Pilates and posture, part one
“Stand up straight!” “Pull your shoulders back!” “Don’t slouch!” How many of us heard this as kids?
Good posture conveys self confidence, poise, leadership and many other positive attributes. But posture is important not only for aesthetics, but also — and most importantly — for proper biomechanics, alignment and weight distribution throughout the body.
This week we will dissect the various aspects of good posture and the most common obstacles to achieving it. As the spine is the center of the body, we will begin with a description of the spine and a definition of “neutral spine,” which is important for achieving proper posture.
First of all, the spine is comprised of 24 vertebrae that articulate with one another and another nine vertebrae in the sacrum — the bony triangle at the base of the spine with five fused vertebrae — and the tailbone consisting of four fused vertebrae. The 24 vertebrae which articulate with one another are flexible enough to give us the movement we require to complete our daily functions.
The neck — or cervical spine — contains seven vertebrae and has the most flexibility of any part of the spine. The rib cage area — or thoracic spine — contains twelve vertebrae and has the least amount of flexibility because of the limitation (and thus the protection) imposed by the ribs. Finally, the lower back — or lumbar spine — contains five vertebrae with a fairly large degree of flexibility naturally, though many find limitation as they age due to muscle tightness.
Contrary to the common command, “stand up straight!” the spine is not naturally straight! The spine has three curves which should be maintained for proper biomechanics. The cervical spine (neck) curves slightly forward, the thoracic spine (rib cage) curves slightly backwards and the lumbar spine (lower back) curves slightly forward again. These curves give the spine resiliency and aid in the absorption of impact and stress to the body.
Pilates seeks to preserve the natural curves of the spine, which is why you may have heard the terms “neutral spine” and “neutral pelvis” in your Pilates class. The spine in its neutral alignment facilitates proper breathing, proper functioning of the bodily organs (as nothing is compressed) and as mentioned, proper transfer of weight through the joints.
Want to learn more about good posture? Check back the rest of the week for more on head placement, pelvic placement and more!
Distinguishing good pain from bad pain in Pilates
As Pilates instructors, addressing a client’s questions regarding a sensation they are feeling in their body presents a challenge — and a dilemma. Sometimes, a muscle is working, which is “good pain,” but other times, pain is not at all good. So how do we answer?
We would love to be able to enter our clients’ bodies for that instant to evaluate whether the pain is good or bad, but alas, we can not! Thus it is important for Pilates practitioners to learn to distinguish good pain from bad pain.
If you are sitting down reading this, contract your gluteus maximus muscles (the ones you are sitting on) and hold the contraction until you start to feel the muscles tiring. (If you have an injury in your low back, sacrum or hips, please do not do this.) This is typically considered “good pain,” as it is the sensation you get from a muscle working. It is often referred to as “muscle burn.”
For a relatively safe example of bad pain, take your ring finger and gently pull it back towards your wrist until you experience discomfort. In most cases, because this joint does not have a lot of flexibility, you quickly feel discomfort and know instinctively that you should stop.
The difficulty in discerning the good pain from the bad pain in Pilates arises from practitioners experiencing bad pain and thinking it is good pain. They don’t want to give up or complain, so they continue exercising. One of the most common examples of this is neck pain in a Pilates session. Because many Pilates exercises require you to lift your head off the mat, the muscles in your neck must engage as well as the abdominal muscles. Many clients experience muscle fatigue in their necks quickly, and if they do not rest, this can turn into muscle strain.
Learning for yourself what is good pain and bad pain in your body is very important. Feeling your muscles working is normal, but feeling discomfort is not! If you have trouble distinguishing between the two, please discuss this with your Pilates instructor. Also, following a workout, delayed onsent muscle soreness is normal, so feeling sore the next day is not a cause for alarm.
Those of you at home doing workout videos, be careful about turning your head to watch the television while exercising! This is a recipe for neck pain!
Key to the Core II: Core is more about just the Abdominal Muscles
The other day we googled “Pilates and lower back pain”, expecting to find a myriad of articles about how Pilates helps alleviate lower back pain. To our surprise, the article which really captured attention was titled, “Is Pilates Bad for your Back?” (click here for the entire article with comments.) Most of us know that if Pilates is done incorrectly, then it may exacerbate lower back pain, but this article delved further, into Pilates’ emphasis on the role of the Transversus Abdominis and Multifidus.
When we first read the article, our initial reaction was a bit of incredulousness, as we thought that surely Pilates instructors both realize the importance of the full gamut of core muscles and cue accordingly, but the writers of this article seem convinced that Pilates instructors ONLY cue the transversus abdominis. NOT SO, we say!! Let’s face it, can you do ANYTHING just by engaging your transversus abdominis and deep pelvic floor muscles? Aside from “drawing in” your abs and drawing up your pelvic floor muscles (as in Kegel exercises), the answer is unequivocally “no!”, as neither the Transversus Abdominis nor Pelvic Floor Muscles have any directional pull on bones. They are muscles of endurance and contract tonically.
