The Saw
– #pilates4life2020: #25 of 31 exercises
This exercise was my absolute NEMESIS! Like many runners 🏃🏼🏃🏼🏃🏼 and cyclists 🚴🏾🚴🏾🚴🏾, I was very tight in the hips and have very strong but short hamstrings that overpower the small stabilizing muscles of the spine! But patience, persevereance and consistency are key to resolving these things![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]
What’s it good for?
👉🏽 Learn how to sit without support!
👉🏽 Increases spinal rotation.
👉🏽 Stretches the spine & increases shoulder mobility.
A Quick Guide to The Saw
🌟 Start position: sit upright with a straight spine. If you can;t get a straight spine,bend your knees slightly, or better use a small block… Arms out ot the side, reaching out long.
🌟 INHALE: Rotate your upper trunk to one side and bring the head and upper spine forward and downward so that your hand reaches towards the outside of your opposite foot while the other internally rotated arm reaches backwards and slightly upwards.
🌟 EXHALE: reach your arm further forward with three saw like movements. Rotate back to the start position.
Hints and Tips
🌟 Don’t slouch!
🌟 As your arm reaches forward, think of lengthening your spine forward with each saw like motion.
🌟 To avoid spinal injury: ease forward gently gently & pull in your abdominals to avoid your pelvis tipping forward – especially if you are one of those people that find it easy to “fold in half” – I definitely am not!
🌟 When rotating back to centre, imagine a cord running all the way through your spine, pulling you up. Sit tall. Very tall!
Joe Pilates on choosing the best exercises for your body
💬 “what you least like to do – do it twice” — it’s probably what your body most need
💬 …To explain exercise, Joe Pilates liked to quote Schiller: ‘lt is the mind itself which builds the body’.
