Session 5 Summary: Transit and the Catch-Up
Group: Montreal Study Group: 2026 Spring Cohort Author: Patrick | Posted: 2026-05-05
Spring 2026 Smart Movement Study Program | May 2, 2026 This session corresponded with the completion of Assignment 5 (Segment 5: Lessons 5.01-5.04, Transit) from the Baseworks Primer.
IM = Intensity Modification | FSA = Fixing-Separating-Isolating
Session Overview
This was the densest session of the program so far. The cohort arrived current on assignments, which made it possible to address both the deferred Segment 4 forms and the Segment 5 Transit focus in a single session. We introduced six new forms (Z-Lunge, Z Expansion C-Tuck, Split Form Inflection, Seated Wide Inflection, Seated Inflection, Supine Leg Raises), reframed the standing review through the Transit focus, discussed all three types of Intensity Modification in practice, and spent significant time highlighting the circumlinear motion in different form dynamics. Horizontal Shoulder Flex, Plank, and Press-Up were cut for time and will carry forward to Session 6. Assimilation was also omitted in this session.
Key Concepts We Explored
Transit Focus
We used the already familiar forms, like Star Tilt, Front Lunge Extension, Front Lunge Torsion to explore the Transit focus, trying to achieve the quality of movement that is slow, active, intentional, fluid, and agile (SAIFA), with the center of gravity attended to and managed through every position change.
The taped lines on the studio’s floor served as physical gridlines for maintaining the mental image of the hip-width spacing and foot alignment through the transitions. Asia’s point was that the lines are a tool for internalizing the gridlines, not a dependency: “You want to first practice it with the line and then be able to do it without the line.” This was a callback to the Primer’s suggestion (Lesson 5.03) to put tape on the floor for first-time Transit practice.
Circumlinear Motion
This concept appeared in three different contexts.
In the Front Lunge, the rib cage leads the upward movement by pressing forward first and then lifting, tracing a semicircular path rather than rising straight up. This keeps the extension in the lower back, and it prevents the hip flexor from being overstretched.
In the Supine Leg Raises, the same principle applies to the legs: the balls of the feet press away from the body and down on the lowering phase, and away and up on the return.
The circumlinear dynamic also connects to the broader principle of “creating space” at the joints. This connection surfaced explicitly during the closing discussion (see Joint Space as a Byproduct of Control below).
Flexion-Extension-Flexion
Split Form Inflection and both Seated Inflections share the same spinal movement pattern: first rounding (flexion from the head, rolling in toward the floor), extension (lifting the rib cage from the lower back to find a completely straight line), second rounding (flexing again from the straight-spine position), and the exit (rolling up from the pelvis). This pattern is the Inflect focus in action. We practiced it extensively in Split Form Inflection and both Seated Inflections.
Asia’s correction throughout the session was that the two roundings (1st and 2nd) should feel identical even though they arrive from different starting positions, and that the pelvis stays anchored while only the rib cage moves during the extension phase. The most common issue was skipping or abbreviating the second rounding.
Intensity Modification in practice
All three IM types were visible in a single session. For Safety, @james.murray James continued to work around his ankle, adapting ankle-loaded forms (performing Front Lunge Torsion from a chair, modifying Z-Lunge on the affected side). Asia addressed @nathalie.dore Natalie’s hip cramp during Z-Lunge directly: “A cramp means that you’ve overdone it. It should not cramp.” For Form, Split Form Inflection demonstrated balance as the limiting factor, where the point at which control is lost becomes the limit regardless of hamstring flexibility. For Effort, I used my own condition during Ignition as an example: after a shoulder workout the previous day and a swim that morning, my arms were not going to stay up as long as they normally would, so I lowered them, took a break, and came back up rather than persevering through the burn. During Leg Raises, Asia framed the IM for Effort directly: six repetitions with completely calm breathing, which means finding the range of motion that allows all six without the breathing breaking down (or skipping entirely, if needed).
The Practice
Ignition
The standard standing Ignition with bent knees, weight to the heels, and arms at shoulder height with wrist torsion forward. When the arms get tired: lower them, take a break (Intensity Modification). The synchronized exit (arms lowering as knees straighten, slow-motion pace) and the brief standing check afterward (letting tension “go downward” into the floor) set up the conditions for the attention for the Transit focus work that followed.
