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Pre-Pilates: Spinal Mobility & Strengthening – Typewriter (Bridging)

Foundations: Spinal Mobility & Strengthening

Quick Intro: Typewriter (Bridging)

I love this exercise so much!  It perfectly demonstrates that Pre-Pilates can be really difficult!  These Foundation exercises can challenge everyone from the seasoned expert to the absolute beginner…
You’ll need concentration, precision and centering to master this “anti-rotational” exercise.  The challenge is both on strength and mobility simultaneously!

 

What’s it good for?

🌟 There are elements of spinal mobilisation as we roll up and roll down into the bridging position.
🌟 The key point of this Bridging variation is stabilising the hips, preventing rotation as we move from side to side.
🌟 There’s a side stretch (lateral stretch) as we bend the spine outwards and expand the ribcage.

 

 

A quick “how to”…

Typewriter (Bridging)

🌟 Roll up your spine into a Shoulder Bridge position aka “Pelvic Curls” (here)
🌟 Move the hips from side to side, keeping the hips level.
🌟 Watch for your hips dropping down – this is a common way of our body “cheating” on the challenge!  Don’t ask me how I know that it is! :-).
🌟 To increase the challenge, try breathing into the side that’s expanding or, moving outwards.  See One Lung Breathing (here).
🌟 Notice which hip drops down.  Is it the side that’s moving outwards, or the opposite side?

 

Hints & Tips:

🌟 Think of an old manual typewriter that had a bobbin that would move from side to side.
🌟 Rather than focussing on movement of the pelvis, try to focus on moving the rib cage from side to side.  Does that help?.
🌟 I like to think of this type of exercise as an “anti-rotation” exercise, in contrast to “Hips Dips” which is a rotational exercise.

Any Questions?

Ask away – I love to help!  Click here for the Contact Page 🙂 – or leave a comment at the bottom of the post – see you there…

Miguel 🙂

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