Technique On A Tuesday; Rib Wrap/ Shoulder Press Down/ Plum Line {and the Pilates neck pull}.

Recently I have taken on teaching three one hour mat Pilates classes a week while the regular instructor is on a break. I'm grateful for the opportunity, especially since Pilates is somewhat in my wheelhouse and the classes are scheduled during school hours. Working three evenings a week as it is is enough for me and my family.

Outside of subbing mat Pilates on and off over the last year and a half I haven't really been doing classes that much. I sort of forgot how intense mat Pilates can be. How it can encompass the whole body. There are even movements that focus on upper body strength and form.

Mat Pilates ties in very nicely to some of the other formats that I teach; classical ballet technique and Balletone (a combination of fitness, ballet technique, yoga inspired movements and pilates).

One of the things that I love about Balletone is the teaching methodology that is an important part of the program. One major aspect of the methodology is placing focus on a specific part of a movement in a series of movements. It might be the quality of the movement (sharp or slow) or range of movement (low or wide) or applying extra focus on something technical. As was the case in what I focused on last week through much of what I taught.

The relationship between the rib cage and the shoulders as well as the center or what I like to refer to as the plum line of the body.

For Balletone I cued throughout the various movements for my students to imagine the muscles of the rib cage wrapping around the front of the ribs. Much like a corset. Then to imagine the shoulders as the plunger handle for a TNT detonator.

 I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I'm really into visuals. Sometimes the more cartoony the better.
Just think about it, a plunger on a detonator has a certain amount of resistance or hydraulics to it. It's that feeling I'm trying to illustrate. A controlled amount of downward pressure in conjunction with the wrapping of the rib cage muscles. Then, while all that is going on, think about the plum line of the body as a pole drilling up through the center of the body to the sky.

There is the wrapping of the ribs coming in from the sides, the sustained downward pressure or resistance of the shoulder complex, and then the ascending energy of the plum line "pole".

By shifting the focus to this trio of muscle controls on the posture of the body revealed new layers to movements we had done many times before in Balletone.

For one of the mat Pilates classes I wanted to apply this trio to breaking down the Pilates neck pull exercise.
I have done the neck pull a few times in the past. It is a rather advanced move, that despite its name, does not involve any pulling on the neck. Rather a sustained amount of pressure of the interwoven fingers against the back of the skull to create a lengthening effect.
I was a little intimidated to whip it out, so I made sure to prepare modifications for participants who were not quite ready for the full neck pull. I wanted to make sure everyone had something to work on. I also included builder exercises in the warm up that would pertain to the actual neck pull exercise.
When applying the rib cage/shoulder press-down/plum line lengthening, well, it made the exercise pretty intense. At least I thought so.

One long time student of Pilates mentioned after class that while doing the side line (a set of exercises done while balancing on the side of the body) portion of the class she felt exhausted. She usually found the side line portion of class very doable, but that day's class was really giving her run for her money. Aha! One of the great things about shifting the focus to a specific part of the body. Breaking out of the norm every now and again;
When shifting intense focus to just one or two parts of the body, other parts fire up in ways you never thought possible. Example; focusing on the rib wrap and shoulder set through various exercises made it less noticeable that the glutes and quads were working like crazy to support what you were asking of the ribs and shoulders. This becomes especially apparent when you shift back to focusing on what you would normally focus on. The muscles of the legs were probably working much harder and in a different way when we had our focus on the ribs and shoulders.

One of the first things I fell in love with about Pilates is that once you concur one challenge there is another one eagerly awaiting your efforts. Ballet technique is very similar. There is always something to improve upon. Pilates and ballet technique can often be like peeling back the layers of an infinity onion. No matter how many layers you peel back there is another one waiting to be peeled. And they might make you cry.

Simple exercise to engage the rib wrap/ shoulder press.  

Start by laying on your back on the floor, using a mat if you need extra cushioning. Knees bent, feet flat on the floor, legs hips width apart. Make sure hips, knees and ankles are all tracking.

Inhale. As you exhale feel the front of the ribs knit together as you pull the belly button towards the spine. Repeat 2-3 more times.

Next, inhale. As you exhale feel the backs of the shoulder blades slide down the back, as if you are trying to slide them into your back pockets. Repeat 2-3 more times.

Finally, inhale. As you exhale combine the rib wrap/shoulder press down as you pull the belly button towards the spine. Repeat 2-3 more times.

You can challenge this in a sitting position and while standing with feet in parallel.

Thanks for hanging out.

Enjoy the dance that is life!

~Erin.

