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Arms & Back – Side Bend (ep. 015) 1
Pilates mat exercises, ones that bring the body into lateral flexion (side bending) are relatively few, especially when compared to the Pilates exercises that flex the spine. That’s why we love the Side Bend and always include this Pilates exercise in our advanced Pilates classes at our Pilates studio in NYC, Pilates on Fifth. The Side Bend is one of those fabulous Pilates mat exercises that works so many muscle groups simultaneously, which is why it is a more advanced Pilates exercise. Moreover, we get to work the arms!! Many people who are trying Pilates for the first time and come to our Pilates studio often think that Pilates mat exercises only work the abs. Well, once they try the Side Bend, they know that there is much more to advanced Pilates then just abs!
Because there are many muscle groups working in the Side Bend (which can often lead to brain overload), we find at our Pilates studio that this is one of the more difficult Pilates mat exercises to teach students to do correctly. First and foremost, the muscles of the legs have to work in concert to lift the body up in a half moon shape without folding at the hips or losing one’s balance. It is this balance maintenance while performing maximum lateral flexion (side bending that makes the Side Bend an advanced Pilates mat exercise.
