Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should
By Sunni Almond
March 21, 2018
In the Pilates world, there’s lots of ‘going the distance’. There are bendy people who can stretch all over the place and there are tighter folks who have no stretch whatsoever. Stretching further may look fancier to their tighter-hipped friends, but it isn’t necessarily better. We try to encourage our clients to do what isn’t always so available and easy. Us bendy folks need to be reined in some. Stability and the infamous 2-way stretch needs to be kept in mind, when you reach away, you must also be pulling in towards the center, so everything is controlled – both the stretch part of the move and the stability part of the move. Strength is built by not using momentum to move – it requires purposeful movement. Joe Pilates called it Contrology; it feels like trying to gain control over every fiber of your being, and it’s really damned hard to do, even in the more basic exercises. That’s why there is an order to follow and foundation to lay and people have to pay the toll, so to speak, and earn the right to do a move.
Not going as far as they can may be the appropriate thing to bring stability to a hyper-mobile or bendy person. Examples would be taking the carriage all the way out in Long Stretch or the Knee Stretch series – that alters the emphasis of where the work is intended to be. It is much more correct to move a shorter distance with complete control than it is to show off. Moving the carriage all the way out often causes the lower back to take the hit, leading to hanging in your shoulders and hauling yourself into making it an arm exercise … not what we are looking for.
Another example is Elephant; if it becomes a distance move, structural integrity is gone. It’s supposed to be about abdominal strength while the hamstrings get a lovely stretch as you dig your heels in. The back is nicely lifted and rounded and the abs work like crazy to return you after your 4-6 inch journey to the dark side. The Elephant is found from looking at the body from the head, eyes gazing up into the abs-ish area or bellybutton, the chest is set up over the gear or bar area (depending on the body), the arms are long and the abdominals are pushing up in towards the spine creating the rounded upper back look of an elephant – like an upside down letter ‘U’.
Let’s look at Spine Stretch Forward, Tower, and Push Through.
I often see Spine Stretch Forward done as a hip hinge, I used to do it that way … guilty, guilty, guilty.
In my head, it just felt good, I am one of those ‘bendy’ people. But this is completely not what the exercise is about. If you look at pics of Joe, his hands are in front of him on the mat and they slide forward as his ribs lift off the thighs and his abdominals make their way towards the back body, thereby stretching the low back, hence the name Spine Stretch. Very different!
The goal is a BIG flipping lift in the spine with the signature C curve and the head dropped to the mat between the thighs if possible. The ribs have to move back to make room, as do the abdominals. Killer hard shizzz. Once you know this, you are responsible for having that information and doing the right thing. A lot of clients hated what I find to be the correct way as it was easier before – but if it’s easy or comfortable, it may not be Pilates.
As for the Tower. How fun it is so send that Push Thru bar all the way up to top? Perhaps, though, you can ask where the sticky spot is that you have in Roll Up. Tower is not about how high you can push up the bar, it’s about where in your back more opening is required. SHOCKER!! Try rolling up just to that place in your spine that needs the stretch, all the time pushing your hamstrings away and reaching your tail away. Not nearly as much fun, actually; now it’s work. So once again, I apologize for taking away your fun, but you and your clients will advance faster by giving them this corrective exercise to stretch and open the tight places. Hang out there, flex and point your toes a few times, bend and stretch your knees. It’ll feel good and bad, but remember to not get compressive, and sink into it. Look for lift even if your sticky spot is lower on the back and on the return trip, really anchor it to the mat. Press your hands into the uprights as if you were squeezing the Magic Circle and push the poles away from you at the same time. Lots of upper body and arm engagement there.
While we are talking Push Thru, let’s actually do it. Push the Push Thru bar up, stretch taller, lift out of your waist, knuckles always forward so you keep a long wrist, let your hands slide around the bar as you lower back enough to lift your ribcage up and the lats and upper abdominals come to work together to push the bar through to the uprights. If your elbows bend, you lose the game. Arms stay long. That 1 spring is hard to pull back on and getting your upper abs and back to press it down enough to push through to the uprights is no easy feat.
So, I invite you to give those ideas a try and see how they feel to you. See how your clients feel about getting their abs and backs to participate in the fun. I’ll bet you they’ll get stronger and that ‘A-Ha’ moment will come when they get it.
Remember, a tall, lifted and open back supported by strong abdominals and all parts working together is required in all the work.
Join us over at Going More Joe to get more tips, on how these exercises and more are done in the classical world. Pssst … we don’t bite.
Workshops are coming that will really help you SEE your clients’ bodies making you more effective advancing your journey.
Join us over at Going More Joe to get more tips, on how these exercises and more are done in the classical world. Pssst … we don’t bite.
Big Thanks to The Pilates Firm Las Vegas, studio and teacher Ashley Lafferty for being my model.
Website: www.temeculapilates.com