Have you ever thought about what your tongue is doing during exercise?

If you or your Pilates clients are interested in:  Better breathing habits, reducing neck pain / neck tension, improving the execution of exercises that articulate the spine, freeing up the whole body for flow and ease of functional movement.  Then I recommend that you play with, introduce, and think about what the tongue is doing in your mouth during a workout.

This may not be something to add into the mix for a beginner Pilates student who is still getting in touch with basic body awareness and just figuring out how to execute the exercises. But for intermediate Pilates students who are focused more on fine-tuning their exercise technique, the tongue can be one more thing to pay attention to that will help enhance and improve performance.  And, if where your tongue is in your mouth and what it’s doing improves performance for Pilates – Imagine all the other sports, and daily life activities that paying attention to your tongue could be a valuable asset for helping improve overall wellness, functional movement, and improved athletic performance!

The tongue is a pretty large & powerful muscle sitting up there in your head. It shares a common nerve root with the Diaphragm.  So what the tongue is doing in your mouth can dramatically affect how well the diaphragm is working, and your ability to move higher volumes of air (oxygen) into and out of the body.

If you are familiar with Eastern concepts and Meridians, the tongue placement on the roof of the mouth closes the circuit for the Central & Governing Meridians.  This is used during circular breathing and Cosmic Egg meditation techniques, but during these meditation techniques, on the exhale the tongue remains on the roof of the mouth.

During Pilates workouts we are doing more vigorous exercises, and a part of our breathing goal is to transfer as much oxygen as possible into and out of the lungs.  To accomplish this we must change the tongue position in the mouth, allowing it to drop to the floor of the mouth on the exhale, to cue the diaphragm to release, lifting and pushing air out of the body as quickly as possible for the “forced exhale” that Joseph Pilates encouraged during exercise.

How To Use Your Tongue Effectively During Pilates & Exercise

• When you inhale, the tip of the tongue should be lightly placed on the roof of the mouth right behind the front teeth.  The tongue placement here cues the diaphragm to drop on the inhale so the lungs can fill with air.
• When you exhale, the tongue should drop to the floor of the mouth. This cues the diaphragm to lift up and assists in emptying the lungs.

Any exercise that the neck and head are involved with can benefit from paying attention to the tongue during exercise.  If your goal is to facilitate better breathing, reduce neck tension, improve neck mobility, and assist better articulation of the entire spine for flexion, extension, side bending and rotation, spend a couple of workouts focusing on what your tongue is doing in your mouth during your Pilates workouts.  Discover how being aware of what your tongue is doing affects the freedom and ease of spine articulation and your overall movement experience.

Pilates Exercises To Practice with This Tongue Technique

On every exercise there is the opportunity to train the tongue to better support your breathing and movement.  But on some exercises you may find this particularly helpful.

Play with the Tongue Placement on the following Pilates Exercises:

For Improving Spine Flexion / Bending Forward

• The Roll Up
• Spine Stretch Forward
• Neck Pull
• Rolling Like a Ball
• Short-Spine Massage
• Long Spine Massage
• Elephant-Round
• Kneeling Knees – Round/Off
• The Roll Down w/Bar
• Parakeet
• Tower
• Teaser

For Improving Spine Extension / Arching Backwards

• Swan prep
• Pull Straps & T
• Down Stretch
• Short Box – Round to Arch
• Swan w/Push Through Bar
• Spread Eagle
• Back Bend over Barrels

For Improving Lateral Flexion / Side Bending

Hint for Side Bending:  When you side bend, allow the tongue to drop to the floor of your mouth, and go towards the side you are bending to.  (Side bend  to the right – the tip of the tongue will be on the roof during the inhale, and it will lay on the right side of the teeth on the exhale.)  If you side bend right, and the tongue goes left it is counter-balancing the bend and will restrict your neck and head from moving in the correct direction causing more neck strain and eliminates the body’s ability to sequentially articulate through the spine sideways.

• Mermaids
• Short Box Side Bends
• Seated Side Bend
• Standing Side Bend

For Improving Spine Rotation / Twisting

• Seated Simple Twist
• Saw
• Stomach Massage Twist
• Short Box Twist
• Snake/Twist

This is by no means a full list of exercises to play with tongue support on!  But hopefully a good starter-list with a few of the exercises I have used with my clients to introduce this concept with to discover the benefits that tongue placement has to offer for improving form, function, and exercise technique.

As with any new concept – add this thought in to simple, more basic exercises first, where technique and body awareness is already in place so clients don’t have a million and one things to pay attention to, but can maintain their body placement and can put their primary focus on feeling what the tongue is doing and how it affects their movement.  Then progress to incorporating this “Tongue Technique” with the intermediate and advanced Pilates repertoire.

I would love to hear from you about what discoveries you have made as a Pilates student, or Pilates teacher with incorporating a little emphasis on working and releasing the tongue muscle on your inhale & exhale during exercise.

• Can you notice a difference in the ease of your movement? 
• Is your neck more relaxed? 
• Does this help you get through your sticky-spots on exercises like the Roll Up & Neck Pull? 
• Is it easier to roll down out of Short-Spine?

Play with this, share it with your friends, and then please drop me a comment and update me on what interesting things you’ve discovered while paying attention to your tongue during your Pilates exercises and any other health & fitness workouts.

Have a Fit & Fabulous Day!

