Tendon Stretch: Steps, Muscles and Common Mistakes

How to do the Tendon Stretch

Sit on the foot bar facing the carriage with your hands gripping the bar beside your hips and your toes placed firmly against the edge of the carriage.

1. Press down firmly through your hands to lift your hips slightly off the foot bar.
2. Keep your arms completely straight as you bear weight through your triceps.
3. Maintain a steady, neutral spine without rounding or arching your back.
4. Push the carriage away from the foot bar by extending your legs.
5. Pause briefly when the carriage is pushed out and your legs are extended.
6. Use your transversus abdominis and hip flexors to control the return of the carriage as your hamstrings lengthen.
7. Gently lower your hips back down to the foot bar to complete the movement.

• Breath. Teachers cue breathing differently, but a common pattern is to inhale as you press the carriage out and exhale as you resist it back in.
• Where you feel it. You should feel strong work in your deep abdominals, triceps, and hip flexors, along with a stretch in the back of your thighs. You should not feel pinching in your lower back or sharp pain in your wrists.
• How many. 3 to 5 controlled repetitions

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows. Keep your arms completely straight to ensure your triceps are doing the work.
• Losing neutral spine. Engage your transversus abdominis to keep your back steady rather than letting it sag or round.
• Rushing the return. Control the carriage on the way back in to focus on the lengthening in your hamstrings.
• Sinking into the shoulders. Press firmly into the foot bar to keep your neck long and your shoulders drawn down.
• Using momentum. Move the carriage slowly using your hip flexors and core instead of swinging your body weight.

Make it easier or harder

Easier

• Practice holding the lifted position on the foot bar without moving the carriage.
• Perform triceps dips on a stable mat to build arm strength before trying the reformer.
• Work on the elephant exercise on the reformer to practice hip flexion and hamstring lengthening.

Who should be careful

• Weight-bearing through the hands can aggravate wrist, hand or shoulder pain. Fists, forearms or a raised surface can reduce the load.
• Tight hamstrings make the straight-leg version hard to do well. Bending the knees keeps the focus on the spine instead of forcing a stretch.
• This is an advanced exercise. Build the strength and control from the simpler versions first, ideally with a qualified teacher watching.
• Reformer springs and the moving carriage add load and instability. Learn it with a qualified instructor, who can set the springs for your body and goals.

Related exercises

• Long Stretch Intermediate
• Bicycle Advanced
• Knee Folds Beginner
• Pilates Push-Up Intermediate to advanced
• Scissors Advanced (supine version beginner)

When to see a doctor or physical therapist

• Sharp or shooting pain in your wrists or elbows while bearing weight.
• A sudden pulling sensation in your hamstrings or lower back.
• Numbness or tingling traveling down your arms or legs.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or are recovering from an injury or surgery, check with your own clinician before trying new exercises.

How we put this page together. Exercise data (type, level, equipment and muscles) was compiled by our editors from the classical mat order in Joseph Pilates’ 1945 book and from commonly taught reformer repertoire. Muscle lists are a general anatomy guide; cueing differs between teachers. Text drafted with AI assistance and checked by the Editorial Team. See our editorial policy. Last checked October 2026.