By Lesley Powell

“Push your shoulders down.”

We hear that phrase frequently in Pilates studios, but I say it’s time to throw that cue out. Why? For most people, pressing the shoulders down freezes the shoulder girdle’s function and interrupts its natural rhythm.

The arms connect to the torso through the shoulder girdle, shoulder blades, clavicles and humerus bones. Each bone moves in different degrees of rotation and timing. The timing and the control of these motions are essential to a healthy shoulder. This “scapular-humeral rhythm” is like a symphony—each bone is an instrument playing a different variation of a melody.

A great scapular-humeral rhythm will invite the correct phrasing of the arm and core muscles. When you get a client to better use her shoulder girdle, her arm strength, posture and connection to the core will improve. Read on to learn how this rhythm works and how to help your clients improve theirs.

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By Carrie McCulloch

Carrie McCulloch is a 4th-year medical student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a Certifying Instructor for Pilates Academy International, and Course Co-Director for the Functional Anatomy for Movement & Injuries (FAMI) Workshop.

Degenerated discs, prolapsed discs, bulging discs, herniated discs—these terms float around Pilates studios quite freely. Indeed, these conditions are some of the most common reasons why clients with back pain seek help from Pilates instructors in the first place. Despite their familiarity, however, these terms—and the medical jargon surrounding them—can get quite confusing. Here, I’ll explain the particulars of three common disc problems and suggest programming tips for affected clients.

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Do your students complain of neck pain (or can you see it in those strained looks on their faces)?  If so, point them to this helpful video tip from Anita Seiz via MyYogaOnline.com.

By Margot McKinnon, founder of Body Harmonics Pilates in Toronto

When you ask clients about their feet they usually respond with a quizzical look. Unless there is pain or the possibility of purchasing a snappy new pair of shoes, feet are rarely on anyone’s mind.

Why should anyone care about feet? They connect us to the ground. Their architecture is the foundation for all of the body parts above. Feet propel us forward, backward and sideways. Each foot spreads the body’s weight over an area large enough to support and distribute the pressure as we stand, walk or run. This is quite miraculous when you compare the size of our feet to rest of the body’s height, size and weight.

Read on to find out the truth behind five common myths about feet, and for ways to integrate foot-friendly exercises into your Pilates classes.

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It’s no doubt that an understanding of anatomy is one key to being a good Pilates teacher. A reader recently asked if we could recommend some good books on the topic. Here are a few that are popular among Pilates teachers we polled. If you don’t see your favorite, please post a recommendation in the comments section!

Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain

 
Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit

Anatomy of Pilates from The PhysicalMind Institute

Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Myers  

By Kelly Kane

Many teachers know the buzz word “core stability” and see that working the back and abs helps their clients transition out of back pain, but they may not know exactly why. Here, Kelly Kane, founder of the Kane School of Core Integration in New York City, provides a detailed look at the core muscles and how they work together to support the back, and the whole body.

As humans we move in an upright relationship to gravity. We sit, stand, walk and run, often while carrying heavy loads such as our kids, bags and backpacks. When we do these activities we need to stabilize our pelvis and our low backs, and use the flexibility and strength of our hips to change levels, locomote and mobilize.

Unfortunately when the hips are tight and mobility in the hip joint is limited, movement is taken up the skeletal chain into the sacroiliac joints, sacro-lumbar junction and lumbar spine. The protocol for creating healthy backs should be to find good drop and glide of the femur bone at the hip joint, while strengthening the core stabilizers. In the Pilates venue we call this hip dissociation/differentiation and core stability.

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