Viewer Asks: 

“I just watched your “Knee cap dance”  While having my hands on the tops of my knee I felt a slight crunch on the outside of my right knee.   It didn’t hurt but each time I moved my knee cap it crunched.  The reason I watched your video was account of a slight pain in my knee cap.  It is continually getting better with other stretches that I have found on the web.  Here’s my question, do I keep doing the Knee cap dance to “break up any adhesions” or do I stop this particular stretch?   Thank you.”

Aliesa’s Reply:

Thanks for the question about the knee-cap exercise.  Easier for me to make a judgment call when I have a client in front of me, know their full health history, and can see them move.  When in doubt, or if any exercise you are doing is causing pain – I would immediately stop doing the exercise.

Perhaps there are modifications, or other adjustments that need to be made.  But without seeing you – it’s impossible for me to make recommendations on what else to do in this instance.  If you deem it is safe for you to continue this exercise, you might work in a smaller range of motion to move the kneecap to start and see if you can do the exercise and avoid the crunching that you are talking about.  Also, the knee cap should be gliding evenly, straight up the middle.  If the knee cap is gliding in it’s groove – bending and straightening your knees, or lifting your kneecaps should be a quiet experience!  If it’s pulling off to the outside of your leg as it lifts, you may have some muscle imbalance issues that are contributing to the problem and creating the crunching sounds.

Generally speaking,  a lot of people have muscle imbalances between the front of the thigh (quadriceps) and back of the thigh (hamstrings) in combination with the support of inner thighs, outer thighs, and Glutes can cause the kneecap to track incorrectly.

Test Your Knee Cap Tracking:

Sit in a chair and bend your knees,  put one hand on the top of your kneecap and straighten your leg – if you hear some crackling sounds, it’s because your kneecap is not tracking properly in its groove.  Now test the other leg.  Is there a difference in the sounds that your knees make?  Do they both crunch, or is one worse than the other?  Does your noisy knee correlate to any knee pain or problems you have experienced?

Tracking issues unfortunately are common.  Some folks can get away with this misalignment for a lifetime and have relatively few knee problems.  Other folks end up with multiple knee surgeries, and knee replacements because they never took care to improve their posture, strength, flexibility and change bad movement patterns.  Regardless of how old you are, getting the kneecap to track better is possible and the kneecap dance exercise is one of the exercises I teach that is easy for clients to learn & do at home.

Reasons Why You May Experience Knee Cap Pain:

• Sometimes if part of the quadriceps muscle (either inner or outer portion) pulls stronger it can pull the kneecap to either the inside or outside of the thigh, which can cause the grinding and miss-aligned tracking issue.
• If your hips are wider, or your “knock-kneed” the angle from your hip to knee (Q-angle) can make it more of a challenge to maintain good knee alignment.
• Weak inner thighs (adductors), weak outer thighs (abductors), and weak Glutes affect the stability of the knee when standing on one leg or bending and straightening the knees.
• If the knee locks when you are standing or doing any type of exercise, the hamstrings are weak, and locking jams the kneecap against the leg bones in not a good way!
• If you have had serious knee injuries or surgery, scar tissue & adhesions may limit the range of motion for your knee and knee cap.

Recommendations for Strong, Safe, & Healthy Knees

I would recommend that you consider seeing your primary care doctor, a sports medicine physician, or get a referral to a physical therapist to rule out any serious knee issues, and ask them about the exercises you are doing, if they are OK for you, or what other exercises you can be doing to safely improve things.

I’m also a fan of Pilates, since there are so many great exercises you can do in a lesser weight-bearing position on the Pilates Reformer, Cadillac, and Chairs that are excellent for improving functional alignment, strength, and flexibility.  Please keep in mind, if you are having pain or problems with your knees, chances are there’s also a problems at your feet or hips and pelvis that is contributing to the issue.  It’s great to focus on “knee” exercises, but there may be other parts of your body that need to be focused on to ensure your knee pain will completely go away.  If there is a Pilates studio, or well-qualified Pilates teacher in your area – even if you only take a couple of private sessions to have someone help you improve your exercise technique and body awareness for an at-home program it would be a good investment.

Hope this helps you make a wise decision on if the Knee Cap Dance exercise is appropriate for you to help keep your knees safe & healthy!

If you have any other questions about the knee-cap exercise , Pilates, or other health & wellness topics – please let me know.

Have you tried the Knee Cap Dance Exercise yet?   Check it out now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you or your Pilates clients ever struggle with shoulder pain or limited range of motion to lift the arms overhead?  Is it a challenge to keep the back or ribs from popping up off the mat when the arms go overhead on exercises like Ribcage Arms, or the Roll Up in Pilates Matwork?  Are you interested in discovering an amazingly simple cue/secret to help reduce shoulder pain and increase your range of motion to more easily lift the arms overhead? 

I know the video demonstration of this Pec Release concept says I discovered this great tip a couple of weeks ago…but it was actually March – and I’m just now getting around to editing my video footage!  I’ve  been practicing and applying this Pec Release concept to my own workouts as well as with my Pilates Mat class and Personal Training clients for about 7 months.  So far, everyone that has learned to release their Pecs during overhead arm lifting exercises has found this Pilates exercise tip a great asset to their functional shoulder movement and exercise technique.  I can’t wait to hear what you think, and for my fellow Pilates teachers out there – what kind of results your clients achieve by adding this thought for Abs and Back work with Pec release to your arm & shoulder workouts!

