Pilates can and should be a marvelous cross-training discipline for Pilates yoga devotees, sports enthusiasts, or anyone trying to move through life with less back pain! A way to capitalize on the Pilates cross-training benefits is to incorporate more rotation in a Pilates workout or Pilates class. Rotation is an important spinal motion, as we use it to serve in tennis, pick up our kids, or swing a golf club. However, we’ve noticed that in a many a Pilates class or Pilates workout, rotation is notably absent. In a classical Pilates workout, there are only a few rotation exercises, as anyone who has taken a classical Pilates class knows. However, with the Half Roll Down with Obliques, we have an easy way to infuse more rotation into the Pilates yoga practice. Don’t forget that in our daily life, our bodies move in three dimensions, and thus we want to incorporate three dimensional movement like the Half Roll Down with Obliques into our Pilates class or Pilates workout as well as Pilates yoga cross-training.
Even if you are doing a Pilates workout on your own or if you are stuck in a large Pilates class, with little individual instruction, the important tip to remember is that it is only the rib cage rotating, not the lumbar spine (lower back). This will protect the lower back! (It is also a good Pilates technique to remember and implement for future Pilates yoga workouts as well as daily life in general!) If you would like to view how to incorporate this versatile exercise into a Pilates class, join us for Pilates online at www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com. We have a Pilates workout at every level, many of which feature the Half Roll Down with Obliques. Coming soon: a Pilates yoga fusion workout!!
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