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 38:50

Keep those sit bones down in your long seat. You keep both sit bones down and you just start to wiggle. There you go. Start to wiggle.

SPEAKER_04 38:56

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_05 38:57

And start to learn how to isolate that hip socket and train those muscles to work independently of needing your body. Yeah, also. So it doesn't need your body.

SPEAKER_03 39:05

And everyone do that whilst you're listening to the podcast because I feel like it's a very easy one. Unless you're driving.

SPEAKER_04 39:10

I'm also off the record gonna get a B shot of the swivel so I can overlay it over the top of you talking about what you're doing. Perfect. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 39:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 39:21

Visualize key.

SPEAKER_03 39:22

Yes. Do you want to you're right for me to keep it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, okay, so stamina. As an ex well, dancer, parties, everything. Talk to us about stamina and energy. So a lot of um what we do is obviously, so our routines, the whole routines back to back are about 11 minutes, and you get Oh my god. Oh, yeah,

Stamina and how to get more of it

SPEAKER_03 39:44

hey. This is why people don't breathe. So you get on.

SPEAKER_05 39:47

No, I'm so impressed. I was expecting like three minutes because when I've taught syllabus, like in a dance world, if it's a jazz or contemporary syllabus, the exercises or the dances were usually like a two and a half to three minute routine.

SPEAKER_03 39:59

So they are so what we do is we do marches and then you go to a spot, and then you do your first routine, and that is like two and a half minutes, and then you've got literally 30 seconds to change a spot, and then you go in again. So the whole thing, you're on the floor for about 11 minutes, right? So and then you don't stop, and you don't stop, and then a lot of it is one, yep, like making sure that you hit in like the whole routine, but it's also performance, right? So people want to be able to have that energy and you know knowing where to ebb and flow. But what's your advice about the stamina?

SPEAKER_05 40:31

Okay, so um I used to do two production shows every night when I was on ships. I did that for many, many, many years, and I've done performances of different you know, caliber and all things. But what I learned really early on, especially when I started working on ships, and they were late night, so you've had your whole day already. You start at 9 p.m. Then you start your second show at 10 uh at 10 30. Yeah, then God help anyone who stops being. Yeah, sometimes it was like a 6 30 or a 7 p.m. show, but it depends, right? Um so what what I used to but then pre prior to that, you know, I'm living in LA for two months rehearsing, learning the shows every single day in LA in the studios. So that's where we built our stamina, that's where we learnt how to break it down. And that's one thing that I would say that really helped me was compartmentise. So break your routines down into sections or sections. Oh, in your head. In your head. It's gonna be different for everyone. Yeah, it's when you get to a certain point, you're like, that's over. Great into the next screen, create two, three, four blocks for every mental drinks. It's mental. Because then you have a countdown system and there's nothing better getting to that in Pilates. Oh my gosh, nothing better than hearing that damn count. Oh, what about only got three? When you hear that number, you're like, I've got it, I can do it. And you suddenly the that that um mind over matter kicks in. So it's got nothing really to I I'll talk about it later, but it's really got nothing to do with the physical stamina just yet. It's about getting in the headspace first. So knowing that this routine has three blocks, then you do it and you hit that first block in a matter of time, and then you it's almost like you have little moments throughout that routine of achievement.

SPEAKER_03 42:36

Yeah, amazing.

SPEAKER_05 42:37

And you kind of get that boost, and that's what it is. It's a release of endorphin, it's a real that hormone release, that specific hormone that is motivational and it's you know satisfying and all of those things. So I would compartmentise my shows. So we we had 50-minute shows that we would do, and then we'd come back into the dressing room, load up the costumes, preset, have a quick drink of water, do it again.

SPEAKER_03 43:00

Yeah, wow. Um never complain about 11 minutes. Yeah. Oh my god, I saw it.

SPEAKER_05 43:05

And they were in heels on a moving ship in like quick changes, 27-second quick changes, backstage, like crazy, crazy. You didn't really have the choice to like use I'm tired as like a reason not to be able to do it because that's how we're trained. That's what we did. How did you feel yourself during that period? I mean, a lot of a lot, there were certain shows that you would dread purely because you know how you were about to feel. Um yeah, there was a show that I did called Born to Dance, and it was actually produced and created by Stephen Schwartz. So I had the privilege of working with him and his team, and I was an inaugural cast on the r the Regal Princess. Oh wow. New York for in front of him and his cast.