Pilates Exercise Tip:
To Help Improve Arm & Shoulder Movement on Overhead Arm Exercises

Click here to view the embedded video.

When lying on your back to lift the arms overhead for the Pilates Mat exercise the Roll Up, (or just a prep exercise like Ribcage Arms) IF the back arches off the mat and the ribs pop out there’s a really good chance that you’re holding your chest muscles too tightly while trying to take the arms overhead.  A tight Pec muscle will hold the arm forward in front of the body – the only way the arm can continue overhead when the chest muscles are engaged is to arch the back, because the relationship angle of the arm to the body isn’t going to change until the Pec releases.

Ribcage Arm Exercise to Practice Pec Release:

• Lay on your back, legs together & straight.
• Begin with the arms by your sides reaching down to your legs
• Inhale and lift the arms to the ceiling
• Exhale, pull the Abs in, Shoulders down, Release the Pecs and move the arms overhead
• ONLY TAKE THE ARMS AS FAR AS YOU CAN GO IN A PAIN-FREE RANGE OF MOTION.
• If you feel the back start to arch off the mat…hold your arms where they’re at, take another inhale, exhale and pull your abs in more to help press the back to the mat, then strive to release the chest even more and feel the back work to lift the upper arms overhead towards the floor.
• Inhale to lift the arms up to the ceiling / Exhale to pull the abs in, shoulders down, and lower the arms back to the starting position along the sides of your legs.
• Repeat 5-10 times, and/or incorporate this into any other exercise that involves lifting the arms overhead.

The Goal:  

To freely move the arms all the way to the floor overhead with the back stabilized on the mat, and return them to the starting position – maintaining core support, using your back to move the arms, and keeping the chest / Pecs more relaxed while moving the arms.

The Benefits of Learning to Release the Pecs When Lifting the Arms Overhead:

• Improves Core Support
• Improves Stability of the Spine & Ribcage
• Frees the Arm & Shoulder for Increased Flexibility
• Enhances Efficient Shoulder Mechanics
• Improves Shoulder Strength
• Reduces Shoulder Pain / Impingement Issues
• Increases Body Awareness for Work & Release of Opposing Muscles (Chest / Upper Back)

Since I discovered how beneficial cueing the Pec release is to my clients on an overhead arm lift, I’ve incorporated this concept into multiple other exercises with great results!

Give this Pec Release cue a little thought the next time you’re doing your Pilates Matwork.  Play with the concept of releasing the Pecs to lift the arms, and let me know what you think.  How does it feel when you do it right vs. holding the chest tight and trying to move the arms? 

If you find this little cue of value to improve your Pilates exercise technique for stronger, freer arms and shoulders please tell a friend – and drop me a comment to share how this has benefited your workout program.  I’m looking forward to hearing how the Pec Release is benefiting YOU!

I love those days when I’m teaching along and decide to pick just a little bit more on a piece of an exercise.  Seems like once I get rolling, I quickly see the huge value in my clients better understanding the concept, or movement I am tweaking to help them better understand.  Have you ever thought about the difference between the shoulders and arms moving around the ribcage vs. the ribs and spine moving inside the shoulder blades and arms? There IS a difference, and it can dramatically enhance your ability to move the upper back into better flexion for exercises like the Pilates Hundred, as well as improved extension for exercises like the Swan and Swimming.

Today,  the exercise of technique tweaking was the Down Stretch on the Reformer.  And our focus was not moving the carriage, but just getting into a gloriously supported and well-lifted arched position with the whole ribcage shifting positions for better extension.  I see so many people take this extended position into their lower back and neck in a bad way….  I usually choose to have my clients prove to me that they can find and support a good position with the carriage in before we proceed with moving the carriage and  “doing the Down Stretch.”  It seems like I always say,  “if you’re in a good lifted position, you should have very little weight on your arms.”. Everybody hears this, but hearing and doing… Two different things.  And how do you achieve this?  First, by maintaining a strong connection to your Hamstrings, Glutes, Inner Thighs and Pelvic Floor so the ribs have something to lift away from.  Second, by learning to feel the ribcage move inside the shoulders & arms – all the way to the top ribs and collar bones – the opening through the front of the body, is well supported by the lower trapezius, posterior deltoids, and triceps – so that the spine extensors through the high upper back can lift the spine into deeper extension bringing the head around towards the heels.  Of course it’s an exaggeration to think that the head is going to actually get to the heels – especially in Down Stretch, because the arms remain on the bar, but it’s a great image!

It’s funny how with Pilates we can do the same exact exercises over, and over again, but each time it’s a brand new experience for body discovery!

As I was analyzing the movement of the upper torso into the arch of the down stretch position it occurred to me that part of the sticky spot for a lot of people is the movement of the ribcage inside the shoulder blades and arm bones. It’s easy to retract the shoulder blades and move the blades around the ribcage.  And you might be fooled into thinking that you’re actually moving the spine when your retracting or protracting the shoulder blades, when in fact the spine and ribcage is providing a stable base for the blades to move around.  Pinching / retracting the shoulder blades is NOT a component of a good Down Stretch position ( or any other spine extension exercise for that matter!). But learning how to get the entire ribcage and spine to move is a must.

People tend to pay attention to their back ribs, but forget about the ones high in the front that are attached to the breastbone, or have any sense of the ribs as they wrap around under the armpits and attach to the spine. As with any relationship there is a bit of give and take, or shifting of leverage to create movement.  This has to happen through the entire ribcage to really improve thoracic mobility.

