Video Tip #1 – Can’t Strengthen Your Abs Because Your Neck Hurts?
Did you take up Pilates because you want to strengthen, firm and flatten your abdominals? Maybe you’ve heard that Pilates is good for core strength. And getting strong abdominals and a strong core is a great goal.
But what, exactly does it mean to you to have strength in your core? Is there a specific reason for strengthening your abdominals?
You might say that it’s because you want a flatter stomach…but having a flat stomach, or a skinner waist, or fitting into a smaller pair of pants doesn’t necessarily help you walk further, keep up with your kids or grandkids, or stay in your garden all day without back pain.
So what does having a stronger core mean to you in your every day life? How would more core strength help you move better, last longer with less pain? Because that’s the big benefit of Pilates. It’s not so much about how you look in you jeans that’s important – although looking good in a pair of jeans is a bonus! – it’s really about how much your life is improved by being stronger & more balanced.
You’re more confident. Less tired. Better able to cope.
Pilates offers lots of great exercises for the abdominals and “the core” (more about the difference between these two terms in a future post).
The problem with many of the Pilates abdominal exercises is that for a lot of people, the flexion exercises – where you’re curling forward from the floor – are a pain in the neck!
How can you strengthen your abdominals with these exercises if your neck hurts?
Well…the funny thing is that if your neck is straining and sore when you do these exercises, then you’re not strengthening your abs at all! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here, but if you’re using you neck to lift yourself up, then chances are that your deep abdominals are doing very little.
Sure – you might get a bit sore around your ribcage the next day, but you’re most likely not getting much action in the lower part of your abdominal area – deep inside the pelvis, the foundation of abdominal and core strength.
So what are you supposed to do?
First, there are many exercises you can do without lifting you head at all, that will strengthen your abs very nicely. If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, you should be familiar with these exercises. Many of our Pilates classes at PMP begin with these kinds of exercises…like the ever-popular “dead bug” exercise.
But if you’re ready to start working on flexion exercises (and you DON”T have osteoporosis or osteopenia), then you can begin by learning the “head hover” exercise. This will prepare you for supporting your head in the correct position – using your deeper abdominals and lats – so you can progress to curling your spine forward.
Watch this video that I’ve made for you and practice the head hover.
In the next post, I’ll show you how you can start to do the Pilates flexion exercises without neck pain! But get the head hover down first – and remember to practice the head hover without pain.
Here’s to your best year ever!
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[...] week, I introduced you to the “head hover” exercise – an exercise to help you feel the supportive connection between the head and the [...]
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