Personal Fitness Professional - March 2008 - (Page 26) the arms up from the floor toward the ceiling just to shoulder height and then exhaling to lower the arms toward the floor to an overhead position, just by the ears. Watch carefully that the ribs do not “pop” up when the arms go overhead. Use the exhale to engage the abdominals, which will keep them from popping. The latissimus dorsi may be tight and will be pulling as the arms go overhead and could dominate over the abdominals. When the ribs pop, this creates compression in the thorocolumbar junction (where the thoracic and lumbar spine meets). SCAPULA MOVEMENT AND STABILIZATION Because the scapula lacks bony attachment to the ribs and spine, it has a great deal of mobility, but it may lack in stability. It’s important that we create a balance between the mobility and stability of the scapula while moving and especially when adding resistance. If the bones do not glide properly and allow for smooth rhythmic patterns, the shoulder girdle as a whole is compromised and may result in impingement and rotator cuff injuries. During our warm-ups, we always include protraction, retraction, elevation and depression of the scapula, both to educate the client on how the scapula moves and where they can find their neutral stable alignment. HEAD AND CERVICAL PLACEMENT The head should be balanced directly above the shoulders, and the cervical spine should follow the line of the thoracic spine in all planes of motion. We teach this alignment first in supine (face-up) and then in prone (facedown). We have the client do a crunch, keeping the pelvis neutral and only flexing the cervical and thoracic spine. The best cue I’ve found is to ask the client to nod their head just a little bit, gaze at their knees and flex their upper body off the mat. The nod sets the cervical spine in the slight craniovertebral flexion needed, then the gaze at the knees keeps them from looking up, which would extend the spine rather than flex it. START POSITION The last thing we take into consideration when teaching Pilates is how to modify for our clients. The goal is to start an exercise from the most neutral position possible and then move to more challenging progressions. If a client cannot find neutral alignment due to muscular imbalances, it’s important that we modify the start position with props. The key to proper muscle firing pilates contacts 800.745.2837 patterns and creating overall symmetry is to start from a neutral place, where the muscle can do the job asked of them. A muscle will respond more favorably when starting from its resting length than from an over-contracted or over-stretched position. The following are some examples: • Ab prep/crunch — The starting position is to lie supine with the legs hip distance apart and the entire spine neutral. If, when lying supine, the client cannot maintain a neutral cervical alignment due to rounded shoulders and/or a forward head posture, it’s important to place pads under their head to bring them to that neutral cervical alignment. Otherwise, they will have to go from extension through neutral to flexion, where there is a greater chance for error and neck tension. • Spine twist/spinal rotation — The starting position is to sit fully upright with a neutral spine and the legs extended long in front or cross-legged. If the client cannot sit upright with their legs in front or crisscrossed and maintain a neutral spine due to tight hamstrings or hip flexors, it’s important to place something under their hips to elevate the hips, allowing them to find the spinal alignment. It is not going to feel good to rotate the spine if it is slumped forward, nor will it strengthen the muscles. The pace in Pilates is slow and controlled, allowing for proper execution of each movement. We help to create a sense of body awareness for each client, ideally to enable them to carry over these principles into everything they do, whether it is running a marathon, walking in a fundraising event or picking up their groceries. As a trainer, you can use these Pilates principles to build a solid foundation from the inside out and enhance any training program. Just helping to create the awareness of where one is in space is the first step for many! STOTT PILATES instructor PJ O’Clair has been a leader and consultant in the fitness industry for over 25 years. Her clientele ranges from professional athletes, celebrities and fashion designers to everyday people of all ages wanting to get fit. For more info, contact her at pj@northeastpilates.com or 978.468.1090, ext. 14, or visit www.northeastpilates.com. ● BALANCED BODY UNIVERSITY WWW.BBUPILATES.COM · PILATESSTICK WWW.PILATESSTICK.COM 866.439.2711 · APT PILATES WWW.APTPILATES.COM PEAK PILATES WWW.PEAKPILATES.COM PHI PILATES WWW.PHIPILATES.COM PILATES METHOD ALLIANCE WWW.PILATESMETHODALLIANCE.ORG PILATES PHYSICALMIND INSTITUTE WWW.THEMETHODPILATES.COM POLESTAR EDUCATION WWW.POLESTAREDUCATION.COM POWER PILATES WWW.POWERPILATES.COM STOTT PILATES WWW.STOTTPILATES.COM THE PILATES COACH WWW.THEPILATESCOACH.COM 26 MARCH2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM http://www.bbupilates.com http://www.pilatesstick.com http://www.aptpilates.com http://www.peakpilates.com http://www.phipilates.com http://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org http://www.themethodpilates.com http://www.polestareducation.com http://www.powerpilates.com http://www.stottpilates.com http://www.thepilatescoach.com http://www.northeastpilates.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM
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