I often cue clients to feel the breastbone slide up as the body moves into extension, and  to notice the breastbone slide down when moving into flexion, but I don’t think I’ve ever related it to the arms and ribs like I did today -and boy what a change!

Here’s the preparatory exercise I played with to help get the concept across to my clients :

Prep-Exercise Part One:

Stand with tall posture arms hanging by the sides.

• Lift the arms 3-4 inches in front of the body (ribs are now behind the arms, but the arms moved to make this happen.)
• Lower the arms to the sides of the body (ribs and arms are now “neutral” and next to each other.)
• Lift the arms 3-4 inches behind the body (ribs are now in front of the arms, but the arms moved to make this happen.)

This is what we are doing in the Long Stretch Exercise…Maintaining a stable ribcage/spine/and whole-body, and only moving the arms & shoulders.

Here are a few other examples of Pilates exercises that move the arms and shoulders around a stable spine/ribcage:

Chest Expansion, Lat Pull 1 arm, Swakate, Kneeling Arm Circles (or supine), The Hundred, Double Bent Leg (series of 5 -Matwork).

Prep-Exercise Part Two:

Stand with tall posture arms hanging by the sides.

• Leave the arms hanging still alongside the body (“neutral” position.)
• Move the ribcage 2-3 inches or more behind the arms.  Be sure the arms stay still and reaching down towards the floor.  The shoulder blades will spread apart as the back ribs expand to lift the ribs up and back for a high scoop. (Spine Flexion)
• Move the ribs back alongside the arms – “neutral,” tall, standing posture.
• Move the ribcage 2-3 inches or more in front of the arms.  Arms remain still and reaching straight down to the floor.  Shoulder blades move slightly together (but don’t retract!) Back extensors are working, chest is opening and lifting up, out, and forward as the sides of the ribcage (way up under your armpits)  pass through the arms to move forward, out, and up. (Spine Extension)
• Return the ribs to neutral.

And here are examples of Pilates exercises that have the spine/ribcage moving between stable arms: *(Please note – “stable arms” does not mean there is no movement of the arm & shoulder.  There is still some functional mechanics that has to happen with the shoulder blade to allow the ribcage to change positions, as well as rotation of the arm as it changes from a low to high position.  How much this happens is dependent on the exercise and where the arms are in space.)

Short Spine Massage, Up Stretch, Down stretch, Semi-circle, Pike on the Chair, Tendon Stretch, Swan prep.

Joseph Pilates was a Genius!  Here are exercises where the arms / shoulders AND spine are ALL moving!  Much more complex and challenging to do well!  Notice how most of these are to the more Advanced end of the Pilates repertoire. If you haven’t mastered arms & shoulders moving around a stable spine & ribcage, and stable shoulders & arms to assist spine and ribcage mobility – in flexion, extension, side bending, and rotation, don’t expect any of the examples below to be done easily (or safely.). The risk of injury will increase, especially for the shoulder if the more basic exercises are still a challenge to do well.

Pull straps & T ( if lifting into extension and not just holding the body still and working on shoulder mechanics),  Rowing I & II, Long Back Stretch – reformer, Twist II – advanced Mat, Swan on the Reformer or Ladder Barrel, Breaststroke, Snake/twist, Boomerang, Mermaid -reformer, Cadillac, mat.

I love my job!  And thoroughly enjoy helping others find better connections to functional movement.  The day I shared this easy preparatory exercise to notice the difference between moving the arms and keeping the ribs still, and moving the ribs keeping the arms still, I saw all kinds of improvement on a lot of different exercises where more movement through the upper torso and thoracic spine was needed.

Stomach Massage Round and Hands Back are two good examples of putting this concept into action for a beginner. In Stomach Massage Round, the hands are stable to the front, and the ribs are lifting up, and away to the back for a lifted C-Curve.  In Stomach Massage Back, the Hands are behind the ribcage, and the spine extensors have to work while the ribs swing forward through the arms to open the chest and create more space across the front of the collar bones.

Hope you can visualize this and put it into practice!  I’d love to do a video on this for a visual – but didn’t want to wait to share it with you!  Drop me a note and let me know how this concept feels in your body, and what exercises you notice a difference on if you’re thinking about moving the arms on a stable spine/ribs, vs. stability with the arms and a moving ribcage.

Have a Great Day!  Hope to hear from you – Please share your thoughts about this, questions, ah-ha moments, and movement success!

Traditionally, this exercise is done with the arms in an overhead position.  But today, I’m going to share a version with you that keeps the arms low.  This will help keep some of the tension out of the upper neck and shoulders, and assist in training your muscles to fire more correctly to improve gait when you walk and run.  The action of the leg and arm lifting to the back is exactly what happens when you’re walking or running and swinging your arms!  Since most of what we do in life is in front of us, we sometimes lose sight of what’s going on behind us.   Hip extension strength, and the whole-back-of-the-body-strength and awareness are a part of what keeps our body in-balance and injury free.