SPEAKER_04 43:52

I just don't know how you replace the calories big and fast enough with how much you burn it in that show.

SPEAKER_05 43:59

Yeah, so that was Called Born to Dance and it highlighted the dances, which is unheard of. Yeah, dancers are always in your background, right? Um, so for us, and it was a 50-minute show, and it and it revisited all of the biggest production musicals, movies, your fossies, your west side stories, and we were all cast specific to certain like it was an incredible show, such a privilege, and I So many costumes. So many costumes.

The biggest show on the boat

SPEAKER_05 44:27

Oh my god. So many costumes. But um that's when I think about I think of that as being the beast. You know, that was at my my beast. Yeah. Um but at the end of it, there was always like a massive adrenaline rush and sense of achievement. No, I look a lot of people everyone's different. That's the other thing, is like I couldn't even drink during a show. I had ice cubes. Oh, wow. Oh, okay. Yeah. So uh the the blue because you know like us girls, we're getting flipped, yeah, pushed.

SPEAKER_04 44:58

You know, so you can't be drinking a whole bowl of water.

SPEAKER_05 45:00

No. Um then we had shows that were pop operas, and we would just stand there in mic'ed up singing in gowns. Wow. And it was all about singers. Yeah. So we would go up to the buffet in between shows. Because we just so long as we can get that zip-up babes, we can eat that, we can eat in between shows that night. Otherwise, it was like Kruba, quick chockey bar and then out again just for like that kick. But yeah, for for endurance and stamina, I would say compartmentise your routines so that you give yourself those mental breaks, the wins. Um, but then it is practice and it is just a matter of getting your body conditioned for those movements. So the more that you practice, the more that you do it, your b it won't be such a shock to your body's system.

SPEAKER_03 45:48

That's so true.

SPEAKER_05 45:49

Um, and breathing. Breathe. Breathe, people. Yeah. I know, I know I sound like a broken record, but it is. No, it's and but but I would say if you have the time when you're thinking about it, find points where you're going to choreograph your breath into it.

SPEAKER_03 46:07

Oh, yep. That's what our teacher does with um contemporary contemporary, she'd be like, and breathe here. If you're gonna force you to breathe, and then obviously it changes the stuff like that. This is where it's where it'll really look good. So if I if we build it in, then you're gonna breathe. Yeah, it also makes it look good.

SPEAKER_05 46:24

It's part of the choreography, and that would be my number one recognise where it's been slotted in. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 46:30

Okay, so thought so we've talked about, you know, it's a lot of stretch, everyone's stretching. I think that's um the physique community are very good on stretching, right? But I talk, um, and you can talk about this more broadly if you want to, but the the balance of you need to do strength as well as stretching, right? Like, because if you want to be able to and I think from a protection perspective as well, right? So you know, I know that you know this is originally why you got into um into Pilates and bar is to see conditioning to make sure that prevention of injury. So talk to us about that.

SPEAKER_05 47:05

Yeah, I I mean it's just one you always want what you don't have. Yeah, right. Queen of it. If you're not flexible and you're really strong and you work out all the time and you're always doing this, but you're not flexible, yeah. It's because and all you want is to be flexible. So you might do a couple of stretches because you but because you're not great at it, yeah, you don't you avoid it to what you're good at. Yeah, it's comfort zone, right? Oh my god, it's so intruded. So and it's the same, really flexy people compensate. Yeah, right. They're like, I can get back my leg up, I don't need to be doing this because that's my that's my strength. Oh there's so many truths coming up in this episode. I feel like it's a therapy session. Yeah, so we're not gonna have a cry in the background. That'll be all of us crying together. Um but yes, so as humans we do that. We favor what we're good at and we kind of like put to the side what we know we should be doing, but it's a chore and it's this, like rah rah. Okay, so um it but you're right, it does go hand in hand. If you're really flexible, what good is that if you can't then do anything with it?

