MOVEMENT PROJECT: The Leg Pull Front

Our first ever MOVEMENT PROJECT is a deep dive into the classical Pilates mat exercise ‘Leg Pull Front’. Shown in the video is the exercise in full…but if you know anything about Pilates then you know that each exercise is made up of many, many small parts and the project is about choosing the parts YOU want to work on (or asking your teacher to choose the parts that will impact your movement most.)

Every school term we’ll start a new Project with a new mat exercise and upon opting in, your sessions will be peppered with exercises that help you work towards the exercise, and deepen your knowledge of the body.

• What if I'm injured?

  Your teacher can advise whether it’s appropriate for you- but as a general rule of thumb, if you are working on problem solving pain it’s best to keep your focus on that.

• What if I can't do the exercise?

  Movement Projects are not about performing the full exercise perfectly (in which case we wouldn’t need a project)- there are plenty of creative variations and partial exercises that will still allow you to strengthen all the parts of your body that are impacted by the exercise.
  See below for some of the small part and variations that make up ‘Leg Pull Front’.

• Won't this interrupt my usual session?

  Not at all.
  Just like your teacher weaves in different challenges for you to work towards your long term goals, and troubleshoots small issues along the way: The Movement Project can be sprinkled into your session easily and won’t disrupt normal programming.

  All variations of the exercise will be chosen to suit YOUR body so it’s no different to normal class content.

• Why have you introduced this?

  The intention behind the Movement Project is to explore the mat work in a way that deepens your understanding of Pilates- afterall, the Pilates equipment was originally designed by Mr Pilates to allow more people to access his mat work repertoire.

  Movement Projects will also add to your understanding of your body, push you towards more short term goals (a great motivator), and will allow you to approach Pilates on the mat at home with more knowledge.

• Do I have to opt in?

  Of course not- your personalised session is your’s to do exactly what you want with.

  But if you’re not currently rehabbing or problem solving we’d LOVE to see you get involved, both to deepen your knowledge of the Pilates work and to introduce more variety to your sessions.

Opt in to the project via the button below or simply let your teacher know at your session.

The Full Exercise

Let’s break it down…

• Build strength and tolerance for weight bearing on wrists

• Build biceps and tricep strength to support elbows

• Maintain neutral neck (and pain free) while working against gravity

• Push down into the floor to widen shoulder blades and stabalise upper back

• Maintain neutral spine (lifting ribcage, and avoiding tucking your tailbone/tilting pelvis)

• Working glutes and hamstrings together to lift leg

• Working quads and hamstrings together to keep knee extended

• Improving ankle flexion and tripod strength

• Improve extension of toes (especially big toe)

Some modified variations to work towards
With your studio teacher being the creative and skilled teacher that they are, you’ll not have any shortage of variations to work towards whether it’s on the mat, on the equipment or using the props…so if you can’t weight bear on your wrists, have a pin in your toes, or often get a sore back in plank this is still something you can get involved in!

Pilates for beginners- which class should I choose?

I’ve spent over nine years in small business in the hopes of sharing the benefits of Pilates as the incredibly adaptable exercise modality that I know it is. I’ve seen and experienced the impact it can have over and over again. A regular Pilates practice has the power to transform how you move, how you feel, to reduce pain, and often it’s the gateway to a healthier more active lifestyle overall.
Whether you’re curious about Pilates classes for strength and conditioning or more specifically Pilates for rehabilitation or for managing a chronic health condition, the chances are you’ve done some Googling, and if not, let me tell you it’s a minefield.

