pilates

Conquer the Full Roll Up

The Full Roll Up is one of the Pilates exercises that frustrates people the most. So many people struggle with this movement. They get discouraged and blame their abs. Sure, your abs might be a part of the problem. They may need to get stronger to do the exercise, but they also might just need to learn how to fire properly—meaning they could do it if they understood what they were supposed to do. Most of us weren’t taught how to do a sit up or ab exercises properly. Many of us use other muscles like hip flexors or the muscles in the neck to try to pull ourselves up to a seated position. Your abs might be strong enough, but they’ve never had to do the work before, why should they start now? And it’s not just about your abs. Tightness in your back could be getting in your way. So, how do we break it all down so you can conquer the full roll up?
First, cut yourself some slack. Yes, it’s true, you might not be able to do this exercise right now, but that does not mean you […]

Conquer the Full Roll UpMaggie Downie2018-02-14T17:41:48-05:00

Naked Pilates: What Workout Clothes Should You Wear?

Joe Pilates in typical workout attire.

I’ve done Pilates naked and it’s not pretty. I personally don’t recommend it. That being said when we practice Pilates nowadays we actually wear a lot of workout clothes. Joe Pilates had people train with minimal clothing. He basically wore swimming trunks that looked like black or white tighty whities and women working with Joe often wore leotards. I would not attend a Pilates class today if they required me to show up in a leotard.

There was a method to Joe’s madness though. He wanted people unencumbered by clothing, although arguably being comfortable makes you feel freer to move. I’d be really encumbered if I had to do exercises in front of people in a leotard. Last fall I almost went out in public in a unitard—a near disaster. Joe also wanted the skin to be able to breathe. I get that too, but I’m pretty sure our skin can breathe with a little more clothes on. And he wanted to be able to see his clients better. That’s helpful. If you show up to class wearing more form […]

Naked Pilates: What Workout Clothes Should You Wear?Maggie Downie2018-02-14T15:43:16-05:00

Pilates: Beginner vs. Intermediate

Maggie doing Spread Eagle on the Cadillac with Fuzzy Straps…Intermediate

Most of Personal Euphoria’s group classes are mixed level, but a couple of our towns offer intermediate classes. People regularly ask me what the differences between beginner and intermediate classes are. So here are some basic guidelines I like to follow:

Pilates Basic Principles

You know and are familiar with all the basic principles. It doesn’t mean you absolutely have to have perfected each principle, but you know it when you hear it and while you may require a reminder, you can make the adjustment needed if cued to. The general basic principles are: breathing, imprint vs. neutral, shoulder stability, neck placement during exercises, and knitting the ribs. Again, this doesn’t mean that you never need to be reminded to relax your shoulders, but when you hear that reminder you are able to. It doesn’t mean that you never feel an exercise in your neck, but when you do, you have ways to move your body to release that tension or you know to lower the head.

Control Imprint vs Neutral

This is […]

Pilates: Beginner vs. IntermediateMaggie Downie2018-02-14T15:28:07-05:00

10 Summer Exercises

If your schedule changes in the summer and you can’t get to your regular Pilates class this video and blog is for you. Below you’ll find a ten minute Pilates workout of some of the best exercises to continue doing during your off season.

Best is always a sticky word because the ten best exercises would be different for every person and might be different for a specific individual on different days.

But what I think is good about this series is that is works you in flexion (rounded forward), extension (bending back), rotation and laterally (did you see how I threw in a plank there?). The spine gets mobilized in every direction. We work abs, back, glutes, legs and arms. And we bookended it with two of the best stretches ever.

Watch the video for help or print out this list and take it with you. You can do these moves anywhere, even outside in a park.

Reminder: You want to ensure your abdominals are gently engaged the entire time to keep the work out of your back. If you feel an exercise in your back, stop. Take a break. You can always try again later. Turn up the volume; it’s a little […]

10 Summer ExercisesMaggie Downie2018-01-13T16:15:45-05:00

Client Corner: 100 Days of 100 Complete!

Sue doing the 100!

Sue has been taking Pilates in Glastonbury for over 6 years. While some people groan when it’s time for planks, Sue’s personal nemesis is the roll up. Her goal is to one day do it without using a flex band.

With that in mind, when her instructor Maggie mentioned an abdominal challenge in class, Sue was interested to see if it could help her build core strength for the roll up. She thought to herself “this is probably a challenge I should take on.”

The challenge was 100 days of the 100, where participants were asked to do the Pilates exercise the 100, one hundred days in a row. The 100 is an exercise that you’ll find in almost any Pilates class. It consists of lying with your back on the mat, upper body curled up, legs in the air (usually) and completing 100 arm beats while holding the position. It typically comes early in class and gets the entire body warmed up by getting you in tune with your breath and your blood pumping. To read more about why we do this challenge check out […]

Client Corner: 100 Days of 100 Complete!Maggie Downie2017-12-29T20:59:00-05:00