Anyone do Pilates?

[Zen]

If that's not enough stretching for you I don't know any discipline that has more...

It's an entirely different type of stretching. Pilates is more like lengthening.

[Crankin]

I guess my back hurt the most. And my neck. Like holding your head up doing 100s. I can do the abs part, but can't hold my head up without pain. The fact that no matter how long I kept trying, my back still lifted off the floor, out of "imprint" when doing some of that stuff.
The yoga classes I take are fairly easy, I guess. Yet, I have seen improvement since I started. I am very flexible, so that's not it. I'm just weak, lopsided, due to untreated scoliosis, and all my other assorted sports injuries. Heck, PT only helped me temporarily and I was religious about my "homework." I still do all of that, 4 days a week.
Maybe I would feel better if I stopped all of this exercise stuff .

[tulip]

I guess my back hurt the most. And my neck. Like holding your head up doing 100s. I can do the abs part, but can't hold my head up without pain. The fact that no matter how long I kept trying, my back still lifted off the floor, out of "imprint" when doing some of that stuff.
The yoga classes I take are fairly easy, I guess. Yet, I have seen improvement since I started. I am very flexible, so that's not it. I'm just weak, lopsided, due to untreated scoliosis, and all my other assorted sports injuries. Heck, PT only helped me temporarily and I was religious about my "homework." I still do all of that, 4 days a week.
Maybe I would feel better if I stopped all of this exercise stuff .

I would venture that if you did a series of one-on-one Pilates sessions on the reformer and other apparati that your neck/upper back issues and your core strength would improve significantly. It would be pricey, but that's what I would do if i could afford it. I hope by next year that I can do that at least once a month while also doing the mat exercises.

I've found that yoga and Pilates, while having some similarities, are actually quite different in a number of ways. The breathing, for one, is really different. In yoga, the emphasis is on filling up your belly and relaxing those muscles, while in Pilates it's all about scooping and tightening the "powerhouse." I enjoy them both and get benefits from both.

[emily_in_nc]

I've found that yoga and Pilates, while having some similarities, are actually quite different in a number of ways. The breathing, for one, is really different. In yoga, the emphasis is on filling up your belly and relaxing those muscles, while in Pilates it's all about scooping and tightening the "powerhouse." I enjoy them both and get benefits from both.

Agreed completely! +1

Crankin, my neck also bothers me on the "hundred". It's like it is trying to do all the work for my abs. But once we move on to the rest of the routine, my abs seem to warm up and do more, so my neck doesn't bother me so much. I still have to lie my head down from time to time, though, and rest those muscles. It's not the back of my neck that bothers me, tho, is that what bothered you? For me it is the muscles in the front of my neck, trying to take over for my abs. I am hoping as my abs get stronger, that will lessen. I still have a ways to go as I still get sore abs after class, but I'm only taking one Pilates class per week (and one yoga).

[OakLeaf]

One of the things they talk about in Stott Pilates is that a lot of the neck strain is actually coming from the shoulders - if you really work at stabilizing the scapulae, the neck will relax at least some. It seems to work for me.

Also a trick I learned that I have no idea why it works, is to touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth. That helps your neck relax too.


+1 on Yoga and Pilates being very different! I've been doing one after the other Saturday mornings, so I get the contrast pretty starkly!

[Blueberry]

My neck has good days and bad days. I have to warm it up. I also have to really focus on the powerhouse - when I don't, my neck is quite painful. Seems like when my form gets bad, my neck hurts.

CA

[tulip]

I've found it very helpful to concentrate on looking at my bellybutton while doing the exercises that (used to) strain my neck. Try focusing on your bellybutton (NOT the ceiling!) for the hundred, roll-up, rolling-like-a-ball, open-leg rocker, neck-pull, teaser, and seal. Since I haven't taken classes in a while, I'm not doing the more advanced exercises.

Looking at your bellybutton forces you to round your neck and upper back, whereas looking at the ceiling results in a cantilever effect with your head, which is very heavy!

[emily_in_nc]

I've found it very helpful to concentrate on looking at my bellybutton while doing the exercises that (used to) strain my neck. Try focusing on your bellybutton (NOT the ceiling!) for the hundred, roll-up, rolling-like-a-ball, open-leg rocker, neck-pull, teaser, and seal. Since I haven't taken classes in a while, I'm not doing the more advanced exercises.

Looking at your bellybutton forces you to round your neck and upper back, whereas looking at the ceiling results in a cantilever effect with your head, which is very heavy!

Thanks for the tip, tulip! I do fine on the roll-up, rolling-like-a-ball, teaser, and the others you mention I'm not famliar with (or our instructor calls them something different), but the hundred gets me every time. I believe I'm looking at my legs to get the angle right (I don't think I'm looking at the ceiling), but I'll try looking at my belly button next time!