Hello Pilates friends!
In February I was thrilled to be with you all in person again – for the first time since 2019! – at Balanced Body’s Pilates on Tour Monterey. I so enjoyed meeting you and sharing my love for the Cadillac and also the Order of the Pilates Mat Exercises.
Extra Pilates points to those in my Sunday afternoon Mat workshop. It was a long weekend of many workouts and I applaud you all for your hard work on the Mat exercises, the most difficult exercises in the Pilates System.
Usually, I talk exclusively about the order of the Mat exercises in this particular workshop, but since you happy few were super savvy and freshly wrung out by my colleague Nicole Martin (who taught an amazing Mat workshop immediately before mine), I asked if you would be interested in talking about what exercises elsewhere in the studio – including with springs! – would help to build up your Matwork skills.
And I am so glad I asked this question!
One of you had an amazing suggestion for illustrating helpful exercises in the system to better your Mat exercises. If you’re reading this, please comment below with your name and where your studio is – I think we may be kindred spirits…
The amazing suggestion was: wouldn’t it be fun to map out the connections between the exercises by using a Murder Wall?
OMG what??
You may know the Murder Wall by another – and perhaps less graphic – name: Evidence Board, Crazy Wall, Murder Map. They’re often featured in thrillers and detective fiction in movies and TV.
I’ve been a fan of crime fiction since I was a teenager – thanks, Nancy Drew!
So I’m excited to see how the locations, suspects, witnesses, notes, maps, and newspaper clippings that would be revealed in a criminal investigation will translate into exercises, apparatuses, muscle engagement, transitions, exercise tips, and more in today’s Pilates Crime Du Jour, Spine Stretch.
Why Does Spine Stretch Deserve this Pilates Crime Treatment?
The UNusual Suspects
Spine Stretch is probably an exercise you learned in your very first Pilates class.
It’s a fundamental exercise, but you all know that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. And depending on who you are, it may be crazily challenging.
You’ve all seen the Pilates student I’m thinking about – perhaps he is a cyclist – who cannot sit up tall in the starting position of Spine Stretch.
Like – at all.
And that’s important, right?
Or is it?
What if you consider what you see in the Spine Stretch to be a big clue that there’s more work to be done elsewhere in the studio?
Maybe you can even leave it out for now.
But never forget it.
Because you’ll be back.
Red Herrings
It’s easy to get obsessed with the Spine Stretch on the Mat.
If it looks terrible, you may feel like a bad teacher.
Why can’t they do this basic exercise?
You may also have great empathy for your student which results in wanting to solve all their problems right now.
Today.
Here.
In the Spine Stretch.
Don’t.
But they can’t sit up, they feel it in their hips…
Just Notice.
It’s uncomfortable…
Why can’t they have straight legs?
Why can’t they sit up?
Can they sit on a box? On the Spine Corrector?
Would a Magic Circle help them to sit up?
OMG they are so uncomfortable/bad at the exercise/annoyed with me!
Remember:
If you really want to help them, ask yourself a better question:
What am I going to do – somewhere else in the studio – to help their Spine Stretch get better over time?
Oh, you’ll have to watch some bad Pilates for a while, but (a) you’ll get used to it and (b) it will get better.
Incrementally.
The First Clue
Remember what you saw in their Spine Stretch and take a good look all around the studio.
Like anywhere else.
A few leads to follow:
– Anything with a spring is gonna be more helpful than this Mat exercise.
– Anything with a different relationship to gravity will also be helpful.
– Spine Stretch demands length along the whole back of the body, where can I work on this?
– What other exercises does this same student hate/struggle with?
And I’m not without mercy, if your student is truly in-pain-kinda-uncomfortable in Spine Stretch, leave it out.
Everyone doesn’t have to do every exercise.
The Usual Suspects
Many of the exercises you’ll visit to help the Spine Stretch may also be challenging for your inflexible Spine Stretch student. But other apparatuses will offer support and assistance to a degree that is non-existent on the Mat.
Leave the Spine Stretch alone for a while – stay away from the Mat exercises or leave it out – while you visit other exercises.
And then once in a great while, visit the Spine Stretch to see how it’s going.
Keep in mind that all of your student’s other exercises will help the Spine Stretch, but there may be a few highlights you won’t want to miss.
Frog and Leg Circles on the Reformer and Cadillac
Maybe for this stiff Spine Stretch student it’s challenging to lift their feet in the straps for Frog and Circles on the Reformer and the Leg Spring Series on the Cadillac.
Are you in the habit of helping your student in and out of the straps?
Stop it.
Does your student push the carriage out with one foot to get into the straps on the Reformer?