Even though this is an “easier” version of swimming, I normally don’t teach this to right off the bat (even though it’s a really important part of good walking technique) because if you don’t have enough core strength in the front of the body to support the back, the back may feel worse, instead of better when you start doing extension exercises.   So be careful as you’re getting started with this, and be sure you’ve been regularly doing your basic Pilates Mat exercises before adding this Swimming exercise to your workout routine.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pilates Matwork – Slow Swimming Exercise (arms low)

• Lay on your stomach with your legs together in parallel, arms by your sides, and tip of the nose to the mat.
• Reach the tailbone towards the heels to lengthen the lower back, maintain some low ab support (but not so much that your belly won’t allow your back to arch.  It just needs to be a supported arch!)
• Inhale and reach the right leg and left arm up off the mat.  Exhale and lower them back to the floor.
• Inhale and reach the left leg and right arm up off the mat.  Exhale and lower the arm & leg back to the floor.
• Continue alternating for 5-10 repetitions on each side.

What To Watch For On This Pilates Swimming Exercise

1. Strive to lift the arm & leg an equal distance up off the mat.
2. Keep the pelvis and shoulders level and square to the floor.
3. Spine can be in extension, just be sure it’s the entire back, don’t overdo it with the neck or low back.
4. Use your proper muscle firing pattern to lift the arm & leg. It’s a diagonal line of support from the heel to the opposite shoulder.  (Hamstrings, Glutes, Opposite Side of the Low Back, Same Side as Low Back Lats, & Back of the Upper Arm.
5. Be sure the leg is initiating the lift from the hip joint (thigh bone moving to get to the heel), and the arm is lifting from the shoulder (upper arm bone moving to get to the hand).
6. The leg teeter-totters with the front of the hip bone (ASIS) going down towards the mat, while the whole leg lifts and heel goes up.
7. As the arm lifts to the back, keep it reaching for the heel.  The back of the arm should be working, front of the chest opening and stretching.
8. Feel your Abdominals “catch” the arm and leg as they lower back to the mat with a smooth, controlled motion.

When you practice the Pilates Matwork Slow Swimming Exercise (with the arms low) it’s the same feeling of muscle work you should notice on every step when you take a stride to walk or run.  Can you feel the Giant X of muscle support through the back of the body that alternates sides as you switch from lifting the right leg & left arm, to the left leg & right arm?  Though the front of the body you also have an X of support.  The Oblique Abdominals are working in opposition to your back X to help support the body as the opposite leg and arm is swinging forward.

This happens fast when you’re walking and running, so it’s good to slow things down a bit and focus on finding and feeling the right muscles work to support moving the arm and leg to the back.  Done well, you’re helping to release tight hip flexors and chest muscles by strengthening hip extensors, the upper back, and the back of the arm.

This much needed back-of-the-body strength that you’re developing with the Slow Swimming exercise helps keep your body in balance, for better whole-body health and reduced risk of back pain or injury.

Once you can feel everything working well when you’re practicing your Pilates Matwork, take what you’re feeling back up to a standing position, and incorporate the same muscle firing patterns into your walking and running to reinforce this great new habit of improved X-Support for whole-body health.  Before long, you won’t even have to think about it…everything will just work better, it will be easier to move, and you’ll be getting maximum benefits for better strength and flexibility with every exercise you do!

This “Runner’s Lunge” stretch on the Ladder Barrel is a great addition to your Pilates workout program and it can also be done at home on your stairs, or even with a chair.  It’s a good exercise to do anytime, but is especially important after a long walk, run, or bike ride, or if you’ve been sitting for awhile – working on your computer, or driving in the car.

I’m going to demonstrate the exercise with the Pilates Ladder Barrel so you get a good visual of body alignment.  Then we’ll talk about how to adapt this to a home exercise program using your stairs or with a chair.

Pilates Ladder Barrel Exercise:  Standing Runner’s Stretch

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Few Tips for Exercise Technique on the Hip Flexor Stretch

1. Stand facing the Ladder, and hold onto the top rung for balance.
2. Place the ball of the right foot on the highest rung you are comfortable with. (If your hips or hamstrings are tight – start on a lower rung and as your flexibility increases you can progressively put your foot higher on the Ladder.
3. Bend the front knee to lunge forward bringing the hips towards the Ladder, until you feel a stretch along the front of the hip and top of the thigh.
4. Hold the stretch and take 3-5 deep, long breaths.

*To tweak your technique and improve your stretch, paying attention to your body alignment is very important.

• Be sure the foot on the floor is parallel – with the toes & heel facing straight ahead.

• Keep the heel reaching down to anchor the standing leg and stretch the calf.

• The standing leg should stay straight with an unlocked knee.

• Be sure both knees are facing straight ahead, same direction as the toes.

• Your tailbone should lengthen down and out towards the back heel just a little to lengthen the lower back, while the lower abdominals pull up and in for support. This may place the pelvis in a slight tuck or scooped position.

• If you had headlights on your hip bones, both lights should be shining straight ahead.  Be sure to keep the top crest of the back hip (ASIS) reaching forward to the Ladder.

• Press forward with your standing leg from the back of the thigh where the leg meets the pelvis to help open the front of the hip for the best stretch.

• The farther forward your pelvis moves towards the Ladder, the more you should strive to lift your torso up, while you keep pressing the back heel down.

• Strive to find a long diagonal line with your body from your head to the heel.  Hips and shoulders stay square and even to the front.  Body lifts up, shoulders relax down.

A Few Tips for Exercise Technique on the Hamstring Stretch

1. After your 3-5 breaths for a hip opening stretch in the forward lunge, slowly straighten the front leg until you’re standing with two straight legs for a hamstring stretch.
2. If you started a good distance from the Ladder, when you straighten the top leg, your standing leg should be perpendicular/vertical to the floor.
3. Keep your hips square to the Ladder
4. Lengthen from the tailbone through the entire spine and out the top of the head, to bend forward over the top leg reaching your head to your knee (or ankle!)

