Where Are We Going? Pre-Pilates Exercises Part 2

Hey there!

Welcome to the 2nd installation of my favorite pre-Pilates exercises.

Today we’ll visit the Half Roll Down.

The Half Roll Down (HRD) is famous for being a basic version of the best meat-and-potatoes exercise of them all.

Lemme hear you shout it from the rooftops!

The Roll Up.

Yes!

But first, perhaps you’ll need to work your HRD well.

• Begin in a seated position on the Mat.
• Place your feet firmly on the Mat where you feel like you are standing on your feet.
• Sit up as tall as you can with your hands behind your thighs.
• As you “stand on your feet” lift the trunk of your body in and upward away from where you are standing.
• Let your ROM be determined by how much you can sustain that “standing” feeling. This will build your control. Otherwise, you’re kinda just flinging yourself backward in space and it will be hard to return to sitting upright.
• Repeat 3-5 times.
• Over time you’ll be able to control yourself all the way down to the mat.

And eventually, the HRD will morph into…

The Roll Up

I don’t have to tell you that the Roll Up is not the easiest exercise to do well.

Or at all.

At first.

So we get some much-needed help from the HRD.

How nice.

The positioning of your HRD supports you again with your feet firmly planted on the Mat for now.

All the better to cultivate your standing body.

More on this later…

But what’s to become of our dear old friend HRD once we get all proficient and such in the Roll Up?

Usually, it gets abandoned, never to be seen again…

Actually tho, there are a few other exercises (like about 500+) that can also benefit from a solid HRD.

Stomach Massage Series

Oh yes, this looks familiar, doesn’t it?

The lift that you can cultivate in the HRD can directly translate into all of your Stomach Massage Series exercises. Work your HRD well and you’ll make Stomach Massage all the more manageable given the support of the Reformer.

Now you can have a strong connection to the footbar as you continue to stand on your feet. Enjoy your moments of standing while you can.

Get ready to use your imagination again in this next exercise… it’s my personal it’s-just-the-Roll-Up-and-hey-what’s-that-box-doing-there moment.

You know it well:

The Short Box Series

I stand by my pre-judgement from my very first Pilates classes years ago – the Short Box Series provides minimal help for my body.

No springs in sight and only the air in which to plant your feet.

The seated position can create difficulty in fully utilizing (connecting) the whole body.

Sigh…

Better pack your imagination on this journey and summon all your HRD forces.

And then you’ll do it all over again one side at a time in the Tree.

Courage, Friends.

Now it’s time for everyone’s favorite it’s-just-the-Roll-up moment:

The Teaser

Initially I found the Teaser more approachable than the Roll Up.

The movement of the lower body can be helpful in creating a full-body exercise. Unlike the ‘static’ lower body position of the Roll Up, the whole body is moving in the Teaser.

Remember the Teaser from last week’s post that resembles the HRD more closely?

Now take it vertical and get more help for your standing position.

Standing Arm Springs: Squats

Now you’ll arrive only with diligent practice at the shape of your original pre-Pilates exercise.

Oh but you’ll have to work for it now. I love how clearly you can feel the standing body – but of course! – and the lift that keeps you alive in this challenging standing exercise.

Try these exercises in your own Pilates practice and see what you think.

Share your successes in a comment below.

Watch the video here.

Thanks for watching!