Is your roll-up (or hundred) making you pee your pants?

In a recent post I talked about breathing and the importance of it to your intra-abdominal pressure (IPA). Breathing is hard enough to do when you're laying still and focusing on it. Add movement and things can really go wrong! Held breath, bulged abdominals, tight shoulders. It's important we learn to breath well and move well at the same time.

How do we do that? Well first don't rush yourself into the advanced work. Too many times I see people with non-optimal movement (and stabilization) habits rushed into an advanced class before they are really ready for it. Although the client is happy they are "advanced" the instructor has really done that client a disservice. The first principle of Pilates is breath. Learn to breath well in the beginner and intermediate exercises before you rush into the advanced work.

There are a few exercises that have the potential to cause havoc on the IPA if they are not done properly. The hundred, teaser, roll-up, double leg stretch and double leg lift fit that category. How do you know if they are causing more harm than help? Well, if the abdominals are "bulging" during these movements you can guarantee there is a downward pressure on the pelvic floor. And if you're passing gas in a Pilates class that is a sign that you're actually bearing down instead of connecting with your breath and deep abdominals.

Changing your focus can take an exercise from faulty to functional. For example, in the roll-up, imagine a net gently lifting the intestines and other organs up towards your ribcage. You may be surprised to see you float into the exercise rather than muscle through it. The best image I was ever given in Pilates was by Amy Taylor-Alpers and it was of a giant wave coming into shore. The "internal-lift" of that wave is how we want our bodies to work during Pilates.

The teaser is another example. If you focus on the end result of the Teaser shape you are likely going to put all your energy into lifting those oh-so heavy legs into the air. Pilates is a full-body movement remember! Unweight your legs. Breathe fully and focus on your eyes and feet meeting together at the top of the movement instead. A huge shout out here to Benjamin Degenhardt! I literally struggled for YEARS with the teaser and after one session with him I floated up into the teaser and my movement (and teaching) practice was forever changed!

Then there's the hundred! I can't count the times I have had instructions from a clients physiotherapist telling me the hundred is contraindicated. It is when it's done badly. But it's an important exercise to teach you how to lift the legs off the ground when taught well. It's important to monitor yourself for a fluid breath and an open throat throughout the exercise. A held or forceful breath can damage the perineum as a result of the downward movement of the abdominal contents.

The double leg stretch and double leg lift can also pose problems if the client isn't ready for these full body exercises. The weight of the legs can lift the ribs off the mat and cause the client to hold their breath. Now the pressure is on the pelvic floor. My best advice is to build up these exercises in other places in the Pilates studio until you can breath and move effectively at the same time.

The key to Pilates is not the end result of an exercise. Its what happens on the way through that exercise thats important. The principle of fluidity can be thought of as effortless effort. Have you ever seen a ballerina float across the stage? You can guarantee she is working hard but yet she makes it look effortless. Thats how we want our bodies to move. Thats how they are designed to move!

Alignment matters! Let's talk about that at a later date. In the meantime breathe. And in the middle of the movement when you find that you've stopped breathing listen to your body. It's trying to tell you something. Is there a better place in the studio to try this exercise. If you don't listen, sorry but you risk peeing your pants.