Tweaking
I’ve become a firm believer in the idea of tweaking.
I prefer the word tweaking over the word perfecting. But perfection is exactly what I’m striving for.
In the work of Pilates we’re asked to be better, work harder, think deeper because we may only have 3 or 5 reps of a movement and we want to make sure each movement showers it’s magic on the body.
The other day I was perusing the bookshelf in my bedroom. This shelf houses all my books on Pilates, on anatomy and on other disciplines. Just because we teach Pilates doesn’t mean we don’t investigate and study other methods or ideologies. Tweaking comes to mind once again because the study of the body doesn’t begin and end with Pilates. It’s an ongoing affair and in our studio, we work to tweak the method, to make it more effective on the body and the mind. That’s one of the reasons we have such a good reputation. We truly study the body with open minds and hearts.
Enter stage right: The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion, written by Pete Egoscue, an anatomical functionalist. This book was sitting on my shelf and I can’t remember when I bought it or how I heard about it. But there it was, this little gem of a book that certainly espouses all the same beliefs Joseph Pilates did.
Health through motion. Absolutely.
The body as a unit. Absolutely.
Form and function, the health of the spine, returning to a proper alignment – all topics that can be written about (separately) in book length. And all topics Joseph Pilates wrote about and believed in.
The book is laid out simply with the lay person in mind. Egoscue addresses very common conditions relating to misalignment; the cause of myriad muscular problems.
He’s created a list of stretches and strengthening exercises in a particular order. There are four different lists and depending on what body condition (misalignment) you feel best represents you, you then work from that particular list of exercises.
It’s interesting because some of the exercises are simple yoga stretches. Some remind me of an old fashioned gym class and a few were created by Egoscue. But putting them together in the order he defines, somehow creates a deep sense of well-being and connectedness. Many of our clients find that the work of Pilates comes easier after doing even a few of these exercises as a warm-up to Pilates.
The point here is simply this: there’s no one magical discipline that recreates the body as it was meant to function. Movement is important, but how we move is more important. Pilates helps us move effectively. But it’s not the cure all. Often times we need a deeper understanding of how powerful the mind is in directing the body’s muscular ignitions. If we begin a motion with incorrect alignment, we’ll continue working in that misalignment throughout the movement.
Sometimes we need to scatter the brainwaves a bit – to help remind the mind that the body needs to function as it was meant to function. The Egoscue Method helps us rearrange the mind and let go of muscular tension where muscular tension isn’t needed.
Tweak, tweak, tweak…..onward and forward.
Bon jour
On July 4th Hector and I will be leaving for 3 weeks. I wanted to get all the warm-ups in before I left – and I did. I hope you all visit these warm-ups. Do them more then periodically and you WILL feel/see a difference in your body.
My need for a break from my world – my work, the house, the garden, even the kids is so necessary now - more then ever before.
I must be very, very tired.
So I bid you all adieu. I wish you well while I’m away, whiling away the hours in Provence and Paris. Ahhhhhhh…..
But I WILL BE BACK and fully rested.
Isn’t that a scary thought?
love to you all.
Best Pilates Warm up
I’d like to share with all of you the breakdown of the warm-up exercises each student gets before heading onto the workout at the studio. I absolutely love this warm-up. It’s a wonderful wake-up call to the whole body. And it covers all the bases: flexion, extension, twisting, glut and hamstring work, long back muscle work and, of course, ab work.
There are seven exercises in total. TAKE YOUR TIME AND READ THROUGH ALL THE TEXT BEFORE YOU BEGIN EACH EXERCISE. Like reading a recipe for the first time – you want to read through it before you start the process of cooking.
START WITH THE FIRST EXERCISE AND WORK YOUR WAY THROUGH EACH ONE SLOWLY. You don’t have to do all seven right off the bat. Take your time with each one and learn each one fully.
I’ll post each exercise, in it’s order, one by one. So, here’s the first exercise:
THE PLANKS – side plank and front plank
I do the planks first because I want the WHOLE body to work in a unified way.
