Pilates on Fifth Video Podcast A free weekly Pilates online video program to train your core muscles!

A key component of any Pilates training or Pilates workout is the Pilates Roll Up, and it is very important to learn how to master it properly. Contrary to popular belief, the Pilates Roll Up can be one of the most difficult of all Pilates exercises because it does not just depend on abdominal strength. While some Pilates experts may tell you that it will simply take years of Pilates training to fully master the Pilates roll up, the fact of the matter is that if you have any tightness in your lower back, the Pilates Roll Up is super difficult, even if you have strong abs!

So what can you do? If you find that you are having a problem with your roll up in every Pilates workout that you do, we highly recommend that you find a strong Pilates training program so that you learn how to do the Pilates Roll Up correctly. Specifically, it is important to learn how to modify the Pilates Roll Up in during your personal Pilates workout so that you are targeting the proper muscles and NOT straining the lower back. If you are doing Pilates online, then you especially need to find a Pilates training page on the Pilates online website so that you know that you are doing the exercise correctly! And don’t give up! The internet huge source of Pilates exercises and Pilates online, and you can find many explanations of how to master the Pilates Roll Up.

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Half Swan is one of many mat Pilates exercises for strengthening the muscles of the upper back and developing beautiful posture. Similar to Pilates exercises on the Pilates reformer (and Pilates yoga exercises), Half Swan is great for the Pilates beginner and prepares the body safely for more advanced Pilates exercises. Half Swan extends the upper back while opening the front of the shoulders to help strengthen those muscles which hold your spine in the proper position. Doing Pilates exercises like the Half Swan reverse the effects of the many actions we perform in our daily routines (working at a desk, picking up kids, etc.) that pull us forward! Even a Pilates beginner can execute mat Pilates exercises such as this effectively, for it involves only upper back extension: in fact, if you feel this in your lower back at all, try separating your legs slightly.

Many people think Pilates exercises only build strong abdominal muscles, but the Half Swan proves that is not the case! The Half Swan prepares the Pilates beginner for more mat Pilates exercises that involve full extension of the spine. In fact, many Pilates yoga enthusiasts need to work on upper back extension, as more advanced Pilates exercises that require full spinal extension inevitably focus on the lower back. Do this Pilates exercise diligently and you’ll be ready for more advanced Pilates exercises in no time! Hey, Pilates yoga practitioners! Try the many variations of the Pilates exercises Swan Dive and Swimming too!

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If you’ve been doing Pilates exercises or attending Pilates classes for a while, then you know that no Pilates class is complete without the classic Pilates exercise, “The Hundred”. This mat pilates move is the real secret to flat abs, targeting all four layers of the abdominal muscles and increasing abdominal strength and endurance. The Hundred is a key element of any Pilates workout and any Pilates DVD.

Two of the most common questions about Pilates exercises that we receive at our New York studio, Pilates on Fifth, are “How do I know if I’m doing Pilates correctly?”, and, more specifically, “How do I know if I’m doing ‘The Hundred’ correctly? First and foremost you want to make sure that, in your mat Pilates or your Pilates reformer class, you are pulling in your abs the entire time. You don’t want to press your abs outward toward your skin, as this will cause you to completely miss out on targeting the deepest abdominal muscle, the transversus abdominis. This muscle is your body’s natural corset and is instrumental not only in increasing core strength, but also in protecting the lower back and flattening the abs. You will know you are doing Pilates correctly when you can keep your abs pulled in and flat as you perform Pilates exercises like The Hundred, whether in mat Pilates classes or on the Pilates reformer.

Many Pilates and yoga practitioners enjoy Pilates classes and doing pilates dvds at home. With hundreds of Pilates dvds on the market, it’s hard for the Pilates enthusiast to know which one to try. We recommend asking your Pilates instructor about a Pilates dvd that they suggest, or try UltimatePilatesWorkouts.com which hosts over one hundred Pilates dvds online. Choose from mat pilates, pilates reformer workouts, and more!

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