The shape of things

If you do pilates or yoga, you're probably familiar with this pose:

(Source)

In yoga it's called the boat pose. In Pilates it's called the "V Position." If you've ever taken a Pilates class, there's a good chance that you've had to do a teaser. That's where you're lying on your back, legs straight out and then have to pull up your top and bottom half into this V position.

It's a tough move and takes a lot of core muscles to do. It's even harder to keep your legs straight and your back flat and have your legs this close to your chest. This is a stick drawing of what I look like when I do this move:

My legs are rarely straight enough, there's always a slight bent. My back isn't as flat, and my knees come nowhere close to my chest. This bugs me because I'm pretty good (not bragging) at most of the other things we do in the mat class.

So I asked my teacher what the problem could be. First off, in great motivating-instructor ways, she told me that my teaser and V looked great and that I was being more critical of myself. Then she said that I might need to strengthen my back muscles - specifically the low back. We do some back moves in class, but she suggested weights.

And that's just what I did yesterday. As I read up on strength training for the back, I realized that our back and our core is like the trunk of a tree. If we just focus on strengthening the limbs, we're missing out on the whole picture.

Here's a run down of the moves I did yesterday: If you have your own, please post them in the comments section!

1. With dumbbells in both hands (around 5-10 pounds) get in a plank (push up) position with legs wider then normal. Keeping body straight, lift one hand with weight to your hip. Lower and repeat on other side for one rep. Do 8-10 reps.

2. Get a stability ball and a step. Put the ball on top of the step. Standing on the side of the step, lean over the ball so that your chest and stomach are on top of ball and feet still on ground. Hold on firmly to the sides of the step (the narrow sides). Lift your legs keeping your torso still so your legs are parallel with body (not higher). Squeeze glutes and hold for one count. Lower. Do 10 reps.

3. Load 15-20 pounds on a low cable pulley machine with a handle attached. Grab the handle with right hand, palm facing down and step back until there's no slack in the cable. Lunge back with your right foot so that your left thigh is parallel to floor and your knee is aligned right in line with your ankle. This is the starting position. Pull your right arm back and then bend your elbow to bring your hand toward your ribs. Do 10 reps then switch to other side.

4. Back extension- using the hyperextension bench and holding a 5- to 10-pound weight plate, cross arms at chest, hook feet under pad, rest hips on the edge, and lower torso to hang at a 45- to 90-degree angle. Lift torso to form a line from head to heels. Click here for a pick of the bench I'm talking about.

Do 2-3 sets of this. You can do it as a circuit or just go one move at a time.

And obviously - practice the teaser/boat/v position as much as possible. It doesn't just have to be in class!

It's been a LONG while since I've posted an actual workout on here so when I found this one today on Women's Health I knew I had to share it with you.

We should all be well aware of the benefits of a plank - push up position - you use all your core muscles to stabilize your body and then you use almost every other muscle as well (arms, back, legs, calves, shoulders). But just holding a plank for an extended period of time can get boring.

So Women's Health came up with four "twists" on the original plank. Some of these moves I've done in my Pilates mat class, and others I can't wait to try.

This is a great "at-home" in front of the TV workout. Each move calls for ten sets (but don't worry each move is only one rep) So you could do this workout all at once during your favorite show. Or as a circuit doing the four moves in a row two times during each commercial break (that should last you throughout Ugly Betty, right?).

Now don't be fooled - if you've never done exercises in a plank position these are really TOUGH. They take a lot of strength and a lot of energy. You just may sweat. :)

But for a great all-over strength toning session, print out this workout and let me know how it goes. Here's to having stronger muscles and a stronger core!

I've mentioned before about how my one main "trouble spot" all my life has been my belly. Growing up I always had a pooch, and when I started gaining weight in college the pooch turned to a pot belly. I was always very self-concious about this part of my body and never - ever - ever liked wearing bikinis or anything showing my midsection.

When I started losing weight I lost weight everywhere else first and then in my belly (boobs, thighs, arms then belly!). And when I was at my target healthy weight I still wasn't too satisfied about the look of my abs. The top part was flat-ish but the lower part was still flab-ish. I did so many crunches and core workouts. And I always mixed them up trying new moves and doing more reps or adding resistance. I still felt like not much was happening.

Then, I made the decision to take Pilates.

Read about my first class here. I wasn't sold after the first class. I liked it, I liked how my abs were "engaged" and working the whole time, I just wasn't sure if there would be any benefit from it since my previous core workouts actually included a lot of pilates moves (not to my knowledge at that time) and hadn't produced the results I craved. 

So that was June 22. And it's now been almost 3 months and I have to say - dang my abs look good!!

I've been taking the class 2-3 times a week. Somehow the mix of the moves, the way we work the core, the way I am more aware of engaging my transverse abs all day - all these things have done wonders for my abs. I feel more confident about them, I stand up straighter, and most importantly I can see in the mirror that they are truly flatter.

If you've been on the fence about taking Pilates - take it from me and every other starlet who swears by pilates - try it out. Give it a couple months and then make your decision.  I hope you have similar results as I did and I also hope that it will open up your mind to different ways to work our bodies. 

If you've ever taken a pilates class you're probably familiar with the idea of contracting your transverse abs. My instructor will sometimes have us lay on our backs on the mat and put our finger right above our hip-bones. Then she'll tell us to imagine we're pulling our belly button to our spines. When you do this, you'll feel the muscle contract.

Ideally your abs should be contracted like this throughout the entire Pilates class. And the great thing about the class is that your instructor will remind you time and again to make sure your belly button is drawn in. 

Note: you should still be able to breathe while this muscle is contracted. If you cannot breath you're most likely holding your breath and simply "sucking in your stomach." The difference here is that you're just "pulling" the belly button in.

So today - try to keep your transverse abs contracted as much as you can. While you're sitting at your desk make a conscious effort to keep that muscle contracted. Maybe even stick a post-it note by your computer monitor with some clever thing that will make you remember. (like just write "button" so you think of the belly button).

According to my pilates instructor once you do pilates for a long while and start making the conscious efforts to keep those muscles contracted it becomes second nature. Now how awesome would that be?  Always having a flat belly and good posture? Couldn't be better.

If you're still confused about how to actually contract the transverse abs read this article that gives great descriptions about it. 

Last night I took my first (ever) pilates class. I had heard from some friends that it was a great workout, etc. and of course every other article in my women's fitness magazines praise pilates like it's the next best thing to Christ. So, I tried it.

I was surprised at how many of the poses/exercises we did that I had already done before in my normal ab-strength routines. So it was great to be able to do some of the "advanced" forms being only a beginner. I definitely felt my core working during the moves and it pushed me to hold some poses longer than I would do on my own. (Like the 1-minute plank). I'm going to wait around to see if my abs are sore (they aren't yet, but sometimes it takes a while) and if they are I will definitely take the class again.

If they aren't? Well, then I'll probably stick to working out my abs on my own. I know that pilates isn't just about abs, but that's my "trouble spot" and that's what I want to target. I'm not saying I'd never take the class again, but I wouldn't up my attendance to more than once a week.

Have you had a success story with pilates, or a not-so-successful story? Share it. Got any tips for me, a beginner, on how to get the most out of the pilates class? I need them! Please comment.