Pelvic curls

Pelvic curls are one of the very basic pilates exercises and is very beneficial. To most people it does seem like a very simple exercise but if you look at the image below you will see that so many muscles get used performing a pelvic and it relaxes your spine and stretches it out for you.

I like to use pelvic curls in all my classes because it is a nice spine and abs warming up but more because it stretches your hip flexors which is super important because if your hip flexors are tight you will have a tight lumbar spine. The other reason why I like it so much is because it is a good exercise to teach the right breathing and how to work into your deep abdominals to control your spinal movement.

If you have a tight back give these a try....

Lie onto the mat with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart. Imprint your spine onto the mat and place your pelvis into a neutral position and making sure there is no space between your back and the mat.Walk your hands down to your heels to ensure your shoulders are relaxed onto the ground.

Keep your abs nice and tight.

Inhale: To prepare
Exhale: lower your ribs into your abs making one strong connection and squashing any gap between your back and the mat and roll your pelvis up until you form a nice straight line with your body. Remember you want to lift one vertebrae at a time so you are using your abs to roll up.
Inhale: Pause
Exhale: Roll all the way back onto the mat one vertebrae at a time with a nice tight tummy to control the movement down. You want your ribs to roll down first, then the middle of your back then your lower back all the way to a neutral pelvis.

A neutral pelvis is when your hip bones arent higher than your pubic bone and arent lower than your pubic bone.