Let’s begin:
SIDE PLANK: laying on your right side, come up onto your elbow, making sure shoulder and elbow are aligned, and elbow and wrist aligned – palm facing up.
Feet actively flexed, one on top of the other, raise side body up into a diagonal alignment (meaning ankle, hip, shoulder and ear should be in one long diagonal line). Hold the position for 10 seconds. Think of your body as long, holding your core muscles in and thinking of your back muscles as lengthening. Make sure your head stays in line with your spine. Breathe naturally.
side plank
From there, without letting your hips come down (if you can), roll to the FRONT PLANK. Again, make sure your shoulders and elbows and wrists are in alignment with palms facing up (this is helpful in recruiting your shoulder blades back). Make sure your ankles, hips and shoulder girth are in alignment. Heels together, toes apart. Squeeze the inner thighs. Watch that your hips don’t rise higher then the rest of the body. Hold the position for 10 seconds. Breathe naturally.
front plank
Then simply turn to the left side plank and hold that position for 10 seconds. Breathe naturally.
Here’s a modified version if the the original version is a bit difficult:
modified version of side plank
INSIDE SCOOP: The Plank exercises effectively fire up the transverse abdominal muscles and the all important multifidus muscles. Think of a corset around the waist.
Warm-up exercise #2
Okay – so first came the side and front planks. Next is the ONE ARMED SIDE PUSH-UP. Here’s how it goes:
Lie on your side with your bottom arm extended long with your ear (head) laying on the arm.
The top arm is bent at the elbow and the palm of the hand placed in front of your sternum.
The bottom leg is bent at the knee and the top leg is lengthened out long.
one arm push-up
Before you begin to press into the palm of the top hand make sure your top shoulder is down so your neck is long, and reach long out of your bottom arm and top leg.
Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you press your palm into the mat to lift the upper body off the mat. Do your best to keep the ear and bottom arm attached as you push up. Inhale to return to mat and repeat action up to 10 times. You may want to start with 3 or 5 to begin with. Make sure you look straight ahead and not down at the floor as you rise the body up.
side push-up in the up position
If the exercise is too difficult, modify by leaving your bottom are on the mat to aid you in coming up. Turn your palm down as you use your bottom arm to help you.
modified version
INSIDE SCOOP: This exercise is absolutely wonderful in strengthening the shoulders and arms as well as the external obliques.
Warm-up exercise #3
From the One arm side push-up we move into the BACK EXTENSION WITH LEG PULSES:
Lay face down (prone position)
with your hands folded one on top of the other with your forehead on your hands.
Pull your heels together and drop your shoulders creating a long neck.
Inhale and lift your head (with hands attached to forehead) keeping your neck long, and your legs, in one move.
Keep checking in with your shoulders making sure they don’t rise around your ears!
Hold position for 10 seconds.
back extension hands under forehead
Change arm position out to sides, in line with shoulders.
Hold for 10 seconds.
Breathe naturally through all the arm movements.
hands out to sides
Then reach arms back, palms facing each other.
Imagine pressing palms into a ball, drawing shoulder blades together.
Hold for 10 seconds.
hands back position
From there reach arms forward as if to begin swimming.
Hold for 10 seconds.
arms front position
After holding for 10 seconds, bring arms back to folded hands under forehead and bring head, shoulders and arms down.
Leave both legs elevated.
Then one leg at a time pulse 30 times.
Check in with shoulders, keeping them down and your neck long.
leg pulses with other leg elevated
Sit back on your heels with your knees wide and your spine long and stretch out your back.
Make sure not to overly round the spine as you stretch.
stretch with knees wide and spine long
INSIDE SCOOP: These positions are not easy. Just remember to keep trying, working a higher lift as you bring the arms out to sides and then to the back as these two arm positions are less demanding then the arms under forehead and arms in front.
Absolutely wonderful work for your
Basically strengthening your whole back from heel to crown.
Warm-up Exercise #4
From the stretch (aka child’s pose) we go into the PUSH-UP.
