Pilates Andrea

We made it! 🙌🏼

Now probably Joe Pilates did not *invent* the push up but true to form there’s a way to enter and exit this series with control - you know, the name of the game!

And that part feels very Joe P to me…

I’m a big fan of 5 repetitions to repeatedly roll you up to standing ready to go out into the world and live your life to the fullest.💃🏻

And if you’re like me and there’s a disparity in your strength side-to-side - you can use 2 or 4 of those reps to work each side separately.
Don’t worry I know how fun (NOT) that sounds 🤣

These things take time. -Jay Grimes

Take your time. Enjoy it. - also Jay Grimes

So how was your month?

Learn anything interesting about the exercises, or your body?

I’d love to know 🙏



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This one just gets better and better kids 😌

I consider today’s exercise to be the culmination of our Scissors Theme - our 1-side-at-a-time extravaganza!

Consider all that has come before: one leg circle, single leg stretch (scissors too! The lying down version of today’s exercise!), one leg kick, the scissors and bicycle, shoulder bridge, the side kicks, swimming, the leg pulls, the side kick kneeling, and the side bend.

Wow what a ride it’s been🥵

Work your 2-way stretch in this one and let your oppositional forces balance you somewhere wonderful/terrible in your center.

I love the way this exercise gives my back all the best feels 🥰

Do you enjoy the Scissors Theme?
😏



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Once more onto the stomach, dear friends, once more!

Today’s exercise completely left my brain for about three months in 2012.

Finally I watched someone else do it on the Mat and I was like oh yeah that thing…🥴

Joe Pilates POV: how can we do the Swan Dive again but like super unpleasant?

Ironically I prefer to do today’s exercise perched atop the Spine Corrector for a true test of your control.

Save yourself or faceplant on the Mat!

Anyone out there love this one like a total Rockstar?



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🦭🦀 Roll into the weekend…

I’m a huge lover of the Crab, I just want it to go on and on so I can procrastinate going to the next exercise who shall not be named 😏

✨And the Seal makes everyone smile✨

Use these 3-in-a-row rolling exercises to refine your control for the moves you’ll do while upside down.

Don’t let the moving parts tank your lift and control up there 😬

Any other crab lovers out there?



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So obsessed with this one!!

I’ve been blessed to witness a few Pilates practitioners who truly excel at this exercise… .pilates - I’m looking at you 👀

To create the identical shape when right side up and also upside down - like a boomerang right? That comes right back to where it started 👍🏼

So this is my quest!

Can I make the same gloriously stretchy shape that stays consistent as I merrily roll along?

Oof now that the last 5 days of one-sided nonsense are behind me 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

It’s all smooth sailing - um rolling! - from here…

The next 3 days of rolling exercises are my favorites!!
Who’s with me?



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Someday I’ll love this one…

My very first Pilates studio proudly sports today’s exercise in their logo as well.

I remember thinking what a cute drawing it was, and how much I liked it… and then one day in Mat class we learned the exercise.
😳
OMG that s**t is possible??

My mind was exploding “we’re doing the logo!!”

Nothing feels more like progress (and chaos at that point) than progressing your Pilates practice to include the branding of your LPS (local Pilates studio)
🥳

In other news Jay Grimes loved to describe this exercise as a “treat”
🥴

IKR?

Thank god for time🙏

As of this writing I’ve not yet achieved full treat mode…

How about you?

These two 🫠

Straightforward but not easy to do.

Starting with yesterday’s Swimming we’re now in the midst of a scissors theme ✂️ furthering several scissors exercises we’ve already visited through the order of the Mat exercises.

One Leg Circle, through to the Scissors, Bicycle and Shoulder Bridge and into the Side Kicks as well.

And we’re not done yet🥵

Where will our scissors theme take us next?



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Just keep swimming…

Today’s image is an homage to March MATness past.

I continue to do my best to love, honor and cherish this one and maybe I’m almost ready to say I like it 🤷🏻‍♀️

I wanna be a lover…

It does help a little bit that today’s exercise is preceded by a bunch of Teasers - which makes me kinda look forward to it? Oof did I just say that? 😳

Order, right?
🙄

Today’s exercise starts a little one-side-at-a-time sequence. The next 5 days will allow very little contact with the Mat as we near the end of our Pilates Mat exercises.

Just when you thought it was safe to be on the Mat.

🫣lover or hater?



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Consider this one Teaser 4…

One more moment of all things Teaser!

Ever try this one without your hands on the Mat?

See what you think: just reach your arms backward into position but don’t touch…

How’d you do?



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A crowd favorite? 😏

Years ago after my initial Mat class series, I was super hooked on this thing called Pilates and curious about all of the apparatus on the other side of the studio.

Lying on my back struggling with the Roll Up I would spy lots of interesting looking exercises over on the Reformers and Cadillac.

Clearly the Mat exercises were my gateway drug.

So a couple of new friends from Mat class and I signed up for a small group apparatus class.

For whatever reason I couldn’t join our first class together.
By the time I joined they had already learned the Teaser on the Long Box.

Initially I was annoyed by anything with the handles - how is this helping?? Why do people like this? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I had done the Teaser on the Mat many times, but I remember thinking my teacher was joking when she suggested I roll up to do the Teaser on the edge of this box. Really??

Well, I made it up and I have to say it was thrilling - it felt edgy (literally🤣) and “dangerous” and super satisfying.

Only then did I realize - oh s**t I have to roll back down 🫢

What’s your favorite Teaser in the studio?



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This one is hard to love…

When I was first learning Pilates many years ago, I started in a weekly Mat class.

We learned just a few exercises each week, and I would practice them every morning. For a while it only took 5-10 minutes to complete my “workout.”

Soon there were many more exercises and my morning workout started to earn its name taking 20-ish minutes to complete.

Then we learned the Side Kicks.

Suddenly I convinced myself there was simply not time enough to add the Side Kicks to my routine. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sooooo they still are not a favorite, but I’ve gotten better.

I like to motivate myself with the reminder that the Side Kick is the training ground for Star on the Reformer, which is a huge struggle and great challenge for me yet I love to work on it 🙄

Whatevs…

Where my Side Kick lovers at?



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