Pilates Tip of the Day: Roll up series step 3: Assisted roll up

Rolling up on a barrel.

Photo courtesy of Balanced Body®

 

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Pilates Tip of the Day: Roll Up Series

Pilates tip of the day: Roll up series: Step one: Roll down prep

Pilates Tip of the Day: Roll Up Series: Roll Down Step 2

Pilates equipment guide: Mat

Roll Up Series: Step 3: Assisted Roll Up Once you have managed a controlled roll down with your legs straight, it’s time to start working on the up.

1. Begin seated with your legs bent, hands behind your thighs (as in Roll Down Prep).
2. Keeping just your finger tips on the back of your thighs, roll down one vertebrae at a time. Take note of anywhere your back does not want to bend or you can’t put your vertebrae on the mat. Pause in these spaces and take 3 deep breaths, visualizing yourself breathing into the spot and the back rounding out so the vertebrae can touch the floor.
3. Once you have rolled all the way down to the mat, exhale, and with your hands on the back of your thighs, begin the roll up. Again, if you find a “stuck” spot, pause there, breathing into that place in your back and visualizing it rounding. Use your biceps to pull yourself through any spots that are still stuck after breathing through them.

--If you have a small ball, you may use this to “block” yourself- or support your upper back if you have places in your low back that won’t round. Place the ball a foot or so behind you so that you can roll down until you hit it and allow it to lightly support your upper back while you work to round out your low back. DO NOT REST ON THE BALL. Use it just for proprioception, or you risk allowing your abs to disengage and getting more stuck.