Finding Your Wave - Improve Your Upper Body Curl to Further Your Pilates Journey
By Nicki Noftz
One of the first fundamental skills you learn in Pilates is the upper body curl; however, it can be one of the most challenging fundamentals to master. Years of crunches have thwarted our ability to find our true Pilates upper body curl. Our neck start to ache, we become lazy in our curl, and/or we crunch the abs. Now is the time to master the upper body curl to build more strength in the belly and neck muscles, decompress the spine, and provide movement in your thoracic spine, or upper, spine.
The upper body curl, which bends the upper spine supported by your abs, is prevalent through most Pilates exercises. Not only do you perform many exercises while in the upper body curl but also the movement of the upper body curl is apparent in other exercises. Many of us have missed out on the power of the upper body curl. We practice it as a crunch rather than an upper body curl. Crunches may work the top abdominal muscle, or Rectus, for rock hard abs, but it doesn't completely work the deeper belly muscles. Many times it can be counter productive to the body. In the article "Forget Six Pack Abs," Fernando Pages Ruiz discusses the negatives of six pack abs such as loss of flexibility and freedom of movement, flattening of the lumbar curve, weakened spinal structures, and psychological consequences. As mentioned in my previous article, "Breathing Your Way to Stronger Abs," there are deeper belly muscles that are more important. We will continue to focus on working the Transverse, Internal and External Obliques through the breath as well as add a new layer with movement.
Have you heard anyone say they do 100 crunches every night and never reach their desired look? Improper working of the muscles will limit the effectiveness of the exercises. According to Joseph Pilates in reference to Pilates exercises, "Concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all the vital benefits of their value." Focusing on your upper body curl can make a tremendous change in your Pilates practice, ab strength, spinal flexibility, and movement patterns.
Imagine the upper body curl like a surfer trying to catch a wave. If the wave collapses, it crashes onto itself. If it never creates an even C-shape, the wave ceases to exist. Each wave has its own unique characteristics. Your upper body curl will be different than your friends because each of you has varied strength and flexibility in your spine. Crunch in your curl and you miss out on the effectiveness while too open of a curl will create undue strain in the body. When you find your wave, the movement will feel as if you are bending one vertebra at a time starting with your head. Your neck will be free of strain and the entire belly will feel the movement. Many of my clients say it feels like 2 rods stretching from each point of the lower ribs to the pelvis. As well, the chest may feel as it is softening. When your wave is crashing, you may feel strain in the neck and/or your ribcage will move towards your pelvis while the belly pushes out. Most of the work will be felt just below the ribs instead of encompassing the entire belly. The right wave will challenge the strength of the body; however, it will be less effort than the crash. Finding your wave now will improve the effectiveness of many Pilates exercises while building strength and flexibility needed for more advanced exercises.
Analysis
It is important to understand your current concept of the upper body curl. Try a couple upper body curls and tune into what you feel. Do you feel it working all of the belly or just the upper part? Are your shoulders tense? Do your ribs move closer to your pelvis? Is your head forward or is the chin lifted? Do you lead with your head? Do you move sequentially or do you lift by pushing the lower ribs into the mat? As we start to master the upper body curl we want to move sequentially starting with the head and bending each vertebra. You will feel the entire belly working and may even shake.
Once you have a good idea of what you currently do to lift in your curl, we can start to create your wave. Below are tips to help you master the curl. In the beginning, it may be confusing and challenging to figure out how to bend the upper spine instead of crunch. Don't give up! Keep practicing until you find your wave. Continue to practice your curl by itself or while practicing specific exercises, such as The Hundred. See how it affects the effectiveness of the other exercises.
Exercise
Upper Body Curl
Lay on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head at the base of the skull. You want to use your hands for support rather than to help pull your head up. Start your inhale as your chin lowers towards your chest. It will feel as if you are giving yourself a double chin. Avoid closing off your air way as you lower your chin. You will feel the back on the neck stretch rather than strain. Start to bend each vertebra of your upper spine sequentially until the shoulder blades hover off the ground. Once your head lifts, it won't continue to move forward. Rather as each vertebra bends the head will be lifted. Think that you want to bend at the middle of your sternum instead of the lower ribs. If your hands push your head forward rather than act as a support, try to practice with one hand or no hands.
The belly will be stretched in and up under the ribcage as you continue to use your Pilates breath. The belly should be strong yet have some flexibility rather than pushing out. As you lift your head, be aware of your head placement. Many times we will pull our head forward and close off the air way, pull on the neck, or lift the chin. You want to keep the head on top of the spine to find ease in the movement and keep an open, relaxed breath. Continue to use your hands as support until the belly and neck muscles can sustain the position without undue strain. When you feel supported, practice without your hands.
It is very easy to get lazy in your upper body curl. Focusing on your curl will build more belly strength, gain more movement in your spine, and make your Pilates more effective. When you find your wave, give yourself a high five...You are a ROCKSTAR!
Nicki Noftz is the owner of Mindful Movement, LLC in Big Bend, WI. Mindful Movement is a wellness community offering Pilates, Yoga, and massage. Nicki teaches Pilates to empower the body, mind & spirit of her clients. Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/mindfulmovementllc for a video illustrating how to master the upper body curl or follow Nicki on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MindfulMovement
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