23 August, 2008

Bosu- Pilates-Series 30

1. Hundreds
Lie down on top of Bosu. Keep your legs straight up. Exhale and slowly lift your head and torso up. Raise up your hands also. Now you have to pump your hands as if bouncing the ball. Simultaneously, breathe 5 count inhale through the nose and 5 count exhale through the mouth. This makes it 10 count. Do 10 times and you would complete 100. When you exhale, pull the naval in towards the spine. This works on transverse abdominus muscle. Excellent exercise for core conditioning.
The hundred is a classic Pilates exercise.

The hundred is often used as a dynamic warm-up for the abdominals and lungs. It requires that you coordinate your breath with the movement, and be strong and graceful at the same time. It is challenging.

Take five short breaths in and five short breaths out (like sniffing in and puffing out). While doing so, move your arms in a controlled up and down manner - a small pumping of the arms.

Be sure to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed. It is the abdominal muscles that should be doing all the work.

Do a cycle of 10 full breaths. Each cycle is five short in-breaths and then five short out-breaths.
The arms pump up and down a few inches, in unison with your breath.
Keep your abs scooped, your back flat on the floor, and your head an extension of your spine, with the gaze down. OK - not hard!

To finish: Keep your spine curved as you bring your knees in toward your chest. Grasp your knees and roll up. Take a deep breath in and out.

Tips:

To make the hundred more challenging: Lower your legs. Do not lower your legs past where you can control the movement. Don't let your spine peel up off the floor as you lower the legs.

To modify the hundred for back or neck problems: Do this exercise with your knees bent and the feet flat on the floor.
You can do this exercise with the legs extended but the head left down on the Bosu. This modification is often used by people who need to protect their necks.



2. Single leg stretch
Lie down on Bosu Your back is resting on the Bose. Slowly bring your head and torso up. Now bring one leg straight up and grab it with both the hands. You should be holding from the calf muscle. Inhale for 2 counts and pull the leg towards yourself, increasing the stretch. Exhale and switch the leg. Both legs should be straight and not bending. They move like scissors.



1 comment:

  1. I like your way of presentation. As well your provided tips are very worthy. do you have any video of Pilates exercise? if you have please share with me.

    Pilates Exercises

    ReplyDelete