1. Transit-focused Review of Star Tilt, Front Lunge Extension, Front Lunge Torsion
The standing forms were practiced not as individual reviews but as a connected Transit-focused set. Standing Form entry, hinge, shift weight, step back into Star Tilt, tilt, return upright, step forward, re-enter Standing Form, hinge, step back into Front Lunge Extension with circumlinear rib-cage work, return, step forward, and repeat on the other side with Front Lunge Torsion.
Key emphases within this block:
• Floor lines as gridlines. The taped lines on the studio floor served as the Midline references. When stepping back into a lunge, the back foot lands on the gridline rather than drifting to the center or out to the side. When stepping forward, both feet return to hip-width apart over the line
• Controlled transitions. Asia’s cue carried through the entire standing block: “Five times slower than how you’d normally move.” The quality of the movement between forms received as much attention as the forms themselves
• Circumlinear motion in the lunge. Rather than lifting straight up from the forward-leaning leg-to-head-straight-line lunge position, the rib cage presses forward first and then lifts (the pelvis remains aligned with the leg). We isolated this by putting hands on the rib cage and mobilizing it side to side and forward to feel the separation from the pelvis. The difference was demonstrated by contrasting a straight-up lift (which pulls the hip flexor as the pelvis tilts up) against the circumlinear approach (which keeps the extension in the mid-back).
2. Split Form Inflection (New)
The legs are asymmetrical (split stance, feet parallel, both knees extended, hip-width apart), and the upper body performs the same flexion-extension-flexion pattern as the seated inflections but with the added complexity of balance on an asymmetrical base.
• Midline via floor lines. The taped lines served as the midline reference. The flexion rolls down toward the midline between both legs, not toward either foot
• IM for Form: balance is the limit. Asia demonstrated what happens when someone goes too deep and begins to wobble: the hamstring flexibility stops being the limitation, and the point of losing control becomes the control/balance limit instead.
• Second rounding must match the first. The most common issue was abbreviating or skipping the second rounding after the extension. The correction: from the straight-spine position, bring the chin in and actively round again before rolling up
• Pelvis stays anchored during extension and the second flexion. Asia noted that what she was seeing during the extension phase was the pelvis moving rather than staying fixed while the rib cage lifts. The movement is only the rib cage extending into a straight line with the lower back, not the whole body coming up
• Hinging slightly forward first. Before entering the spinal movements, the upper body tilts from the straight line with the back leg by hinging forward slightly at the front hip. The spinal flexion begins from this position
3. Z-Lunge (New)
This is one of the more physically challenging forms we cover in the Study Group.
• Back knee should be light. Asia’s central point: in a conventional lunge, people put weight on the back knee (hence often recommended exercise mat padding). In Baseworks Z-Lunge, the Z-shape of the front leg and the pressing of the back foot into the floor mean the back knee barely has any weight on it. Asia demonstrated lifting her back knee entirely off the floor to show how little weight it carries
• Progressive approach. Rather than going directly to the full form with the upper body lifted, we worked first with hands on the floor: press the top of the back foot down to lift the knee slightly, then activate the scissoring (sole of front foot pulling back, top of back foot pressing forward), then release, then repeat. The lifting of the upper body came only after the leg foundation was established
• Scissoring creates stability. The pulling of the legs toward each other (front foot pulling back, back foot pressing forward) is what straightens the pelvis and creates the hip stability. Asia demonstrated the difference between a relaxed pelvis (open, tilted) and the scissored position (pelvis squared forward, shoulders aligned)
• Why no socks. Asia pointed out that the traction of bare feet on the floor is what makes the scissoring action possible. With socks, the feet would slide
4. Z Expansion C-Tuck (New)
This form starts from the same base position as Z-Lunge but the hip rotates externally. We also add a spinal rounding with the forearms pressing forward.
• Not the pigeon stretch. James asked what distinguishes this from the yoga pigeon pose/pigeon stretch. The pigeon is typically a glute stretch, hip flexor extension, and back arch.
• As with other common exercises (squats, lunges, planks), Baseworks shifts the objectives and movement dynamics. Here, the bottom-leg foundation activation (pressing down through the outside of the shin, pressing the back foot into the floor) is the anchor, and the upper-body work is a rounded-spine/ pelvic tuck with the forearms pressing forward and the shoulders drawing down - this position allows to isolate and accentuate the hip flexor stretch without bearing any risk to the lumbar spine (which often suffers in common fitness/yoga approaches to “back bending”).
• It is a symmetry and control exercise, not a flexibility stretch.
