Pilates Workouts
Spine Stretch:
If your back feels tight or if you just want a healthy and mobile spine then this is the stretch for you. You will feel longer, stretched and more flexible. This is a flowing movement, not a static stretch. To keep your spine lengthening up and to stop you collapsing into the stretch, imagine that you have a beach ball in front of you, and lift up and over the ball. As you come upright again, imagine that your back is rolling up a pole, vertebra by bertebra, and take care to keep this alignment from your head to your hips, do not lean forward, or away from the imaginary pole.
Purpose: To stretch the spine.
Target Muscles: Erector spinae, hamstrings, adductors and abdominals.
Repetitions: Repeat 10 times.
First Position:
1. Sit upright with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Create as much length through your spine as possible. Keep the shoulders relaxed.
2. Let your chin gently drop to your chest, then roll down bone by bone through your spine. as you do so, gently reach forward with your hands. Keep your abdominals hollowed throughout. Roll back up to the starting position and lengthen up through your spine. Do not collapse into the stretch, but lift up through the abdominals and spine. Exhale as you lower into the stretch.
Checkpoints:
– Do not collapse into the stretch
– Keep the movement flowing and continuous
– Let your head float up to the ceiling.
Second Position:
The movement is the same as before, but this time straighten the legs and flex your feet, lengthening the heels away. Bend the knees lightly if you find this uncomfortable. The legs should be parted as far as is comfortable. As you roll up create as much length as possible between the vertebrae. Keep your buttocks on the floor.
Checkpoints:
– Do not have the legs too far apart
– Visualize reaching up and over a beach ball
– Roll up vertebra by vertebra.
