Pilates exercises to prepare the body for a safe side plank

Here are some Pilates training tips and preparatory exercises to help keep your shoulders safe and develop strong core support for a successful side plank in an advanced Pilates mat workout.

Because this exercise involves balancing the body laterally on one arm and one leg, the side plank exercise is an upper-intermediate or advanced level exercise, so enough preparation should be done before attempting this exercise to ensure successful execution. and avoid the risk of injury. in his book back to life, Joseph Pilates called this exercise the “Side Bend.” There are many challenging variations, but before you do them, it’s important to be able to hold your body in a basic plank position.

The Side Plank / Side Bend is an excellent exercise to develop strength in the arms, shoulders, lats, lumbar spine, hips and legs. Offers a real challenge, to balance the body on one hand and one foot, the pelvic floor, inner thighs, core and outer hips must be strong and active enough to help maintain balance and body control.

As with all the other Pilates exercises you do, training and organizing the body for efficient movement is crucial so that you can get in and out of the side plank safely. This is a great exercise for building arm and shoulder strength if done correctly, but it can lead to shoulder pain, problems, or injury if done incorrectly.

If you want to add the Plank exercise to your Pilates exercise routine, make sure you’ve taken enough training time to prepare yourself by doing other strengthening exercises for your arms, shoulders, hips, and core.

Preparatory training exercises that you perform for weeks, months, or even years before adding the side plank to your workouts should also continue to be performed as “warm-up” exercises when you add the side plank to your program, so that your body is ready. to do this challenging advanced Pilates Mat exercise and not hurt yourself.

Pilates Matwork exercises to prepare for side bending:

Push-ups, front planks, forward leg pulls, back leg pulls, hip circles, and hand weights are important prerequisites for a good side plank exercise.

Additionally, the Reformer, Chair, Cadillac, and Barrel exercises that focus on upper body strength and proper shoulder mechanics will also be of great help to you as you progress through the Side Plank exercise.

Exercises with Pilates equipment to strengthen the upper body and prepare for the side plank:

  • Reform: Long stretch, pull up, long back stretch, knees out, short box side bend
  • Cadillac: Arm Springs – Circles, Combo, Triceps, Push Bar Mermaid, Open Eagle, Rolling Bar Exercises: Standing/Kneeling – Chest Expansion, 1-Arm Side Pull, Combo Salute-Garage Door, Arms stretched long back
  • Meat: Push-ups, 1-arm press, Pike, Side pike, 1-arm pike, Mermaid, Kneeling Mermaid
  • Column corrector: Mermaid, paint a rainbow and other shoulder mechanics exercises
  • Ladder Barrel: Side Bends (from the Reformer Short Box series and Full Side Bend laterally on the barrel)

Fletcher Towelwork® exercises are also great for improving upper body strength and shoulder mechanics, as well as working on lateral body movement. Occasionally, I like to incorporate some of the seated Fletcher Towelwork® exercises from the Reformer, or other seated lateral flexion exercises, after the seated twist at the end of the stomach massage series.

It is also very helpful to practice the standing lateral bending exercises, as it is similar to the position of the plank/lateral bending exercise on the advanced mat. Keep arms extended overhead with the resistance of pulling apart a towel (Fletcher Towelwork®) or hold a cane and maintain good shoulder mechanics while bending the body.

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