Come onto hands and knees – hands being a bit forward of shoulders
Cross one ankle over the other and bend knees.
As you bring your heels towards your buttocks, move your buttocks forward so that you’re in one straight, diagonal line.
Shoulders and wrists should now be in alignment.
Keep torso in one long line with head in line with spine.
begin push-up in this position
Bend elbows into your sides rather then outward.
Keep torso in one long line making sure not to drop head or sink pelvis.
Inhale to bring torso towards the floor and Exhale to press up, pulling core muscles up with you.
Use your core muscles as a partner with arms in lifting the body up.
press towards floor - elbows in
Only go as low as you can making sure you keep true to the form – one long line – never sinking head or pelvis.
Work up to 10 reps.
INSIDE SCOOP: your breath is very important here. Make sure you exhale AND pull your tummy in as you come up. Be careful not to let the shoulders rise up around the ears. Always think long neck. Wonderful exercise for strengthening triceps, shoulders and upper back muscles.
Warm-up Exercise #5
Okay – so now, from the push-up postiton, sit back on your heels again just to stretch your lower back out and then come back on your hands and knees. Once again, in the stretch don’t round your spine, try to stay long.
Make sure your shoulders and wrists are aligned as well as your hips to knees.
LEG PULSE UP WITH EXTENDED SPINE
Extend your spine (imagine placing a large boulder in the mid-back region of your spine). Eyes looking ahead and not down.
YOU ALWAYS WANT YOUR HEAD IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHATEVER YOUR SPINE IS DOING.
Flex both feet then bring the right leg with foot flexed towards the ceiling and pulse the leg up 30 times. Keep your pelvis square. In other words, don’t let your right side lift higher then the other hip as you’re pulsing the right leg up.
leg push up with spine extended
Then work the left leg up for 30 pulses.
Once finished with both legs go back and stretch into the child’s pose with a long spine.
INSIDE SCOOP: you may feel work in your lower back (SI Joints). If it’s completely uncomfortable then simply leave it out. The reason I added it to the warm-up is because too many times the lower back is overstretched which can cause lower back pain. This exercise may feel a bit counter-intuitive, but it helps a lot of people who have hyper mobile SI joints.
This exercise also strengthens the gluteal muscles.
Warm-up exercise #6
From the stretch go ahead and lie down on your back.
We’re now going into the SHOULDER BRIDGE.
Lying flat, place your feet hip width apart with your knees bent and in alignment with your feet. Feet are in parallel position. Make sure your feet are even and pointed straight ahead.
beginning position of shoulder bridge
Start by internally pulling the pelvic floor up (see inside scoop) and slowly roll through your spine until you come up towards your shoulder girth. Lengthen the back of your neck and relax your shoulders back.
one long diagonal line
Take a deep inhale and then as you exhale slowly roll back down through your spine, one vertebra at a time. Continue curling the pelvis toward you as you roll down, making sure you articulate through your lower back. As you land towards the end of your spine, relax the tension in your gluts and hamstrings.
Repeat 2 more time but on the 3 rep, walk your feet together and bring the feet a bit closer to you (just make sure your knees don’t jut out over your feet). Place your weight on your right leg and extend the left leg out.
one leg extended - in line with other leg
Keep your inner thighs together – keep your thighs even. Keep the pelvis even too. Hold the position for 10 seconds. Then bring the left foot down and place your weight on your left leg allowing your right leg to extend holding that position for 10 seconds. Bring the foot down and walk your feet back to hip distance apart. Inhale to prepare and then exhale to roll back down the spine, curling the pelvis upwards as you’re rolling downwards.
INSIDE SCOOP: One of the things I always remind my clients to do is work from the internal to the external. The Shoulder Bridge is a perfect example of articulating the spine from an internal place first then as the rolling up the spine progresses, we work the external muscles (in this case it’s the hamstrings and gluts).
The pelvic floor muscles are the first set of muscles to start a pelvic curl. The best way I can get people to get in touch with these muscles is to ask them to IMAGINE bringing their sits bones towards each other. Although you can’t bring your sits bones together, somehow the idea of doing it contracts the pelvic floor muscles. Once you find that action, you’ll feel your belly muscles pull back into the “scoop”. It’s from this activation of the pelvic floor that many of the articulated movements begin.