SPEAKER_01 48:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 48:24

If you're really, really strong, but you look like a stiff plank of wood, it's not gonna look great. Yeah. Um, so you know, a lot of people go to their classes, then they do their training, they'll do a stretch after, and it usually is the very generic, yeah, big bulky stretches. Yeah. Um what I did see in the comments, hips, hips, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's hips, hips, hips, hips, hips, hips, hips, body hips, hips, um, yeah. But a lot of what we've spoken about, it all derives from hip

Hips are life.

SPEAKER_05 48:58

movement, hip mobility, it's flexibility, it's rotation, it's strength, it's injury prevention, it's literally it's your pelvic floor, it's literally the base of your core. Literally. Yes, it is the bowl of your body that's holding your core. Yes. Holding your body.

SPEAKER_04 49:22

Yeah, they say like if people over seven break their hip. Right. Give them like if they don't get into the therapy hardcore, they give them like a year. Yeah, it's not good when people when you say like hips alive, they literally are.

SPEAKER_05 49:37

Yeah, yeah. But when you when you're using your ordinarily you don't think too much into it, but when you're using your pelvis and your hips and your articulation so specifically, then you start to that's when you start thinking about and we're blessed. We're very blessed that we are people who have a reason to think about it and and look after it and try to train it in a certain way, right? Yeah, um, so don't take that for granted. Yeah, like really, really, if you have the opportunity because of a sport or a hobby or something that you love doing, like don't let that go and do it forever. Yeah, yeah, do it forever. Um, and and one thing that I would say when it comes to the balance of strength and flexibility is um make sure that you're if you're going, I'm gonna stretch now, stretch, but then add in elements of strengthening it as well, and vice versa. If you're gonna do a strength workout, you have to stretch out the exact same muscle group that you just fatigued and exhausted.

SPEAKER_03 50:48

So it just goes hand, it's like dog. Oh my god, you know what I just

Stretch and strength need to live together

SPEAKER_03 50:52

remember, it's like cooking a steak. Oh you know you have to rest a steak, yeah, the wrong analogy. But you know you gotta cook it and it gets and then you gotta because you gotta rest it for as long as you cooked it, right? Yeah, because you gotta, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:04

It's probably the wrong analogy, but I just no, I like that because I don't think anyone rests properly anymore. No, no, you just no one's resting that okay, gotta go and do my next thing. Yeah, and like there's no there's nothing in society that's built in to um allow us to put a value, a societal value, on rest. No, yeah. No one is

No one is resting anymore

SPEAKER_04 51:26

resting properly. Like and I just see it everywhere, like and I I have to make myself do it because I'm not very good at doing it, but now that I've like I'm d making myself do it, I'm sort of like looking around going, oh my god, we are so broken. Oh yeah, like our inability to stop and actually do nothing is almost impossible.

SPEAKER_05 51:50

And even when we're physically stopping and sitting on the couch or laying and doing our brain is thinking of all the things we probably should be doing. Hundred percent. Hundred percent. Now yeah, so I would just say make sure that you're doing it hand in hand. Hand in hand. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 52:06

Now I don't want we can't go without talking about avant-garde methods. Now, so we've got physic clubs Australia

Avant Garde Method

SPEAKER_03 52:15

wide, we're spread out, you know, in the cities, in the regions, everyone's like everywhere.

SPEAKER_05 52:19

Oh, shout out to WA! Yeah, WAS my home for eight years.

SPEAKER_02 52:24

We've got some awesome WA listeners. They're incredible.

SPEAKER_03 52:29

Um, so so for the people on the Central Coast, if you ever want to be able to engage with Ash, she is um a Pilates instructor there at Liberty, um Liberty Studios, which is in a few of them are around the Central Coast. But I want to speak about Avantgarde method specifically. So tell us in your own words. It is amazing. The reason why I'm calling out is because everyone can access it. Yeah. Everyone can, because guys, it's on YouTube. YouTube.

SPEAKER_05 52:57

So talk to us. YouTube. YouTube. My daughter says that now. Oh, yeah, welcome to it. No, she says YouTube, subscribe.