• Ideally the pelvis will be hinging forward to give you a great stretch high in the back of the hamstring where the leg meets the butt.

• Hold this Hamstring stretch for 3-5 breaths.  On every exhale – if your leg and back relax strive to deepen the stretch and bend farther forward.

• BONUS STRETCH: You can also – flex the ankle and reach the heel for the next rung down for a deeper stretch down the back of the leg from the heel to the hip.

After 3-5 breaths here, shift your weight back to the upright diagonal and repeat the hip flexor stretch for another 3-5 breaths.  Then straighten the front leg out and repeat the Hamstring stretch.

Do this Alternating Runner’s to Hamstring Stretch  3-5 times on one side, then repeat the entire exercise with the other leg.

How To Do This Stretch Without A Pilates Ladder Barrel

If you’re at home, or out at the park and don’t have a Pilates Ladder Barrel handy, but your front foot up on a stair, park bench, back of your car bumper…  anything that’s an appropriate height to get a good stretch.  This exercise isn’t about balance – so be sure you’ve got something to hold onto, otherwise your legs will stay tense and restrict your ability to get a good stretch.

Remember, the better your body alignment, the better your stretch!  Continue to scan your body and tweak your technique for the best stretch possible in both positions during your Standing Pilates Ladder Barrel Runners Stretch.  The goal is to really open and stretch at the front of the hip – to release tight hip flexors at the top of the thigh, and lengthen and release tight hamstrings down the back of the thigh.  This combination will help you enjoy a freer swinging motion of the leg from the hip joint, and help keep your hips, legs and back healthy & injury-free.

It’s always a challenge to get a better Roll Up, Neck Pull, and Teaser, or Short Box Round on the Reformer with the full backbend and up.  Here are a few tips and thoughts to add a little extra to your Ab work and improve articulation so you can get the most from these and all of your Pilates exercises.

To improve flexion (bending your spine) the back has to relax/release while the abdominals work harder.  Practice feeling this by adding 4 levels of little “pulses” to your exercises.

• Roll the pelvis backwards almost to the waist on the mat.  Pulse 10-30 times bending two inches below the navel (L5). Feel & watch the low abs pull in while the low back relaxes and falls backwards in space deepening the low scoop.  Focus on feeling the pivot point at the bottom of the lumbar spine.
• Roll back farther – waist to the mat.  Pulse 10-30 times bending two inches above the navel (L1). Continue to feel the back relax and back bones drop backwards while watching the low and middle abs pull in and back as the head and shoulders bob forward.
• Roll back farther – pelvis, waist, and bottom ribs to the mat.  Pulse 10-30 times feeling the front of the bottom ribs dropping backwards in space as the pivot point for the pulse. (T-12).  Keep the lower back to the mat and feel it drop more as you pulse up.
• Stay with the bottom ribs to the mat.  Pulse 10-30 as the upper back relaxes the bottom ribs will get closer to the floor, but this time focus on feeling the shoulder blades spread apart while the breastbone drops and slides down the front of your shirt.

What Do I Do with My Arms While I’m Pulsing?

Hold the arms steady and strive not to use them to initiate the forward momentum of the pulse.  Let the back bones dropping backwards, and the abs pulling in and down be the reason you are “bobbing” slightly.

• Easy – Reach the arms straight forward over the legs.
• Moderate – “I Dream of Jeanie” or “Indian Chief”  Cross arms and hold up horizontal to the floor.  Reach out through the elbows while pulsing.
• Challenging – Hands behind the head.  This will help to support the neck more, especially on the lower 2 levels of pulses.  But behind the head removes the weight-lever assistance of the arms.  Be sure you are not using the arms to initiate the pulse up.
• Super Challenge – Arms straight overhead by ears, thumbs hooked.  Oh, My!!!  If you can do this and do it well,  you are a Pilates rock-star!

Which Exercises Can I Practice My Pulses On?

I recommend starting this with a ½ Roll Back, so the knees are bent and feet flat on the floor.  Then play with doing pulses during your Roll Up, Neck Pull, Teaser during Matwork.  Or add pulses to the Roll Down on the Cadillac, Rowing I and Short Box Round on the Reformer.  You can also add pulses to Rolling back exercises on the Arc Barrel/Spine Corrector.  Or on the chair, bending forward you can pulse on Washer Women and the Pike Up.  Look at the exercises you’re doing to determine if there’s a spot to add the variation of “Pulsing” and see if it might add value to improving abdominal strength or spine articulation for the exercise.

**You don’t have to “pulse” on every exercise in a workout!  Pick one or two exercises and add this as a variation to help you improve your strength and flexibility.

Do I Start from a Sitting Position or Lying Down?

Start seated and let gravity help you.  We actually get stronger during the rolling back portion of these exercises.  (With the eccentric contraction phase of the abdominals).  Practice pulsing backwards first,  perhaps pulse back all 4 levels and repeat 3-5 times.  Then when you’re ready for more of a challenge, go back 4 levels, and up 4 levels, and repeat 2-3 times.

There’s lots of room for modification with reps of pulses and the number of times you repeat the exercise so you can work at your own pace and keep challenging yourself for improvements!

I Need Help and Don’t Have a Roll Down Bar at Home!