The Pilates industry is largely unregulated with lot’s of studios operating on minimal qualifications, and a poor understanding of the human body, injuries and how to avoid harm- and it can be tricky to know what constitutes a good teacher when everyone out there is so confident in their ability to deliver a high quality Pilates experience, and that their classes are “the best Pilates classes in Sydney.'“

There’s no one studio to fit all- BUT there are some Pilates red flags that beginners should watch out for- I got to thinking about the best advice I could give to someone who’s a beginner in Pilates and seeking a studio to join…and this is what I came up with…

Skilled Teachers Are Trained Through a Registered Training Organisation
Not all Pilates instructors are created equal. In Australia, the most skilled Pilates teachers have gone through extensive training with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). Their training includes hundreds of hours of observation, self practice and apprentice teaching- and as a former mentor on one of these courses let me tell you they are HARD- a weekend course or online course just does not compare. Skilled, comprehensively trained Pilates teachers not only know and understand the Pilates exercises, and the Pilates machines, they also understand human physiology, biomechanics, and how to safely adapt the Pilates work to different people with different abilities, restrictions, requirements, and SO much more.
**Beginners should look for a Pilates studio that displays their teachers' bios and qualifications on their website. If you can’t read about their Pilates teachers qualifications, it’s a red flag. Also look out for a studio that prioritises learning and ongoing education to upskill their team.

Reformer Pilates is NOT your Only Option
Group Reformer Pilates classes have become incredibly popular in the last 5-10 years and while we offer them at RFM- they’re not the only way of learning Pilates: there are two main categories of Pilates classes:
~ The first is Group Pilates Classes: These encompass a group of people moving together in unison along to the teachers verbal guidance (and sometimes demonstration). Group Pilates classes can have any number of people in them (we cap ours at 6, but you might see classes of over 20), and can be done on the mat, reformer, and nowadays even the Pilates Chair and Pilates Tower. Exercises flow from one to the other with limited time for individual feedback, questions or modifications.  (The bigger the group the less individual assistance given.)
~ On the other hand there’s Personalised Studio Sessions (also known as Clinical Pilates or Equipment Pilates). These appointment based Pilates sessions utilise all of the Pilates machines, and the full skillset of your teacher who designs a Pilates class specifically for your body and needs. After a movement assessment in an initial consultation you can opt to work with the teacher one on one (private pilates), with a partner (duet pilates), or share the teachers time in a semi private (we cap ours at 3, but you might find semi-privates with up to 5 people). The personalised nature of these sessions make them accessible to folks with more limited mobility, a chronic health condition, pain to troubleshoot, or people who want more than just verbal guidance (the ideal Pilates classes for hypermobility and neurodivergents- we see you!)

**Beginners- you should consider whether you’re happy to move in unison with a group or whether your body or learning style requires something more tailored. Then think about whether you’d like the support of the Pilates equipment, or are happy on the mat. Finally you should consider how many people you’re comfortable sharing that class/session with- how many is going to feel like too many?

Core Work is NOT What You Think
Whether a beginner in the Pilates world or not- most people understand Pilates to be synonymous with building core strength, but lots of people confuse this with endless crunches or abdominal exercises that really only work the superficial abdominal muscles (think six pack muscles). But better core strength is about finding connection and building strength in the deep muscles that support your spine, pelvis and thorax, leading to more efficient, controlled and balanced movement, and less tension, aches and pains in the bigger muscles of the body. The core is made up of more than just the abdominals: the diaphragm, pelvic floor and deep spinal muscles called multifidus are also integral to good core function, therefore core work is about lots more than just your abdominal exercises. Strengthening your core doesn’t happen by simply ‘pulling your tummy in’ or tensing your abdominals- it’s much more nuanced than that, and building strength can be a different experience for different people. I won’t bang on about it here, but i do love talking about this stuff- and you can read more here.

** If your teacher is asking you to pull your abs in, and tighten your belly or waist, consider switching to a teacher or studio who instead challenges your concentration and coordination, cues your breathing and detailed alignment- that’s when you know they’re teaching in a way that trains your core to be reflexive and automatic.

Reaping the benefits means attending frequently and consistently 
One-off classes are a nice treat, and no doubt you’ll feel the immediate benefits and float out the door after class. Whether you choose personalised Pilates sessions (clinical pilates), or group reformer Pilates, if you’re not attending a minimum of once per week then you won’t see any long term benefits.
People often ask what the best number of classes is, and of course the more Pilates you do the more impactful each class becomes- the benefits grow exponentially the more often you practise. However it’s really more about what you can commit to consistently over a long period of time- the magic of Pilates happens when it becomes a regular part of your routine, not just an occasional activity.

