Strengthen & Stretch — v i c k i h a l l

We’ve all heard that stretching keeps muscles strong, flexible, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in our joints. Without it, muscles can shorten and become tight, which limits our ability to move freely. But all too often I hear from clients that taking the time for post-exercise stretching isn’t a priority.

One of the beautiful things about pilates is that many exercises strengthen one muscle group while simultaneously stretching another. The dynamic stretches through active movement require us to isolate and engage specific muscles for stability, while elongating and stretching other muscles. Rather than needing to add extra time at the end of a workout, a good portion of your stretching happens during a pilates session.

Here are five of my favourites from the pilates mat repertoire that challenge us to use and strengthen particular muscles while allowing us to stretch others muscles:

Bridge

Strengthen: With an exhale, slowly peel your spine from the mat, lifting your pelvis up until you find your bridge. You’ll feel your glutes, hamstrings, and quads working to get your body up, as well as to maintain the position.

Stretch: While holding your bridge, think of reaching your knees to the opposite wall and feel your hip flexors extend. This is a wonderful way to counter the sitting we do all day. Then with another exhale, lower yourself to the mat, one vertebrae at a time, articulating your way down from the upper back to the tail bone. You’ll experience a great stretch through the entire length of the spine.

Roll-up

Strengthen: Lying on your back, slowly curl your body up from the mat, starting with the head and moving sequentially through your spine. You will notice how much you have to call upon your abdominals all the way up!

Stretch: Continue rounding your upper body forward over your straight legs, feeling the wonderful stretch through your back. Flexing at the ankles is a great way to add a deep stretch of the hamstrings.

Single Leg Lift / Scissors

Strengthen: The abdominals really need to work to keep the upper body lifted in flexion. This move also requires the assistance of the hips in the alternating lift of the straight legs.

Stretch: By taking hold of the straight leg closest to your face (try grabbing it as high as you can) and pulling it toward you 2-3 times, you will feel a nice stretch along the back of the leg.

Flight

Strengthen: As soon as you lift your upper body off the mat (keep your neck long!), you’ll feel the muscles that extend the spine working very hard. Those muscles are often quite weak and keeping them strong is extremely important for our postural health. By lifting straight legs, the hamstrings and glutes will also engage.

Stretch: Think of reaching in one direction through the crown of your head while reaching in the opposite direction from your fingertips and toes. It’s a great stretch for opening the chest and shoulders, which is an effective way to counter the forward flexion we often do. (The forward-rounded shoulders and neck from sitting at a computer or looking at your phone.)

Mermaid

Strengthen: This three-part move is often how we end our zoom pilates classes. During the second part of mermaid, we twist and lower to a hover over the mat. The straight leg lift/lower really fires all the muscles of the leg. Other muscles that we use during the torso hover are the biceps, the abdominals, and the many muscles around the hips.

Stretch: Parts one and three of mermaid move the spine in two important ways — lateral flexion and rotation. Begin with one leg folded back, and the other folded in front, then lift an arm and slowly go into a side bend. With each breath you’ll experience a stretch in the obliques and intercostal muscles. (The many muscles that lie between your ribs.) Once the second part mermaid - torso hover with leg lift/lower - is complete, push the upper body away from the mat, raise your chest, and return the straight leg to the mat. Breathing deeper into the spine twist stretch while lifting the upper body is the perfect way to wrap up your time on the mat.