Use a theraband or exercise tubing and loop it around your feet.   Then hang on with your arms straight and let the band assist you.   Just be careful that it doesn’t slip off and whack you in the face!

Final Thoughts on Pulsing with Pilates

Some of the most challenging Ab work I’ve ever done was in sessions with Kathy Grant at the PMA conferences.  Kathy had an amazing ability to take the work and make it beautifully fluid and agonizingly challenging all at the same time.   I remember doing several exercises in  Kathy’s sessions that  utilized pulsing.  It was fun, and it was hard!

This past October, while I was working with Michael Broeg D.C. from Clearsprings Health Center  he taught me a new series of exercises that also involved pulsing, and I was amazed at how quickly my body got stronger with just a couple of exercises that involved little “bobs.”

Give it a whirl, or a pulse, or a bob…and then drop me a note and let me know what you discover!

• How many pulses could you do the first time you tried on a ½ Roll Back?
• How many days a week did you add a pulsing exercise to your workout?   1, 2, 3, or more?
• How quickly did you notice improvements in your strength and flexibility?

I was working with a client this week, and we got off on a discussion about the use of mirrors for Pilates exercise programs.

So what’s a positive benefit of having mirrors to watch the body during Pilates exercises?

1. You can get a quick form check, and see body alignment do’s and don’ts.
2. If you (or your clients) don’t have the body awareness to “feel” where they are at in space, a mirror can help them “see” what they are doing.

And the not-so-great benefits of using mirrors for Pilates:

1. If people have a negative body image – every time they look in the mirror, they may be mentally beating themselves up for how they look, which is emotionally counter-productive to using the mirror for positive corrections in technique.
2. People tend to over rely on mirror to get feedback on form and posture, instead of “feeling” where their body is in space and making adjustments from there.
3. Once the head turns to check out what’s happening in the mirror, correct muscle use and alignment changes,  and this may not be optimal for the exercise.
4. Mirrors may not be on both sides of the body, so if the head turns to take a peek at your body position – it may be turning the same direction every time you check things out in the mirror.  This means we may actually be developing muscle imbalances when the goal of Pilates training is balanced muscle development!

We are a visual society, and our eyes are helpful in improving technique.  But Pilates is about deepening the mind-body connection to improve whole-body health.  If you have to always “see” what you’re doing – only one of your senses is being developed. If you have to rely on your Pilates teacher to always “see” what you’re doing, you are relying on somebody else’s eyeballs to bring things to your conscious awareness, and over time, you may begin to feel somewhat co-dependent on your Pilates trainer.

But if YOU can feel it, YOU can fix it!

And developing this body awareness will carry through from your Pilates exercises out of the studio and back to daily life!  When this happens, everything you do for exercise and movement can be done with the principles of Pilates in mind, and the results will be amazing!

So if you’re a constant head-turning, mirror watching, Pilates student (or teacher!)  – I want to challenge you to make it all the way through a workout without taking a peek at your posture in the mirror!  Feel what you’re doing and enjoy the challenge of Looking IN instead of Out to help deepen your body awareness and maximize the benefits from your Pilates workouts.

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Love to hear what you think about Mirrors vs. No Mirrors for Pilates Workouts:

• If you’re a Pilates teacher….what are your thoughts on using mirrors with your Pilates students? Are they more of a help or hindrance to you?
• If you’re a Pilates student…on average – how many times during a workout do you normally take a peek at your posture in the mirror?

While it’s fun to do the wilder Pilates exercises, my philosophy is to choose exercises in my client workout programs that:

1. Work the Pilates System – and follow a good sequence of the order for moving the body as Joseph Pilates would have done going through the full repertoire of Pilates exercises.
   To me this means incorporating stabilization, passive and active movement, flexion, extension, side-bending, and rotation of the spine, arm and leg strengthening & stretching into every Pilates training session.
2. Keep a focus on specific goals identified by the client and myself to target for improvement, and noting the specific exercises in their training program and “homework” that are helping us reach these goals.
3. Emphasize proper form, breathing, and muscle firing patterns, so that every Pilates exercise and transition is useful and beneficial.

We do have to “pick our battles”  since it’s impossible to correct everything  at once.  But I strive for as little “cheating” as possible so that regardless of the exercise, maximal benefits will be achieved.   Clients should always be paying attention to what’s working to support their efforts, and what muscles are working, releasing, and which joints are moving to be most efficient with their Pilates exercises.

I was taught that Joe Pilates  low-repetition philosophy was designed so that the last repetition done for each exercise would always be the best one you’ve EVER done!

This process helps to leave our muscles with the memory of how to execute movement correctly.  If we become too fatigued to do things well, our body will start to recruit muscles that should not be participating in the effort, and if this is the last thing we do, our brain will store the information of using the wrong muscles to do the work.

More is not always better. I believe this holds true not only for the number of repetitions that we do, but also for the number of exercises, and the level of exercises (basic, intermediate, advanced).

While it might be “fun” for us as teachers to challenge our students with a very difficult advanced exercise, ask yourself the following questions before introducing it:

• Is the exercise appropriate for the goals of the client?
• Does it have a true purpose in their program?
• And have they done all of the preparatory exercises needed before they get to this exercise so that the body is strong and flexible enough to successfully execute this new and difficult task safely?

If the answer to all three of these questions is yes, then I’d consider adding this new challenge to their workout program.