** Beginners should ask themselves: what can I commit to every week, and start with that. From there you build, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Look Beyond Pricing
To a certain extent we are all limited by budget, BUT regardless of which Pilates class format you choose you should always look beyond the price list. Look at all the things I’ve mentioned above: class format, access to Pilates equipment, how many people you’ll be sharing with, and teacher qualifications and training. Cheap is great for the bank account but if it means you’re in a group class of more than12 or 15- does that still work for you? Or if you’ve chosen semi private Pilates, do you want to share with 4 other people instead of 2, just to save $5?

**The bottom line is that you get what you pay for. If you look for the lowest cost Pilates classes in the area then you’re not likely to be signing up for the best teaching experience or smallest classes. Think about what’s going to make it worthwhile for you and find a studio that can match your needs AND your budget.

If you’re just starting out in the Pilates world, I hope this has been helpful in some way for you. If you’ve got specific questions about how we do things at Room for Movement you can check out some FAQs here, or read more about our group classes and personalised sessions. I also love a chat and am happy to answer any questions directly via email so ask away!

Rachael

Why is joint alignment important?

Have you ever wondered why we’re so specific about how and where you place your body during your workout, why we take so much time to set up the exercises, or why we’re so darn adamant on getting those ‘hips square’, and ‘ribs soft’? Improving alignment is a huge part of what we do as Pilates and movement instructors, during our training we were trained to identify areas of misalignment and how they might be affecting a clients movement, and potentially causing pain. So we literally go looking for it, and then use a combination of mobility and strengthening exercises, verbal imagery and tactile cueing, and Pilates props to help us improve it.  

What is good alignment?
It’s important before we continue, to know that good alignment isn’t the same for every person. We all have slight genetic variations in bone shape and size and so our joint surfaces interact in slightly different ways as we move around. In our daily movement repertoire we have repeated postures, movements and activities that create ares of increased strength and tension. For example, think about how you hoover- the chances are that you use the same hand to move the hoover around, maybe you even rock forward on one leg more than the other. Movement patterns like this can add up through the day, and weeks, and increased muscular tension can start to shift your joints away from their ideal alignment - this generally doesn’t impact us, and can go unnoticed for long periods of time but sometimes when there’s enough misalignment, and the right combination of load and pressure, this can result in tight spots, discomfort, or possibly pain.

Why is it so important?
Proper alignment allows your joints, muscles and soft tissues to function with the least amount of stress and tension on them, this can delay degenerative changes to your joints surfaces and soft tissues, and generally reduce your chances of injury. It’s more and more important as we age as there’s less fluid in our joints to cushion them and an array of hormonal changes that can cause mineral loss in bone tissue, among other things.

Exercising with a focus on good alignment could mean going up and down the stairs with less knee pain, sitting (or standing) comfortably at your desk for longer, or finally feeling your pelvic floor has returned to full strength without having to consciously ‘lift’ or ‘squeeze’ all the time. People often talk about not being able to ‘connect’ to their pelvic floor, or ’fire up’ their glutes, more often than not the issue is not the pelvic floor or the glutes themselves but poor alignment of the surrounding structures making it impossible for the muscles to do their job.

In the studio environment we get to really nerd out on picking exactly the right exercises for each individual body, and problem solving how we reduce tension or pain, or eliminate that recurring injury, and in the group class setting we work more generally, picking an alignment goal and work towards it collectively.

Try to enjoy the setup phase of each exercise, whether you’re on the mat or the Pilates reformer, lying on your side or on hands and knees, it’s your chance to get your bones and joints in the place where they’re most likely to speak to your muscles and other connective tissues effectively, and chance for you to really find a mind body connection- sometimes this means taking your time and slowing down a little but you’re rewarded with the most efficient way to work your body (pain free moevment), PLUS often a few repetitions is more than enough to feel the ‘burn’ when you’re aligned in the best possible way for your body.