SPEAKER_00 53:04

Oh yeah. Like, yeah, like and subscribe.

SPEAKER_05 53:08

Come to the shop. Yeah, yeah. We've already subscribed to Baby Shop. Oh, that's so cute. Subscribe. Um, yes, oh my god, thank you. So I know that you are already subscribed, and then you do the workout. I do. So Avantgarde method came from wanting a little bit more or knowing I had a little bit more to offer than inside the walls of a studio. Yep. Um, and I was in a position in my life where I wasn't teaching the style of Pilates that brought me into Pilates in the first place, and that was bar. Yes. So as my way of being able to introduce bar not only back into my life, but I wanted it, I noticed that it was kind of, I'm

Bring the barre back

SPEAKER_05 53:53

not gonna say dying, that's a bit dramatic, but I it is um disappearing a little bit in comparison to what it was a few years back when I did my it used to be the thing. The thing, right? Um so absolutely not gonna let that happen.

SPEAKER_03 54:08

No, not my watch.

SPEAKER_05 54:11

So basically, um when I was postpartum, I all of a sudden understood what women were talking about when the thought of leaving the house to go to a class not happening, not happening. I didn't leave the house for two weeks after my first and I was a manager of a studio that was telling people to do it. Yeah. Thinking, what's the problem? Yeah, yeah. Then reality. So my recovery was I've got I'm very lucky to have a reformer at home. That's where I usually would do my class planning, right? So my recovery was looking online, which I had never even so much as typed into you on like into the internet before. I'd never searched. Researched before. Um, so I f came across a couple of um mat people and a couple of reformer people, and I just went ahead and just stuck to those two and did some mat at home and did my reformer at home, and that was very that was enough for me. At that stage. And yes, at that stage. And when she was, you know, nap very, very newborn, napping for 20 minutes several times a day, yeah, it became um near impossible for me to get that 45, 50 minute workout. It's just not a thing. But it's but it's even like get dressed, pack the car, pack the nappy bag, drive there, make sure you make it in time, then make sure there's childcare. Like obviously now it's much easier.

SPEAKER_04 55:44

And so how did you feel at the end of that? Right.

SPEAKER_05 55:46

Anyway, so I digress. This is the whole reason why I thought I want to put out there what I wish I had when I was going through that. I had my mat, I had my Pilates, my reformer, but there was no bar. Yep. And I would have loved that extra adrenaline. I wanted the endurance training, I wanted the dance feel, the stamina, the dance feel. Um, I missed the flows. Yeah. Um, anyway, so I made it really accessible for people at home. All you need is your chair. Literally, you just need a high chair. Um, a mat, obviously, if you've got like a mat if you're on carpet, perfect. Yeah. Um, I throw in some props every now and then, but I'm never of the assumption that people have that at home. They don't want to buy it at home before committing things.

SPEAKER_04 56:38

So it's probably easy to replicate, sort of a prop, right? 1000%.

SPEAKER_05 56:42

If you're not up for that extra little bit of strength or challenge, you can do everything without. Yeah. Um, so I target my audience to women predominantly, especially people who are time poor. Even if you're not a mum, it's time poor. I have so many comments coming through, people messaging me saying, This is my lunch break go-to. This is my early morning before kids wake up. Once everybody goes to bed, I take myself out and I do this. And it's just, it makes me so emotional that I didn't realize. Yeah, I didn't realize that this is how much impact that it would have on people. I have no idea who they are. Yeah. And I'm a part of their everyday routine. It's amazing. It's amazing, and it's just something I didn't anticipate when I started this because I really just started it more for selfish reasons.

SPEAKER_00 57:37

Don't we all though? This is why we started this.