If the answer is no – go back to basics, see what other Pilates exercises you can work with to continue progressing clients forward so that over time, perhaps you’ll arrive at a wild advanced move.  But it needs to be wildly RELEVANT for their health and well-being!

Remember, as teachers we are talking and doing Pilates all day long, every day!  Our clients only hear what we are saying an hour or two a week.  The learning curve for them is slower – they are not hearing or doing their Pilates exercises as many times as each of us as Pilates teachers are cuing them! So there’s no need to rush willy-nilly into super-advanced moves.

Regardless of how long clients have been doing Pilates, if it’s been less than a year or 15 years plus…  Getting back to basics is always a great way to peel back a few more layers of the onion and get a deeper understanding and appreciation of your body, the work and release, and can really help fine-tune your Pilates exercise program for maximum benefits from every exercise regardless of whether it’s a beginner, intermediate, or advanced move.

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What are your thoughts on Pilates programming and introducing new exercises?

Discover helpful tips and strategies for getting the most from your Pilates exercises to improve your ability to bend and articulate every segment of the back smoothly and easily.

I’ve been on a rant the last couple of weeks with my Pilates clients with the goal of helping them to improve their 100’s curl, as well as getting better articulation through the upper back on exercises like the Roll Up, Teaser, and Neck Pull – Three challenging exercises for most beginner Pilates clients..

If you observe participants executing any of the above Pilates exercises, you’ll either notice smooth, sequential articulation of the spine – in which case the exercises are easy!  Or the head leads, then the next place the body bends is almost at the waist!  When this happens, the upper body is moving as a “chunk.”  Instead of the back muscles releasing and breastbone softening to help the front of the body bend forward more effectively.

When the whole upper body is held stiff, it completely restricts smooth movement, and makes it difficult to properly  engage the abdominals for effective core support.

Here are my Ah-Ha revelations, a couple of preparatory exercises , and helpful tips that I’ve found useful  to help my Pilates clients free up their upper body and improve their ability to bend forward with ease for all of their Pilates Exercises.

1. Rib Expansion & Contraction (rise and fall)

When inhaling the entire ribcage fills with air, and the ribs separate.  On exhaling, the ribs should come closer together, so there is pliability through the entire chest.

Strive on the exhale to see and feel the highest ribs (right below the collar bones and under the armpits) begin softening or actively come closer together.  Lots of people expand under the armpits, but don’t release these muscle on the exhale.

This will help lengthen the spine and help the upper back drop closer to the mat placing the back in a better position to articulate well while peeling off the mat to curl up during exercise.

2. Breastbone Slide Exercise

Stand facing the wall and place both hands on the wall in a “push-up” position.  Keep the arms straight and lower abdominals lifted.  Inhale to stand tall and on the exhale pull the shoulders down while sliding the breastbone down the front of your shirt to flex the upper spine.  The bottom tips of the shoulder blades should spread wide to make room for the breastbone to move backwards between the blades.

Inhale to return to center – standing tall.  Exhale to pull the shoulder blades down and slide the breastbone up and forward reaching it towards the wall in front of you.  Keep the elbows straight and feel the upper back bones move towards the breastbone as it slides up and forward.  The upper back moves into extension.

Inhale to return to center .  Continue alternating between the breastbone sliding downward and the upper back moving into flexion, and the breastbone sliding up and forward as the spine moves into extension.

3. Standing Roll Down on the Wall

Stand with your back against the wall, and either together or hip-width apart as far out to the front as needed to get the entire back from your tailbone to the head firmly pressed to the wall.

Maintain lower abdominal support throughout the exercise to keep the lower back firmly against the wall.  Arms and shoulders remain hanging and relaxed throughout the exercise.

Inhale to stand tall, exhale and nod the chin to the chest. Inhale and exhale to continue forward bending.  Watch the breastbone slide down  the front of the shirt, and move backwards towards the wall between the shoulder blades.  Continue breathing and forward bending to the bottom of the breastbone.  Lower abs stay lifted.

Take as many breaths as needed to roll down the wall peeling one segment of the back off the wall at a time to the bottom of the shoulder blades.  Take as many breaths as needed to roll back up to a tall standing position one segment at a time.  Lower back and lower abs stay firmly against the wall.

Tip for Maximum Movement on this Exercise:

The collar bones should rotate like a rotisserie. Then each rib from the top to the bottom of the breastbone should rotate and move backwards under the collarbones to effectively deepen the upper back flexion.  Strive to put the front ribs that are attached to the breastbone, and the breastbone on the wall behind you, then peel the back off the wall to bend forward. If you have a partner or spotter, they can lightly place their hands on  the front ribs to help find this movement.  The breastbone slides down and back while the ribs rotate and move back and up to bend forward.

I use these three exercises to help improve awareness of rib, breastbone, and upper back movement.  Then take this body awareness and new movement habits back to all of the Pilates exercises that require a forward bend. Hand support behind the head will help when beginning to transfer these concepts to curling the head and upper body off the mat.  The Roll Down Bar and Push Through Bar on the Cadillac are also helpful to improve forward bending and reinforce these new muscle habits.

Every Pilates exercise that requires a C-Curve, needs this whole-spine flexibility to achieve optimal body alignment and muscle use for maximum benefits from every forward bending exercise. These tips and fundamental exercises are great to incorporate  into Pilates workouts, and also make great “homework” exercises!

Have Fun & Happy Forward Bending!