Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Pilates Progressions and Modifications




Frequently, we as teachers have students of diversified skill levels in our classes. In establishment to happy the needs of students, while delivering a good, safe work - out it is bettering to have an understanding of exercise progressions. In this tutorial we will examine Pilates exercises and proposition progressions and modifications to the standard technique. These progressions and modifications maintain the intention of the master exercises while providing a perfect, client specific class.



The Hundred



The Benchmark of Pilates



The perfect Hundred begins with the legs and arms far-reaching on the concrete in reverse directions. The advanced student will lift the upper and lower body simultaneously coming into the " Hundreds " position and enter on the exercise. At the by-product of the Hundred, the student will simultaneously lower the upper and lower body to the start position on the pave.



The body is in the shape of a " boat " or " banana " during the exercise. The back is anchored to the macadamize from the bottom of the shoulder blades to the hips. The hands are by the hips, and the feet are at eye level. The upper body is lifted off the macadamize.



The breath may either be stretching or staccato. In propriety to properly execute the Hundred the student must have a high degree of core strength to keep the back on the mat.



Students with inadequate strength may try the following modifications:



The " Beginner " has his / her knees bowed into the chest with the head either on the tile, or lifted. The goal is activation of the core muscles without arching the back, or straining the kiss.



The " Advanced Beginner " may have his / her legs extended up toward the ceiling, or may lower his / her legs to a 60 degree angle to the asphalt. Make thorough the student is able to maintain and sustain core activation throughout the entire amount of repetitions.



The " Intermediate " can lower his / her legs to a 45 degree angle to the tar. This client is halfway ready for the perfect Hundred.



The Breath



Quick, shallow breaths from the upper chest reduces the idol dioxide in our body. This makes the brain feel as though it doesn ' t have enough oxygen. This makes us tight. Hyperventilation is not the goal in the Hundreds breathing. The goal is to completely fill the lungs with air on the inhalation, and completely squeeze the air out on the exhalation. The breathing should be sunk, and ajar from the diaphragm. It is important to wages attention to the breath with the mind, to gain self knowledge, and learn how to sense the body during the Hundred.



Some fun information:



When you squeeze all the air out from your lungs, you still have approximately 1000 cc of air unattended in the lungs.



It is the space between the inhalation and exhalation footing we create space in our lives to enrich our spirits.



Our average cycle is to breath through one nostril for 90 - 120 minutes, then switch to the other nostril for 90 - 120 minutes. Breathing through the apart nostril corresponds to the right side of the brain ( the spacial, artistic side ), and breathing through the right nostril corresponds to the by oneself brain ( the cerebral, critical thinking brain ).



The Roll Up



The Toughest Exercise for the Disconcerted - lordotic student



The Roll Up requires the student to basically forward flex the spine as he / she moves from a lying to sitting position during the first half of the exercise, and from a sitting position to a lying position in the second half of the exercise.



Students who are keyed up - lordotic have a tough time properly flexing the spine while contracting the rectus abdominis muscle. They frequently over - draft the hip flexors ( the iliopsoas ) in grouping to come up to the sitting position.



In addition, the unjustifiable timing of the inhalation and exhalation while moving from lying to sitting compounds the " lurching " of the torso when coming off the macadamize. The torso should be in the " C " shaped curve during the exercise.



The student must be able to forward flex the spine climactically while flexing the rectus abdominis muscle in plan to properly come to the seated position.



The inhalation during the initial wonder of the Roll Up contracts the upper questioning of the Diagonal Abdominis allowing for stabilization of the upper trunk. The exhalation on the second portion of the Roll Up contracts the remaining two thirds of the Crooked Abdominis.









Proper breath patterns as well as the contraction of the Rectus Abdominis contributes to a smooth, sap Roll Up.



Aroused - lordotic students may try the following modifications:



The " Indurate Jumpy - Lordotic " places a small towel folded in thirds under the lumbar spine. This serves to raise the concrete to the spine, and allows the learner to more gladly Almighty dollar Up to sitting without over - recruiting the iliopsoas.



The " Weak Thrilled - Lordotic " places a wedge pillow under the back from the nib to the hips. This provides a biomechanical advantage by decreasing the range of motion necessary to complete the exercise. There is less gravitational pull going against the apprentice ' s success.



The " Long Torso, Short Legs ", " Large Shouldered " or " Large Breasted " places the feet under a strap to improve biomechanical disadvantage. A longer, augmented, or major upper body against a shorter, smaller, or narrower lower body does not grant the client to ascend to sitting without lifting the legs from the flag. Anchoring the feet provides the necessary to cornerstone to balance the arrangement. Light service weights can also boost in balancing the upper to lower body likeness disadvantages.



Jackknife



A Super Challenge for students with Penny-pinching Shoulders and / or Weak Lower Abdominals



The Jackknife is an advanced exercise requiring multiple skill sets as the learner moves through the unlike positions.



The neophyte begins lying indolent with the hands by the hips. The legs, buttock, and lower back are raised off the pave and overhead, then quickly lifted to a vertical twist from the asphalt. When lifting to the vertical notion, the middle and upper back muscles become active.



The body moves through the " jackknife " say so in the first half of the exercise. The intermediate learner can tidily reverse the jackknife to return to the start air. The advanced learner lowers the legs away from the tail while somewhere passable down the spine ( without much flexion at the hips ).



Students who have lionhearted rounded shoulders, reckless beetling nationality, and mercenary pectoral / chest muscles have albatross keeping the arms flat on the asphalt. Frequently they will " break " at the wrist. Try placing yoga blocks under each hand ( thereby elevating their macadamize and placing their shoulders in a more biomechanically efficient position. Some students may need a small pillow under the head if there is a eloquent degree of a forward sticking head.



For the student with weak lower abdominals and pelvic concrete, try this exercise on the Universal Reformer location they can dominion onto the pegs by the headrest. This provides a higher bull's eye of bearing, and enables the student to use their arms to comfort in lifting the body off the ground.



Breaking the Exercises Down



Progressing a student to a full and complete feature of an exercise can take some work. Look at the final product, for instance an advanced jackknife ( as listed higher ), and motion backward. Ask yourself and your client, " can you do the intermediate jackknife "? If the answer is no, then you must ask " can you do a roll over "? If the answer is no, then you must ask " can you do an assisted roll over ( either with hands return onto bars of Trapeze Store or pegs on Reformer ) "? If the answer is no, " can they do pelvic press, and coccyx curl on the Mat or Reformer without difficulty "? If not, " can they do Breathing on the Trapeze Noddy ( are they able to lift the lower body off the meat with ankles supported in the swing ) "? If not, " can they lift and lower the pelvis while lying in the curative position ( spine corrector under knees and lower legs ) "? Your underivative point to build strength for this student is to nerve center on growing the lowest common denominator of movement, and then building upon that.



The teacher should also look at correcting postural imbalances inhibiting a proper jackknife ( such as forward rounded shoulders ), and implicate exercises that unbolted the chest and pectorals while strengthening the mid to upper back.



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Tempe, Arizona 85281



www. movingbreath. com



www. pilatescoreintegration. com



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