• “Imagine somebody is sitting on top of your upper back.” Asia’s cue for the quality of activation in the rounded position. We demonstrated this literally: Asia sat on my back while I maintained the position, showing that the combination of leg pressing, forearm pressing, shoulder depression, and spinal flexion creates enough stability to support external weight.
• Front shin position varies. Depending on hip mobility, the front shin can be more diagonal or closer to perpendicular to the body. The priority is that the pelvis stays parallel to the floor/perpendicular to the midline and the shoulders stay symmetrical
5. Seated Wide Inflection (New, carry-forward from Session 3)
The same flexion-extension-flexion pattern, now seated with legs wider than hip-width apart.
• Ankles extended, not dorsiflexed. The top of the foot presses up and the ankles stay extended throughout. Letting the ankles flex limits the available range in the forward movement
• Legs pressing into the floor. The back of the legs press down as the balls of the feet push away. This creates the anchor for the spinal movements. Asia explained: if you were to explosively press the floor with the legs, the force would throw you backward. You resist that force, and the resistance is the distributed activation
• “Turtle shell” back. In the flexion phase, the upper spine rounds as fully as possible, with the shoulders drawing down and the hands lightly touching the floor. The quality is a completely rounded upper back
• Extension is upper spine only. From the rounded position, focus on the lower back and lift the rib cage to find a straight line. The pelvis does not move. The tendency was for the whole body to come up rather than isolating the rib-cage extension
• Wiggling the spine. Small side-to-side movements of the rib cage during both flexion and extension help feel the spine and the midline
6. Seated Inflection (New, carry-forward from Session 3)
The same pattern with legs together. This form allows less range of motion compared to the wide-leg version.
• Heel spacing. The heels stay slightly apart rather than touching. @marta.stothers Marta described this as inward rotation of the hip, which was a useful framing: the upper thigh rotates slightly inward so the toes point in, achieving the same parallel-foot alignment we use in standing forms
• Hands support the pelvis. During the extension phase, the hands can move behind the body to support the pelvis if needed, allowing the straight line to be maintained without falling backward
• Head moves only as a byproduct of the spine. The head and neck do not move independently. In the flexion, the chin comes in as the spine rounds. In the extension, the head lifts only because the spine is extending. This is the same FSA principle: the neck is “fixed” while the spine moves
7. Supine Leg Raises (New)
We did six repetitions. The setup: lying supine, knees to chest first to flatten the lower back, then legs extend upward, toes together with a small space between the heels, arms in a V-shape pressing into the floor, shoulders drawing down.
• Lower back stays flat. Natalie’s question: “Should the lower back be totally flat?” Yes. This is why we start with knees to chest. If the lower back lifts during the lowering phase, the range is too deep/the control is lacking.
• IM for Effort: breathing is the gauge. Six repetitions with completely calm breathing. The range of motion is whatever allows all six without the breathing becoming labored. For some people, this means lowering the legs only 10 or 30 degrees
• Circumlinear leg motion. The legs don’t simply go up and down. The balls of the feet press away from the body and down on the lowering phase, and away and up on the return. This direction creates the sensation of the leg extending out of the hip joint rather than compressing into it
• Upper body stays rigid. Arms pressing into the floor, shoulders drawing down. Asia demonstrated by physically holding my rib cage and pelvis down while I performed the raises, showing the feeling of complete upper-body fixation. If the rib cage starts lifting off the floor, the shoulders aren’t drawing down enough, or the range is too deep
• Inward rotation maintained. The same heel-spacing and inward rotation from the seated work applies here. The heels stay slightly apart through all six repetitions
Joint Space as a Byproduct of Control
A thread that connected several forms in this session is that the activation patterns we use are creating space at the joints as a byproduct. In the Front Lunge, the circumlinear rib-cage motion keeps the extension in the mid-back so the lower back is not compressed. In Supine Leg Raises, the away-and-down direction of the feet extends the leg out of the hip socket rather than pushing into it.
I drew on my own experience to illustrate this: with arthritis in my hips, the difference between a compressed joint and one with space is tangible. What an osteopath achieves by pulling the limb away from the joint and mobilizing it (creating space so the movement doesn’t scrape against calcifications), we’re approaching through the control mechanism itself. The space is not the goal of the practice, but it is a consistent byproduct of the activation patterns, and it’s one way to understand why the same physical shapes feel different when performed with distributed activation versus passively.