Warm-up exercise #7
This is the last exercise in the warm-up.
CHEST CURL WITH ARMS REACHING BACK WITH ADDED TWIST
From the shoulder bridge simply bring your head and chest into a curl (read INSIDE SCOOP) and place your hands behind your thighs.
Using your arms pull yourself up a little bit higher into the curl. Relax your neck muscles and keep your collarbone wide.
lift off the shoulder blade tips
Let your hands leave the back of your thighs but remain as high as you can (hopefully off the shoulder blade tips) and inhale as you reach the arms long behind you.
raising arms towards ears
Continue reaching as far back as you can without allowing your upper back to lower (in essence, don’t let your shoulder blade tips touch the mat).
keeping the lift as the arms reach back
Exhale and bring the arms back towards the thighs. Make sure your pelvis is NOT CURLED TOWARD YOU.
After 5 reps, place your hands behind your thighs and lift a little bit higher and repeat the same arm movements making sure you stay extremely lifted with the pelvis lengthening away from you.
Repeat the arm movements 5 more times.
From there – place your hands behind your thighs once again to try to lift a little bit higher.
Staying that lifted, place your hands behind your head.
Inhale then exhale as you twist the upper body to the right working the lifted twist for 3 seconds.
KEEP YOUR RIGHT SHOULDER BLADE OFF THE MAT AS YOU TWIST TO THE RIGHT.
Don’t let yourself fall back (if you can help it). Inhale back to center and exhale to twist to the left.
Keep your pelvis quiet. Don’t let it twist with your upper body.
Work up to 5 sets.
staying lifted in the twist
INSIDE SCOOP: It’s very important that you don’t go into your neck with the chest curl position.
Practice this: Place one hand behind your head and your other hand on your chest. Inhale to lift your head slightly off the mat – let your head be heavy in your hand. Exhale and press the heel of your hand into your chest as you come up into the chest curl. Try your best not to lead with your head first. The lift of the chest comes from core muscles and the compression of the rib cage not the raising of the head.
As the arms move through space (away from you towards your ears) you should feel your core working harder to support the height of the chest curl. As the arms move back towards the thighs, you’ll feel the core relax a little bit.
That’s it – you’re done. If you do all or some of these exercises 3 times a week, you’ll see a marked difference in your whole body strength!
Variations on a Theme
The purpose of Pilates is to bring the body back to it’s “natural” state. Think of a three year old. Think of how the body moves when young. Before it becomes inhabited with the payback from too much sitting. Sitting alone causes myriad problems in the body. We become structurally weak. We become muscularly tight. We forget how to move fluidly and with ease. Movement becomes a chore as we age.
But this can and does change with the continuous practice of Pilates. I think of Pilates in the same way I think of JS Bach’s Goldberg’s Variations. Variations on a form.
In practice, what the body is asked to do is variations of the same movement over and over again. The roll-up, roll-over, open leg rocker, teaser, overhead, 100, stomach massage series, roll-back on the cadillac, parts of rowing……the list could go on and on. All related, like first cousins. But the mind doesn’t perceive it that way. The student sees each exercise as an entity separate from another exercise. Some more difficult then others. Yet all those above named has something to do with a forward flexion whether in the lower back, upper back or the full spine.
What about pulling straps and swan whether on the high barrel or the cadillac or it’s various incarnations on the reformer? How about single leg kick or breast stroke or swimming. All these exercises are done on different apparatus yet all ask the spine for the same thing – extension.
As we move through space during the hour of Pilates, the spine gets to move in ways it wouldn’t normally get to move and it moves over and over again throughout the hour.
Let’s go back to that three year old. Never a dull moment - the child constantly active and moving her body. This is what keeps us healthy. Joseph Pilates teaches us that the more we move, the more we work with different spinal directions, the more youthful we become and the more energetic we feel.