SPEAKER_05 57:40

It's now like, you know, I've I really had fun with it. I mean, not at the very beginning, it was an absolute bitch trying to learn about technology, editing, YouTube, and editing, and storage, and and copyright and doing it alone with no one to check that you're recording, no one to check that your mic's on, no one to check. You forgot how what's the time? Have I gone over time? Oh, we do all those. You know, I target like all those books to still record. Yeah, that's it. I'm being surprised. But you know, it was it's 15 minutes. When I first started, the challenges that I released, 15 minutes. Yeah, max. Yeah, 15 minutes. It's all you need. If you put the right

15 minutes is all you need

SPEAKER_05 58:21

sequences and the right exercises, everything gives your whole body exactly what it needs. Yeah, like 15 minutes. Yeah, so 15, 20 minutes is what I have. I throw in a few 30 minutes only because I'm getting so much demands. Where are your longer work like workouts? So I'll put them out there. Yeah, but it's usually strictly 20 minutes. Um, I'm loving it. Yeah. And it's grown so much. I'm just about to hit 900 subscribers. The target is a thousand. Help her, ladies. Yay! Um get her away. Last week I just got my first workout, hit 1,000 views. So it's just little tiny things that come along with it that are like a little bit of validation for me to know that I am doing something that is helping. And everything's free, right? Yeah, God. The whole thing. So everyone's like subscribe, right? That how much is it? Oh my gosh, it's so annoying that you have to explain that subscribe literally means just follow. It's literally like a follow on Instagram.

SPEAKER_03 59:25

It's like a it's like a when you subscribe to a podcast. It's just because you you can go to that channel and you're like, it's saved on your channel, it's just saved on your channel.

SPEAKER_04 59:34

You get the notifications. Yeah, I wasn't thrown off by subscribe. I'm just like, I you've monetized it, like yeah, but not yet.

SPEAKER_05 59:43

I mean, other you could I'm not gonna go into it, but there's so many things like marker points that you have to hit before you can even apply for that sort of thing. So I'm still very much in the growing, but like that's gonna be great when that happens one day, but for now, like it's become my ever you know, it's part of my everyday routine or my weekly routine to stay back after work and film out of the studio and create content and help people and you know, I'm learning what people are really looking for. Yeah, um, and that's just my YouTube side of my brand. Then I've also got the facilitating side where I've created workshops for bar and um and that is also going really, really well. I'm just about to start my online and launch my online workshop platform because I've got so much time. So no, not so much time, just so much demand from a lot of people overseas and interstate who want the workshop but obviously can't.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:46

So I've had to quickly figure out how to create an online version of paywalling so that you can like monetize it and yeah, so it's all exactly.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:59

So I I set out to do more than you know, teaching in studio, which I still do every every day. Love it because that's part of the the love of Pilates, is you know the connection. I've I I've said this before is I always check to see who's in my class maybe two, three days in advance because I get really excited about who I get to see. Oh and so that's um that's one thing that makes me always be able to get up at four ten past four in the morning is uh I know who I'm going to go and see today. Yeah, yeah. Or I know who I get to teach today. I've got a class that I cannot wait for this person to do. Yeah, and capture I know what my class is and I can't wait to give it to them. Do you know what I mean? So there's just those little like like flags.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:48

I'm like dopamine hits everywhere.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:50

So everyone, what we're gonna do, one, thank you so much, Ash, for joining us and in part in all your words of wisdom. Guys, we're gonna make sure that we put all of Ash's um handles socials, all the access to the YouTube channel. Um, we'll make sure we'll put on the show notes, we'll put it out on our social channels as well. Because as I said, I do them. They are incredible. When 15-20 minutes, literally get a chair, you and you'll probably have some props around if you need them, but they're incredible, they're really gonna help your physique as well. Um, but yeah, thank you so much for joining us, Ash. We love you.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:26

All right, I got my potty pics. Oh, nice. You want to hear it? Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:30

Okay, so these are all fitness related, they are follows andor do's. Okay. Okay, yeah. So obviously the one that we just spoke to Ash. So Avant Garde method, hit her up, have a look at her socials. Also go on YouTube. Um, as we mentioned, it's well, it's all free, guys, and they're awesome classes. I thoroughly, thoroughly recommended. I should do one this afternoon. I really should actually. Um No, not you. Oh no, I shouldn't.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:58

This is where we're in the promo.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:01

I'm injured, we're not doing that. No. Um, so yeah, definitely give it a follow. But what I wanted to do as well, I did a bit of a shout out because we've got so many fizzy ladies who are also either PTs or they're physios or their um Pilates instructors.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:17

