Got legs?? USE 'EM!!

Author: Lucia Farina

In the classical Pilates practice we often speak of the ‘scoop’ which is about what your abdominals are doing, (the in and UP pull of the abdominal muscles). The UP pull here is more what we’re going to focus on today.

“Belly button to back”, is only one part of the scoop, then we’d work that feeling of pulling the belly button UP the spine. Like when you scoop ice cream, it’s an IN, DOWN and UP action that makes the scoop, right? (or maybe you just spoon it out of the tub. Why does it always taste a bit better that way?). Back to Pilates…

In this image you can see the finger point towards the thighs. In this moment it was to encourage the thighs to reach away from the abs, while the abs reach away from the thighs (that UP action in the scoop). So rather than one direction of energy, we have TWO. It sorts of works as a way to give your abs something to pull against. That REACH of the thighs away from the body really does encourage the depth of the scoop.* It allows for a deeper connection, which gives support in the exercise and can give you some confidence in the movement too.

This applies to so many of the Pilates exercises. Here at Trinity, we use as much of the body as we can to fully support our movements. Pilates is not about isolating muscles, it's a full body workout, each exercise requires your full body connection/ consciousness, to get the best out of it.

When we look at the very first Pilates mat exercise, it’s The Hundred. A strong pull upwards of the abs to open the mid back with a solid reach of the legs instantly works to create that two way stretch our bodies love so much. So, the legs are part of it! A major part…. Let’s make sure we use them!!

*If you’re a teacher reading, and want to try this out, stay mindful to ensure that this doesn’t become a strong quad grip. What we need to focus on primarily is the REACH away from the back of the legs.