Keep Feeling Pilates Fascination
Although it’s not news…
Constantly at the forefront of my Pilates Radar: Lift!
I am a huge fan of the lift inherent in every Pilates exercise.
Gravity, I defy you!
But what’s even better than a barrel full of Towers and Monkeys?
Let’s turn it on its head.
The plot thickens…
5 topsy-turvy ways to get a leg up on your LIFT
Join me for this week’s video blog and we’ll take a look at the following meat-and-potatoes exercises:
1. Rolling Like a Ball
One of the first upside down exercises you’ll learn is Rolling Like a Ball. Yes, it’s a quick one, you’ll not be inverted for long, but you will learn to lift your bottom up into the air. Later in the system you’ll employ this same skill with deeper control and for a longer duration.
Check out how your muscles can help you to elongate the lifted and inverted back.
Yes. YOUR muscles.
2. Open leg Rocker
Now slightly more time is spent with your bottom in the air, and the long limbs in this one may help to exaggerate the “suspension” of your lift to the ceiling before you roll right side up again.
Hey, you’ve got more control now!
Pretend you could reach your tailbone all the way to the ceiling, as though you could keep it there, before you roll back up. Work your muscles for as smooth a rolling experience as you can muster.
3. Tower
In this Cadillac exercise you’ll gain more hang time, but your lift must now fight against some pretty strong spring tension. Lift your waist in every moment of this exercise and you’ll have a wonderful yummy reward as you roll back down.
Oh, and don’t let that bar push you around.
4. Jackknife/Overhead
Touch your toes to the ceiling on this one. Lift your waist and use your bottom while it’s up there and all the way down…uhm…remember the Tower? Here’s where your memory of the push thru bar can help you.
Why spend all that time at the Cadillac, if not for this particular moment?
5. Control Balance
Lately it has been hard to hide my love for this one. The Mat, The Reformer, I love them both. The trick is to keep your lift especially when it wants to leave you the most – as you change the legs. This is Prime Time Lift Time or you will get sinky in your back…
🙁
no bueno…
Enjoy!
6 Responses
Yeah! That was awesome Andrea! So many tips packed into this ten minute gem.
And…then…this corresponds to the….OverheadD on the reformer 😉 Yes! I shall conquer one day…
Spine corrector practice last week, Lift practice this week. So grateful for your expertise; Thanks!
Corrie 🙂
Yes, this post is full of the things I love – lift and being upside down – yay! So glad you are enjoying and yes – perfect for your practice of the Overhead…coincidence? Have a great Pilates week and I look forward to seeing you on Friday!
xox
Andrea
Thanks Andrea!! Love how you link the exercises! Shapes in Space!!! Love to use this term to describe how the exercises repeat in different forms. Great videos! Have you done a series that includes Tendon Stretch on the reformer? Especially how to work up to doing it single leg? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Hi Sally,
Thank you so much for reading, watching and sharing your kind words on the blog. Oh my, your suggestion is wonderful. I too find the Tendon Stretch on the Reformer (up to and including of course the one-leg variations) to be super challenging. Perhaps that is even an understatement. Yes, I am happy to work on some of the tips and tricks and progressions that I use to keep myself on the path to “perfection” ha ha with this exercise.
Thank you so much for suggesting this topic and please if there are other topics or exercises you’d like to see on the blog, just let me know 🙂
Cheers to you – and thanks for being awesome!
Hi Andrea! Recently I saw a picture of someone doing the Tower, and their spine was totally perpendicular to the floor, forming a totally straight line with the legs. I know it exactly as you show it, same goes for everything else, and I was wondering, is that a different version or an advanced version? Cause then I saw the same thing as a version of the Longspine on the Reformer. And then I started noticing pictures of the Control Balance on the mat where it looked similar. Any ideas? Thank you!
Hi Theodora,
Thanks so much for reading, watching and for sharing your thoughts and questions.
You are correct in your observations.
The photo at the top of the post of my Tower is not all the way into the fullest position. I have a hard time bending my mid back and I work very hard to extend the hip and get out of my legs and into my seat…which it appears I am still working on at the time of this photo.
But yes, the standard position of the back is perpendicular to the mat as you say, just like jackknife, control balance and every other exercise when you find yourself in this inverted position. Thank you so much!