Ignition and Assimilation
Ignition was practiced at the start of this session in the standard standing format. The session-specific emphasis was on Intensity Modification for Effort: when the arms get tired, lower them, take a break, and come back up. The burn is not what we’re looking for. The task is to calibrate to your condition on the day, not to persevere through fatigue.
Assimilation was not practiced this session due to the density of new material. Natalie noted that she missed it, which is a useful observation: the effect of Assimilation becomes noticeable through its absence as much as through its presence.
Participant Questions and Discussion
Caitlin on the hip flexor stretch in the lunge. @caitlin.bartlett Caitlin reported still feeling the hip flexor stretch when lifting in the lunge position. We worked through this after the main practice. The key: the stretch happens when the pelvis lifts with the rib cage (the habitual movement pattern). When the movement is isolated so that only the rib cage moves in the circumlinear path (forward first, then up), the pelvis stays anchored and the hip flexor is not extended beyond a straight line. The difference became clear when we compared the two approaches side by side.
James on Plank and Press-Up. James asked about the correct alignment for plank and press-ups when performing a plank with knees on the floor. Since we didn’t get to those forms in this session, we confirmed they’ll be covered in Session 6.
Common Adjustments and Corrections
• Split Form Inflection: pelvis moving up during extension and second flexion. The rib cage lifts to a straight line; the pelvis stays where it is. The tendency is for the whole body to come up rather than isolating the spine
• Split Form Inflection: second rounding abbreviated. From the straight-spine position, actively round again (chin in, roll toward the floor) before rolling up to exit. The second rounding was the most commonly skipped phase
• Z-Lunge: weight on the back knee. Press through the top of the back foot so the knee lifts slightly; the scissoring action of the legs maintains this lightness
• Seated Inflection: head moving independently. The head and neck move only as a byproduct of the upper spine’s movement. In flexion, the chin comes in with the rounding; in extension, the head lifts because the spine is extending. No independent neck movement
• Front Lunge: entering with momentum. The transition back into the lunge should be controlled and slow, with the weight shifting deliberately over the standing leg before the other foot moves. Asia’s cue: “Five times slower than you want”
• Leg Raises: rib cage lifting off the floor. If the rib cage lifts during the lowering phase, the range is too deep. Reduce the range until the upper body stays completely fixed
What We Did Not Cover
Three forms from the original Session 5 plan were cut for time:
• Horizontal Shoulder Flex (sitting on heels, ankle decompression). Will carry forward to Session 6
• Plank and Press-Up (the Peak/Plank/Press-Up sequence). Confirmed for Session 6. James’s question about alignment will be addressed then
• Assimilation was also not practiced. The density of new forms took priority, but we’ll return to it next session
Next Assignment
The next scheduled assignment, for Session 6 on Saturday, May 9, 12:10-1:50 PM, Studio 2, is Segment 5, lessons 5.5-5.8 (Key Points and Applied Practice Labs for Reclining Transition and Equate). Total time for new material: approximately 27 minutes.
The full list of Primer assignments for the program is here: Primer Assignments
Smart Revisit is the primary tool for keeping earlier work active; the PrimerPrint page has the full description of how it works.
Tags: Ignition, Star Form, Star Tilt, Front (High) Lunge Extension, Front (High) Lunge Torsion, Split Form Inflection, Z-Lunge, Z Expansion C-Tuck, Seated Wide Inflection, Seated Inflection, Supine Leg Raise, Transit, Circumlinear Motion, Flexion-Extension-Flexion, Fixing-Separating-Isolating, Intensity Modification, Distributed Activation, Micro-Movements, Gridlines & Symmetry
Resources
The following resources relate to concepts and references that came up in this session (optional):
• What Movement Training Misses: The Micro-Movement Gap. Relevant to the circumlinear motion discussion and the distinction between passive stretching and active control.
• Study Group Preparation Guide. Practical guidance for study group participants.
Upcoming Baseworks Presentations
We are presenting at two neuroscience events in the coming weeks. Both are open to the public.
• 27th Neuropsychology Day and Brenda Milner Lecture at The Neuro, McGill University, Monday, May 11, 2026. A full-day public neuroscience event; this is our second year presenting a poster. Free, with registration through Eventbrite. Our presentation slot is 2:30-3:45 p.m.
• BRNet 2026: Three Trainable Components of Body Representation in Padova, Italy, June 2026. A two-day conference on body representation and proprioception.