Now, as Pilates instructors, we all get in the habit of cueing the Transversus Abdominis, Obliques and Pelvic Floor Muscles in lieu of the Rectus Abdominis, Gluteus Maximus and other musculature because oftentimes our clients are often overusing those muscles anyway. They simply don’t need to be cued…. that doesn’t mean they are not needed to perform the exercise! Take the core challenge test, which we featured in our first, Key to the Core Blog (9/14/2008), and try to use ONLY your Transversus Abdominis and Pelvic Floor Muscles…. IMPOSSIBLE!!
There are quite a few AMAZING articles about core strength on the internet, so we could not possibly highlight all of them at once. So, we’ll start with one of the more popular sites, about.com. They feature a GREAT article on core strength, entitled, “Core Training -Good Core Training Takes More Than Ab Exercise” (click here to read article.) Once again, we encourage you to read the whole article, but, in summary, this article supports the concept that pure core stability consists of not only strengthening the core abdominal muscles, but also strengthening the muscles that improve the functional coordination of the spine, the pelvis and the hips. Specifically, in addition to the abdominal muscles, multifidus and erector spinae, the writer mentions the hip flexors (yes, all of them), the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus, the hip adductors, the hamstrings, and piriformis. The article states “In other words,
“the goal of core stability is to maintain a solid, foundation and transfer energy from the center of the body out to the limbs.” Fiona Troup, a physiotherapist and qualified Pilates instructor at the Sports & Spinal Clinic, Harley Street, quoted in the first article, concurs, stating, “a strong back means a combination of strong muscles in the buttocks, spinal area and shoulders not just a well-developed core area”.
So, with this new knowledge, as you’re doing your Pilates workouts, think not only of the muscles of the abdomen, but also all the surrounding musculature, working on balancing the muscle groups and creating a well-functioning body with a strong core as well as strong hips, shoulders, arms and legs!! We recommend “Power and Precision Mat Workouts 30 or 45 minutes,” “Challenge Your Core Reformer Workout,” and “Power Chair Workout” on Ultimate Pilates Workouts (www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com)!
“Dance as though no one is watching you”…. but do Pilates like everyone is!!
Yes, we know that Souza did not end his famous poem as such, but if we’ve learned one thing from the filming of our Pilates workouts, it’s how to increase the intensity of your . If you don’t think Pilates is hard enough, then imagine that you are doing Pilates in an Olympic arena, equipped with a full panel of judges who score you based on proper execution…. WOW!! Take it from us, it’s grueling. You can take a “beginner’s” workout and turn it into one of the best workout sessions just by focusing on all the little details and fine tuning. We like to think of it this way: as long as you’re investing the time to work out, then why not get the most that you can out of your session? Here are some few helpful hints based on what we’ve gleaned from filming our Pilates videos for the site:
1) Pull your abs in!! …And when you think they’re in, pull in a little more! Then, with every new exercises and every other repetition, repeat!
2) Straighten your knees fully! We know that we’ve written about the knees before, but it really is a way to kick up the intensity and get the whole body involved.
3) Open the shoulders! Involve the muscles of the upper backto keep the shoulders from rounding forward and create that beautiful, trademark Pilates posture.
4) Don’t forget your glutes! When doing side lying or prone exercises, your glutes (the muscles in your buttocks) are key to stabilizing your torso and upholding Pilates as a total body workout.
So there you have it! Just a few simple tips to help you get the most out of your Pilates workouts. Also, in addition to the four points above, proper form and technique will make the Pilates exercises even more effective. If you need help with an exercise or just want to know if you’re doing a Pilates exercise correctly, simply check out any of our podcasts. (link to podcasts)
The potpourri of Pilates in New York City
Do you remember your favorite teacher from high school? If you’re like most people, your favorite teacher significantly influenced your interest in the subject she taught. Well, it’s no surprise that your first Pilates teacher will most likely shape your preferences for one type of Pilates over another — for better or worse!
As for the two of us, we don’t have “Pilates bodies” — and some Pilates teachers we’ve had through the years made us abundantly aware of that fact! I wanted to feel GOOD leaving a session, but instead felt like Quasimodo and wished I’d had a potato sack to hide my deformed, twisted, imperfect body. Of course we both ended up embracing the type of Pilates that was taught to us by a teacher who was open, fun, inspiring, life-affirming, attentive to imbalances but full of compassion and had us feeling really GREAT about our bodies and our potential after the lesson.