Fancy Footwork

How often do you think about your feet? They are arguably the hardest working part of the body. They support us from the moment we get out of bed and then as we move through daily life, standing, walking the kids to school, dogs around parks, running for the bus or climbing stairs. One foot in front of the other is literally how most of us move through life.

When we are standing our feet are the only body part in contact with the ground, meaning they’re primarily responsible for keeping us upright and balanced, and are constantly managing the load of the body above and absorbing varying degrees of force we generate in our daily activities, movements, and exercise. Given the demand we place on them, and their role as the foundation of our bodies and our movement, you might not be surprised to hear that we place a high importance on keeping feet mobile and strong in the Pilates environment. Whether it’s in the form of a foot massage with a green ball, a calf stretch with the half roller, or mid foot marching, your feet will get some form of care and attention through your appointment. 

The exercise ‘footwork’  is considered one of the foundational sequences within a Pilates practice in the studio environment. Chances are that if you’re doing weekly classes then you’re frequently (if not every week) guided through a footwork sequence on the reformer, chair or trapeze table - and it’s no coincidence, your teacher is choosing these sequences based on the importance of the role they play within the body, and their importance within a whole body movement sequence.

If you’ve already experienced footwork at some point you’ll know that there are many facets to the exercise, it’s a whole body exercise with many benefits! Here’s MY top five benefits of the exercise we call footwork…

Ankle & Foot Mobility
Within the ankle and foot there are multiple joints that allow us to respond dynamically to the demands of our environments- such as stepping from uneven rock to uneven rock on a bushwalk, walking on cobblestones, or catching yourself if you roll your ankle. By working the feet and ankles in a variety of positions on the footbar we can increase their adaptability to different environments and therefore reduce the occurrence of injury in the area or further up the body.

Plantarfascia Health
The foot has connective tissue called plantar fascia that stretches from the heel to the toe pads, it provides support for your arch and enhances the shock absorbing capabilities of the whole foot.  When the fascia is tight or stiff the feet can be quite tender to walk on (particularly in the colder weather or mornings). Footwork can be hydrating for fascia in the feet, allowing it to move freely and responsively, but there’s also a chain reaction up into the legs, pelvis and spine, limiting the occurrence of lower limb injuries and preventing plantar fasciitis.

Intrinsic Foot Strength
There are 29 muscles in each foot and 19 of those are intrinsic - the ‘core’ muscles of your feet. These muscles impact the shape of your foot, your gait (the way you walk), your posture, and joint function further up the chain. Having strong intrinsic foot muscles will allow you to stand for longer, reduce aches and pains in your feet, and reduce the occurrence of pain in your knees, hip and lower back (it’s all connected). And if you have a hypermobile body type, or flat feet then this is particularly important for whole body function.

Lower Limb Alignment
Building awareness of your leg alignment is really important - your feet and ankles directly influence how your knees and hips manage load and more dynamic coordinated movements like climbing stairs, lunging, running etc. When we move from double leg to single leg footwork variations you’ll notice a change in how the feet manage the load of the body.

It feels GOOD!
Laying on your back, to work through a set sequence of movements, whilst tuning into your breath can help to centre your mind and prepare your body for the more challenging and coordinated work ahead. Pushing out to stretch your legs and feeling the spring tension increase as they provide feedback to the joints, along with a feeling of compression that can be really calming to the nervous system. If you come into the studio feeling stressed and tired after a long day chances are some footwork will be a good remedy for both your mind and body!

So there you have it, five reasons why I personally love footwork and why you’ll see it feature in almost all of your classes and workouts. Ask another teacher and it’s possible they’d give you some other reasons why footwork is such a great tool for teaching movement- there’s just so many benefits to focusing on your physical foundations.

Lilly Wicks

Got questions? Flick me an email