Description
Muscle Focus: Abdominals.
Objective: Abdominal strength and stabilization of the Powerhouse.
Start Position: Come to seated, hug your shins into your chest, balance on your sacrum to lift feet off the Mat and hold the body in a ball shape. Knees stay shoulder distance apart with ankles close together.
Movement: Inhale as you roll back to your shoulder blades, exhale roll up to start position, maintaining the curve of the spine.
Precautions: Maintain the C-curve shape of the spine, while continuing to pull the abdominals into the spine, and roll evenly down the middle of the spine. The head and neck should not touch the Mat as you roll back.
Omit this exercise if you have osteoporosis, bulging or herniated discs, or other spinal injuries.
About This Video
Transcript
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We're next looking at the exercise known as Rolling Like a Ball, or the Roll Back. I want Kristi to come up. We're going to come up and start from the seated position. And the purpose of Rolling Like a Ball, strengthening abdominals and stabilizing a C-shape of the spine, which really does come from the strength in here. So to begin, pull your knees in toward your chest.
Hug your shins. And just for a moment feel that set up. And so you're making-- and we're looking for this curved shape of the back of the body. But if you can see, it's almost like a ball right here. So rolling that ball back and forth.
The navel is pulled in. The shoulders are drawn down. And you can either start with your feet on the mat. Or for a little extra challenge to learn this is balance with your feet up. Try it.
So breathing in as you roll backward. Feel like you're rolling, just freed up, roll. Exhale as you come up. And find those abdominal muscles contract. Inhale as you roll back to the middle part of your back.
And come back up. And you're looking for a smooth roll. Two or three more. Smoothly rolling through those spine bones to the middle of your back. Holding that nice, firm arm position around the shins.
And really stabilizing this shape, that C-curve and coming from the strength of the abdominal muscles. One more, Kristi. Excellent. The Rolling Like a Ball.
The Pilates Essentials: Mat Exercise Breakdowns
Mention
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Amy Havens (Teacher) |
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JENNIFER I |
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Wendy D |
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Maria Wheeler |
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Lucy E |
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