If you have tried Pilates and hated it, then by all means, give it another try. Maybe you and the teacher just didn’t “click.” To make this easier for you, we have included some links to some great Pilates studios in the city, all of which teach slightly different styles of Pilates. Of course we’d love to see you at our studio, Pilates on Fifth, but we also know that location and style can be everything, and there are many great Pilates studios here in NYC! Here’s the list….and we know all of these owners and can state confidently that they are exceptionally qualified AND kind individuals who are dedicated to their craft.
LindaFit by Linda Farrell: www.lindafit.com. Linda is a beautiful lady both inside and out and teaches fabulous body-sculpting mat classes throughout the city (just check out her legs if you don’t believe us!) She teaches at Steps, Broadway Dance Center and Equinox among other locations.
Rolates, run by Roberta Kirschenbaum: www.rolates.com. Roberta is kind and wise — a perfect combination for a great Pilates instructor and studio owner. Rolates often conducts innovative, educational workshops and has the added bonus of inhabiting Joseph Pilates’ original studio space!
Pilates Reforming New York, run by husband and wife team Ann Toran and Errol Toran: www.pilatesreformingny.com. Ann delivers challenging core-strengthening, elongating workouts conveniently scheduled throughout the day. Pilates Reforming New York specializes in energizing group reformer classes.
Power Pilates, presided over by Dr. Howard Sichel: www.powerpilates.com. Dr. Sichel and Power Pilates has an amazing team of leaders in the Pilates industry providing high quality instruction at 6 locations throughout New York City and more throughout the country.
So remember….if you tried Pilates once and didn’t like it, please give it another chance! Maybe it isn’t for you, but if you’re reading this, then you’re interested enough to give it another try!
Jump into heart health with CARDIOLATES®!
Love Pilates but hate cardio? CARDIOLATES® offers all the cardiovascular benefits of rebounding with the alignment benefits of Pilates — and it’s fun too!
Forget your fabulous triceps or your six pack abs, your HEART is the most important muscle in your body. Pilates flattens your abs, strengthens your core and tones all the muscles of the body, but it was never designed to elevate your heart rate to the levels required for cardiovascular conditioning. To keep your heart healthy, you must engage in regular cardiovascular activity.
CARDIOLATES®, offered at Pilates on Fifth in New York City, combines heart-pumping rebounding with ab-sculpting Pilates to deliver the cardiovascular activity necessary for heart health. Clients who reach a weight loss plateau in their regular Pilates classes see their final pounds melt away with CARDIOLATES®.
And here’s the best news: because CARDIOLATES® is gentle on the joints, those who find high impact activities too taxing on the body can enjoy CARDIOLATES® pain free! The mat of the rebounder absorbs 87% of the shock to the joints (according to a NASA study) so you can burn calories without your joints paying the price.
CARDIOLATES® has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show, Good Day New York and the CW11 Morning News.
Let us EnLIGHTen you!
In addition to its personal fitness services, Pilates on Fifth fosters a variety of health and wellness programs. One of the most popular and effective of these programs includes our EnLIGHTen Series. The EnLIGHTen Series provides a private session entailing a comprehensive analysis of metabolic rate and body composition tests. It’s fast, easy and confidential! The EnLIGHTen Series sheds light on understanding each individual’s metabolism and body composition as a means of effectively pursuing fitness and wellness goals. Analyzing your results and charting your progress allows for healthful self-improvement!
Body composition is a better health measure than weight alone. So Become EnLIGHTened and find out your percentage of body fat and lean mass. A valid, reliable method of measuring body composition with accuracy comparable to the gold standard of underwater weighing has arrived! Bod-E-Comm is a completely safe and non-invasive method of body fat testing which requires no disrobing or discomfort of any kind! U.S. Government research located a single point on the human body – the biceps of the dominant arm – that has a direct correlation with the body’s overall fat level. A safe beam of near infrared light is sent into the bicep at specific wavelengths that fat cells will absorb and lean mass cells will reflect. After just a few seconds, only YOU see the results AND the computer software gives you a printout with diet and exercise recommendations. Results can be stored so you can track your progress.
Eliminate the guesswork with metabolic testing! With all the diets on the market today and the conflicting advice presented by the media, how are you deciding what’s right for your body? Truth is, every BODY is different and you need personalized data to make the proper choice for your body. Become EnLIGHTened and learn about your body’s needs. Now, Pilates on Fifth has REEVUETM, an FDA approved indirect calorimeter: a machine that calculates the amount of oxygen you consume to determine how many calories you burn a day just staying alive. Based on the results, the machine can determine your resting metabolic rate, which will tell you how many calories you would naturally burn if you just sat all day long. Then, the sophisticated, intelligent software provides you with a detailed printout of not only your resting metabolic rate, but also your caloric maintenance zone, weight gain zone and weight loss zone. Plan your eating and exercise more efficiently! What used to be available only in hospitals is now available here and we encourage you to EnLIGHTen yourself with this knowledge.