There's a lot of smart ladies in physical culture. Yeah, amazing.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:20

And I think what really um I'm gonna shout out a few that um kind of got um uh recommended to me is that I feel like people who um are maybe like dancers or do fizzy or whatever, they really understand what you're trying to achieve. Absolutely, you know, with the fitness as well. So if you can't get behind them, um, so we've got like if you're a central coast galley, obviously um we've got Liberty, which we'll talk about before, but we've also got Pilates with Kaylee, so Kaylee Slate, uh, she is our fizzy gal. She's a senior there. She's a sweet girl, and she's a sweetheart, and she um she teaches all over the central coast, so hit up her socials as well. Um this was a no-brainer. I got sent this so many times, and we personally follow her as well. The legend, the myth. The myth legend, the myth, Jen. Um, fizzy fizio. Incredible.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:11

I mean, it's actually made for fizzy.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:14

It is made for fizzy.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:15

She knows the issues.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:16

Oh, and she's a grand champ.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:18

Oh, I mean excuse me. Anyone's gonna know. As if you wouldn't just book a console so that you could hang out with her.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:24

Oh yeah, maybe we'll just book and go psych. We're actually not gonna do it. We just want to come hang out, Jen.

unknown 1:04:30

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:30

Jen, do you want to go to the pub with us? We'll book a five o'clock console. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:35

It'll be like an appropriate time. Um, so yeah, make sure you follow her, guys. Um, and also um there's one on South Coast called Scotty's. Um, I think she was also uh I think she's also a fizzy girl. So Scotty's. Yeah, yeah. I think she's down in the gong. Yep. And then um Freedom to Move PT. She's also um does particular programs for fizzy gals.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:00

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:01

So um I'll make sure we put all these in the show notes, I will put them up on the socials, give them a follow, um, go to their classes. I think they do all workshops and things like that.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:10

And like just get around the fizzy girls.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:13

I've actually been having so many thoughts about Champion 10 lately, like since our reel. And I'm like, as if you wouldn't get around a girl who's trying to give it a crack with a brand that's made for fizzy. Like everyone, it's a bloody great product. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will 100% say that on hand on heart without a dollar involved, bloody great 10.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:38

Yeah, well, they've still got um they've still got your sale guys. So it was up until the end of April.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:43

Yeah, yeah. So uh So and just get around

Get around the Physie ladies and their businesses

SPEAKER_04 1:05:46

these girls that are part of our community. Because you know what I always say, um, you know, the boys have got their old boys' clubs. Yeah. Fizzy's our old girls' clubs. A hundred percent. Get around them girls just for a follow.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:58

Let's get around it. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So um let us know. Give us a shout out as well if there's people you want us to shout out and like we'll have a have a shot.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:09

Send it our way. Um and also as always guys, I really have no I'm dying.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:14

I'll take over. Anything else you want to add? We don't really know what we're gonna do next. Nah. Uh but we'll come up with something fun and exciting. Yeah, we will. Um or just complete lunacy. Yeah. Um Why don't we need one of those episodes? We just do like a big loosey goosey. Oh, I think next one is gonna be an absolute belter.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:33

Oh, sure who knows. I haven't even been filled in, but I love this.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:37

It's gonna be great. I've got a surprise for you. Yes. I've got a really good surprise. The cackle's gonna come out in force, isn't it? Yeah. I organised about two weeks ago and I've just been like waiting, waiting, waiting. Oh my god. Okay, well, I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:53

So tune in next year. Tune in. Alright, guys, but please, yeah, help

Surprise incoming

SPEAKER_00 1:06:57

us grow still. We're loving everyone um reviewing five seconds only, please.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:02

And messaging us, and even if we don't write back, we read it all. Yeah, we do. We've just been a bit busy. We're just a bit busy.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:08

And follow us on our socials. And we love you, and thank you, and love y'all! So gross. I gotta go blow my nose. Bye!

SPEAKER_04 1:07:25

This episode was recorded on Dark and Jung Country. We pay respect to the traditional owners of the lands that we call home. We honour the Dark and Jung elders, past and present. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.