Insist that your student keep the carriage closed and lift their feet up and into the straps with control. Maybe their feet won’t get up there for a while, but over time they will.
You’ve Got Their Back
There are brilliant places that offer the tall lifted position of Spine Stretch, but with a supportive surface to assist you.
The Arm Chair gives great help to the back of the body and all the Rowing Exercises are like a dream here compared to on the Reformer.
Maybe your Spine Stretch student cannot sit up for Rowing exercises on the Reformer.
What about on the Arm Chair? See what you think.
The High Chair (or Electric Chair) is the best place to find lift in the seat and low back. Over time it will make magic with your ability to hold yourself up.
Next Stop The Short Box
I bet the same student that cannot sit up in the Spine Stretch is not a fan of the Short Box Series either.
True, there’s no support here on the box, I feel you.
However, as a teacher, you get great access to your student to get your hands on them.
You’ll help give support to their lower body to foster more lift in their trunk.
You may even visit the Ladder Barrel for some Standing Stretches and/or Ladder Stretches.
Never Skip the Stomach Massage Series
If you follow an order of exercises, you don’t skip exercises you don’t like.
When I was a client at Excel Pilates in Washington, DC, I arrived for my first independent workout.
I’d been a client for a few years and was ready to learn to do my workout on my own with a teacher’s supervision only.
My teacher, Kerry, handed me a list of rules guidelines for working independently.
At the top of the list it said in big letters:
DO NOT SKIP EXERCISES YOU DO NOT LIKE.
Yikes, they’re on to me…
The Stomach Massage Series and everything that is horrible and wonderful about it will improve your Spine Stretch on the Mat i-m-m-e-a-s-u-r-a-b-l-y over time.
You’ll also get better at descending to the Mat without using your hands.
You’ll also get better at rolling exercises, especially the Open Leg Rocker.
Which brings me to the Open Leg Rocker…
You may think your terrible Spine Stretch student should steer clear of the Open Leg Rocker, but this may not necessarily be the case.
There’s an App for That
Friends don’t let friends do the Open Leg Rocker with bent legs or hands on your thighs…
Enter the humble foot strap.
Do you struggle to do the Open Leg Rocker with hands at your ankles and straight legs?
Do your legs feel heavy and unwieldy as you try to hold onto them?
If this sounds familiar, this hack is for you.
Borrow the foot straps from the Cadillac or substitute a towel or a stretchy band to help get more lift, opening, and stretch for your back. This hack with the straps will help your lower body – and legs – integrate deeper into your trunk and coordinate the rocking action.
Remember that like everything else in the Pilates System, the foot strap assist will make the exercise both more manageable and more challenging all at the same time.
Use this assist EVERY time you work out (for a while) and over time you’ll have your hands at your ankles and a better Spine Stretch as well.
Find more clues on the Murder Wall below:
Visit these exercises in your next workout.
See what you think about how they could help your Spine Stretch.
The Power of the Pilates Project in Action
Join me this September for a weekend full of new Pilates workshops and learning.
My new workshop Pilates Projects: The Up Stretch is an in-depth examination of one of the most challenging exercises in the Long Stretch Series on the Reformer.
If you struggle with this exercise yourself and/or you want to find more clarity to teach it to your students, join me as we visit exercises on the Reformer and all around the studio to better your Up Stretch skills.
Space is limited. Grab your spot today. And have a great workout!
September Pilates Party 2024!
This year’s annual event will be Thursday – Saturday, September 5 – 7, 2024.
Join me in my Solana Beach studio (and online!) for 10+ hours of Classical Pilates Continuing Education: lessons, group classes, and 2 brand-new workshops:
The Cadillac and the Guillotine – compare and contrast similar exercises on both apparatus and explore their many contributions to the Pilates System. From the rank beginner to the elite athlete, there’s something for everyone!
Going Overhead: How to Safely Find Control and Balance in Upside-Down Exercises
What are the building blocks of a successful trip upside-down in the Pilates Method?
When do we get our first taste of inversion in the Pilates System?
Students will learn how to navigate the barriers to entry in this potentially new upside-down environment.
Refine your understanding and proficiency of the 2-way stretch for better control and balance in all your movements against gravity.
And exploit those unexpected moments when gravity is your friend.
All teachers and enthusiasts are welcome.
Feel free to reply to this email with any concerns or questions.
Book into the September Teacher Lab on the 5th for the full Pilates Party experience 🙂
See you soon!
2 Responses
Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge so freely. I always enjoy and learn from your posts.
Hi Jenny,
Thanks so much for your sweet message. I hope you are well and that we can see each other again soon.
xox
Andrea