A Couple of Pilate Moves; Swim and Grasshopper.

I used to attend Pilates Mat class pretty regularly. Between changes in my schedule and life in general, over the last few years I haven't gone as much. I incorporate many Pilates exercises in what I do with my teen dancers and last summer I had the opportunity to sub a handful of Pilates Mat classes. I still sub here and there. But teaching isn't always the same as doing. Even though I frequently do the exercises along with my students and attendees, the focus is very different. Because I'm cuing the breath patterns, for me at least, means I'm not fully utilizing the power of the breathing patterns throughout a given exercise. Which is kind of ironic, since aside from the close relation to movements found in Ballet technique I was drawn to the art of learning how to breath through movements that is an important aspect of Pilates training.. Breathing was always something I struggled with as a young dancer. It wasn't long after my fourth kiddo was born that I started Pilates. At that point in my life I realized that by midday I had usually replaced breathing with hollering. So learning how to breath through movements, especially during the most strenuous parts, was a sort of awakening for me.

So with all that said, when I slip into a Pilates class I usually get my butt kicked in some fashion. In a good way of course.

In between subbing some classes the other day I was able to do just that, and catch the second half of a Pilates mat class from one of my favorite instructors, the lovely Amy. I always learn something new. Whether it's an exercise or a new layer of technique revealed.

Before attempting these, or any exercises for that matter, make sure you are warmed up. Don't go into them cold. Do some squats or jog in place for a bit to get heat to your muscles. Push ups are a good body heater upper. One of these days I will post some quick warm ups.

"Swim" is not a new mat exercise to me, but this particular combo was.

Laying prone (stomach down) on the mat, legs parallel, feet pointed. Arms lengthened overhead. Core, as well as quads and glutes engaged. Shoulders pulled and set down away from the ears.

Inhale; lift and lengthen R leg and L arm. Hold for 2-3 counts.

Exhale; lower

Repeat other side.

Go through that 2-3 more times.

Then stay on one side. With the breathing pattern lift and lower just the R leg/L arm.

Repeat other side.

Repeating on just one side made me see where I had to fire up a bit more on the supporting side of my body.

"Grasshopper" was completely new to me.

Laying prone on the mat, legs are straight and about hip width apart. Feet are pointed and legs are turned out (insides of the thighs should be rotated toward the ground and heels are touching). Place hands under forehead, hand over hand.

Inhale; keeping the front of the pelvis pressed into the mat, lengthen and lift the legs, keeping them straight and feet pointed.

Exhale; using 3 short, quick exhalations, flexing at the knees, cross and gently beat the ankles R L R.

Inhale; straighten the legs, still lengthened and lifted off the mat.

Exhale; lower legs to the mat. Control the movement so the legs don't just fall to the mat. Keep the pelvis pressed to the mat throughout the movements.

Each repetition change the pattern of the ankle beats. So the next one you would beat L R L. Do a 3-5 sets.

I had a pictorial breakdown of keeping the knees level, but I just couldn't reconcile the "crotch head on" angle. The words below are much better!


So what I loved about this exercise was the focus on the knees. During the beating action of the ankles the challenge is to keep the knees in their exact spot from the leg lift. This requires stabilizing the hip, pelvic and glute muscles, while simultaneously isolating the lower legs for freedom of movement. Try to keep the knees at the height of the initial leg lift and level, as if they are set on a tabletop. For me that's the sweet spot of this exercise. Feet staying pointed keeps everything from head to toe engaged.
I instantly saw a dozen ways this exercise could shed light on aspects of Ballet technique, as well as muscle and movement control through a sequence of movements.

This next bit isn't necessarily an exercise as much as it is a reminder of proper placement.
When on all fours (think "Cat and Cow"), it is important to maintain hip over knee/shoulder over wrist alignment. It's all to easy to stray a little out of proper placement, as I was reminded of the other day. Oh, it's those tiny layers that can be so grueling. But oh so important to go back to and review!

The problem is shifting, even a small amount, of the weight from a neutral tabletop position to one where there is too much weight into the arms and wrists. This happens when the hips are shifted in front of the knees.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but my hips are not aligned over directly over my knees, and I'm straining in my arms because of to much weight shifted into them.

Here my hips (from the point of where the hip joint is and not my booty) are better placed over my knees. Less strain through the arms and better alignment over the wrists.

Using a mirror can help with set up, then internalizing the feel of proper placement so the image in the mirror becomes an image and feeling in your "mind's eye". Then of course, checking in with your technique, as I discovered, is important.

Thanks for reading.

Enjoy the dance that is life!