How to Strengthen Your Core with Pilates
Welcome to the abs and back workout. If you’ve not yet done the warmup, please go there first. If you have, let’s get started. Take yourself to the edge of your chair. Place your feet flat on the floor hip distance apart. Interlace your fingers and bring them behind the roundest part of your head, elbows wide. Take your abs and pull them tight into your spine, take a breath here. As you exhale, roll you self away from your thighs keeping those elbows wide. Eyes to the horizon. Hold it here taking inhale. As you exhale, dive your forehead towards your knees. Feel that bend in the mid back and as you inhale, slowly gently stack yourself tall to the ceiling, eyes to the horizon and again exhale roll yourself back.
Good, hold it there and take a deep breath. This is where the work is hold, exhale now. Dive that forehead towards your knees inhale and stack yourself up. I'm going to turn to the side so you can see exactly what I'm doing. As you exhale, draw the belly button toward your spine and roll yourself back. Hold it here as you resist the temptation to bring your feet off the floor. Take a breath, exhale, now dive forward. You're still rounded here. Now as you inhale, stack your spine very, very tall. Now from here, as you exhale, you're going tilt back. Notice how my back stays long? It’s a smaller motion because it’s hard to keep your feet here and take a breath in. Exhale, now dive forward you get to round again.
Now as you inhale, tall spines stack up nice and tall, head to the ceiling two more times. Tilt, keep the back long. You're drawing those abs into your belly. Hold it here. Take a breath, exhale, now dive your head forward, inhale to stack it up. One more time, just like this, inhale and tilt. Let the abs support the low back, hold it here, take a breath in, exhale one last time, dive your head to your knees and as you inhale, just articulate that spine right up to center, excellent! Go ahead and drop your arms out to the side, bring your feet to the floor hip distance apart, drop the shoulders. Take your hands and bring them just slightly together. So you have a big V position versus a T. Take a breath in. As you exhale, rotate to the side for three pulses. We've got three and two and one. As you inhale, come around to the center. Let your eyes come to the middle, exhale to the other side four, three and two and one.
Go very, very tall as you inhale and come center and again exhale four, three and two and one. Pull up to the middle as you come to center and again exhale four, three, so we’re working the obliques here. Come on up as you come around. One more time, exhale four, three, and two and one. Let the shoulders be very, very quiet. One more time here, exhale four, three and two and one. Inhale, come to center, exhale and drop your arms. I'm going to use a theraband for the next two exercises however it’s not necessary to use a Thera band in order for these exercises to be affective. If you have a theraband, please take it and place it right underneath your seat.
We adjust yourselves here sitting at the edge of your chair, feet flat on the floor, hip distance apart. Take the band into the palms of your hands. Bend your elbows and let them rest comfortably down by your sides. Take a breath in. As you exhale, reach the arms up towards the ceiling and as you inhale, circle the arms wide and again exhale. Bend the elbows and punch the arms up, shoulder blades sliding down, inhale to open the arms.
Now we’re going to add a head movement with that. As you exhale, reach the chin towards the ceiling. Draw the abs into your spine to support the back. Inhale to open and again, exhale reach it up, inhale to open and one last time just like that. Exhale, reach the eyes of the ceiling and let them come back to the horizon as you inhale. Let’s reverse it. Exhale, reach the arms up, leave your eyes to the ceiling. Draw the elbows in and extend and again exhale and reach it up, eyes forward. Bend the elbow as you inhale and release. Now, let’s add that head movement. Exhale, reach up, inhale, bend the elbows, draw them down extend the hands, two more times just like that. Exhale, reach out. Remember to use those abs. Bend the elbows and return one last time. So don’t let this band control you. Remember you're in charge of that, and pause, excellent.
Now take the band from underneath your seat and bring into your hands. Readjust yourself so you're feet are flat on the floor, just a little wider than hip distance apart this time and bring your arms up overhead. I'm going to turn to the sides so you can see exactly what my position is. Take a breath in here. As you exhale, pull to band apart, bend the elbows and let that band just float to the top of your chest. Good! Inhale as you return the band to the ceiling and again exhale. Pull it apart and at the elbows angled down towards the floor and return it.
Notice that my elbows are not pulling behind me, that they are coming straight down. Inhale to return three more times just like that exhale and pull wide, excellent. Return it on that inhale. So, we’re working the muscles of our back right now, the big lats. We do a lot of work for you as you're sitting there all day long one more time exhale and pull, excellent. Inhale to release. Now, just let the band in come in rest right onto your thighs. Let your hands rest along by your side. Take a breath in. As you exhale, curl your chin forward and just let your torso fall forward. Let everything just dangle and hang forward. You don’t have to hold yourself in any particular way here. Take a breath in. As you exhale, contract your belly muscle and slowly roll your self up one vertebra at a time. I'm going to give you a side view so you can see exactly what I'm doing. Take a breath in, exhale, nod the chin forward and now let every part of you just follow. This is the wonderful thing to do for your self any time during the day. Hold it here as you inhale and now as you exhale, contract the belly muscles and slowly roll yourself up to sitting until your eyes come to the horizon, and pause.
Thank you for joining me for the abs and back workout today. Strengthening your core muscle groups would definitely help you to maintain healthy and proper postures as you sit at your desk all day long.
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