Visit www.pilatesonfifth.com to check out our additional Pro-Health Pilates programs! Or, call 212-687-8885 to contact our friendly Front Desk Staff about scheduling your EnLIGHTen appointment today!
For access to Pro-Health Pilates workouts visit www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com! Ultimate Pilates Workouts offers free and unlimited access to Pro-Health Pilates workouts, including Pilates for lower back pain, Pink Ribbon Pilates and more!
Pilates for Lower Back Pain
If you have lower back pain, Pilates may be an ideal form of exercise. Pilates is a very safe, low-to-no impact exercise system. It targets the core muscles of the body, including the deep muscles of the abdomen, lower back, and buttocks. By strengthening the muscles which surround and support your spine, you’ll lessen back pain, reduce neck and shoulder stiffness, improve your posture, increase your energy, and boost your spine health.
We were actually amazed when we typed “causes of lower back pain” into the Google search box. Over 3,770,000 search results exist!!!! By just glancing at the articles that pop up on the first page yields an enormous amount of facts and figures. For example, did you know that Americans spend over $50 billion a year in their efforts to alleviate low back pain? (Click here to read further)…. or that most lower back pain is “triggered by some combination of overuse, muscle strain, and injury to the muscles, ligaments, and discs that support the spine. Many experts believe that over time muscle strain can lead to an overall imbalance in the spinal structure. This leads to a constant tension on the muscles, ligaments, bones, and discs, making the back more prone to injury or reinjury.” (Click here to read further)
Choosing the right Pilates studio is important for any client, but it’s crucial for clients with back injuries or lower back pain. You absolutely must choose only those instructors and Pilates trainers who are trained to work with injuries, special populations, and low back pain. First and foremost, find a teacher with a Pilates certification from a robust program. A piece of paper saying that a trainer is “certified” is nearly worthless unless you know where the trainer studied. At Pilates on Fifth, we hire only the most knowledgeable, experienced Pilates teachers. In fact, we’re what you might call Pilates perfectionists. Since we have devoted our lives to studying the biomechanics, history, and techniques of Pilates, along with anatomy and kinesiology, we only want to hire instructors who have achieved this same level of skill. We don’t hire mere Pilates enthusiasts; we hire Pilates experts. With the advent of the ActivCore (www.activcore.com) system in January 2009, Pilates on Fifth offers a revolutionary means of strengthening not only the core, but also the muscles surrounding the spine hips and pelvis to increase functional coordination and further alleviate lower back pain.
As part of our commitment to producing the best possible Pilates instructors, Pilates on Fifth owners Kimberly and Katherine Corp created the Pilates Academy International in 2006. The Academy trains and certifies students in Pilates instruction from a medically based perspective. The Academy currently has locations in 13 cities nationally and six cities internationally. Here, certification students can study the Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Ladder Barrel, Arc Barrel, and Pilates mat techniques for both general and specialized populations. More specifically, they have developed Pilates workshops such as “Pilates for Lower Back Pain”, as well as Pilates workouts for their free online Pilates workouts website, such as “Morning Low Back Care workout”, and “My First Pilates Workout“, both of which can be found at www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com.
Works Cited:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/detail_backpain.htm#119423102
http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/tc/low-back-pain-cause
Pilates in Seattle: Ultimate Pilates Workouts Member Profile II
We received this email just the other day from our wonderful cousin, Liz, who does Pilates in Seattle.
“Dear K & K,
I just wanted to let the two of you know you indirectly inspired me to practice Pilates, which I’ve been doing now since October ’05. I do a routine that I put together combining exercises from the Windsor Pilates DVDs, as well as some I found on your website. I mix them up so I am not doing the same routine for every workout.
Just recently I purchased one of those big balls and added that to my Pilates workout, now doing as much of my core work on the ball as possible, and it is great. I’ve also been riding a stationary bike on my off days, which is really the only time I see any TV since I don’t own one.
What I really want to say is, thank you.”
Not only did this testimonial make us smile, but it made us happy to see that Liz is using ultimatepilatesworkouts.com so creatively!! She’s doing everythig right, ans as you can read, it’s a low cost workout regime! Mixing up your Pilates routine will keep the workouts fresh and keep you from hitting a plateau. Also, Liz’s Pilates workout regime is the perfect recipe: “Pilates plus cardio.”
What would your perfect workout be? For many of our clients, and with our cousin Liz, the answer is “Pilates plus cardio.” Our clients love what Pilates does for their bodies –like muscle strengthening, improved posture and alignment, and physical toning– but they miss the fun of a good cardio workout. Balancing Pilates with cardio is the perfect blend to create a long, strong, lean body!!
