Every Body Benefits from Pilates

Try these beginner ab exercises

The Basics

Every Pilates movement--when done correctly--starts in your core (abdomen), stays in your core, and ends in your core. A strong core:

Allows a gymnast to hold a handstand and a yogi to hold a headstand
Allows the martial artist to kick through a board and a dancer to leap into the air
Puts more oomph in your tennis swing, more speed to your run, and more control in your ski slalom
Creates power in your midsection and shrinks middle-age spread, helping you to accomplish goals you never before dreamed possible

That's why it's so important that you learn how to move from your core before you attempt any Pilates routine. If you lose the core emphasis, you lose many of the benefits of Pilates. To understand what I'm talking about, try this simple exercise, which I call "zipping up your abs":

Zipping Up Your Abs

Lie back on the floor, with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor, and your back slightly arched, as shown on the left. Focus on your pelvic area and your lower abdomen, below the belly button. Pull those muscles up and inward, as if you were zipping up a corset. This upward and inward motion will bring your belly button toward your spine as well as lengthen your torso, creating more space between your ribs and hips.

Notice how you've slightly lifted your pelvis and flattened your back but still have a slight neutral curve in your lower back, as shown on the right. Take note of the length in your core. Memorize this sensation.

Imagine that zipper again. Now try to zip yourself up even tighter, lengthening as the imaginary zipper comes up your midsection, almost squeezing yourself taller. This is how you want to feel during every Pilates exercise.

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