Ditch the planks — this exercise improves your balance and spine mobility, all while strengthening your core
You've heard about the benefits of Pilates when it comes to strengthening your core, but what about an exercise that helps improve your balance and increase flexibility in your spine at the same time? Enter "rolling like a ball."
Forget your sit-ups, crunches and planks; this exercise helps you really engage those deep core muscles, the transverse abdominis, all while rolling like a toddler on your yoga mat.
If you find yourself sitting down a lot or often experience stiffness in your lower back, rolling like a ball can help stretch out your spine and relieve tension. Read on to discover how to do it and explore the progressions to try as you refine your technique.
If you're pregnant, postpartum, or you've suffered from a back injury, it's a good idea to check with your doctor or personal trainer before adding this exercise to your routine.
Remember to always listen to your body and seek help from a professional if you're unsure about your form.
This classical Pilates exercise doesn't require any extra equipment, although you'll probably want to do it on a yoga mat to make things more comfortable.
A post shared by Mari (@i_do_pilates_)
A photo posted by on
As with all Pilates exercises, the key here is to move with control. You shouldn't be rolling from side to side — if you are, you're not engaging your core correctly.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Think about scooping your belly button toward your spine and keeping that c-shape as you roll. Avoid rolling onto the neck, as this can cause injuries.
Like all Pilates exercises, rolling like a ball is a great way to strengthen your abdominal muscles, which will work hard to keep you balanced as you rock back and forth. You'll also be working on your deep abdominal muscles, as well as the muscles in your back.
If you spend a lot of time sitting down, you might suffer from a stiff lower back. This exercise massages the spine, helping to improve circulation and relieve any tension you might be holding. Think about feeling each vertebra as you roll.
Finally, you'll be working on your balance and coordination in this exercise. It might look pretty simple, but it requires concentration to roll to a seated position. Remember to keep that core engaged — avoid thudding down to the mat, instead, lower your torso down slowly and with control.
Joseph Pilates believed that rolling helped maintain a flexible spine and maximize your breathing capacity. Try exhaling deeply on the roll down, and inhaling as you roll up.
Enjoy the movement and have some fun — it might not leave you sweating, but this exercise works your core while letting you embrace your inner-toddler!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
11 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Goodbye weights! This no-equipment Pilates calisthenics workout will tone your whole body
Pilates is an excellent way to not only strengthen and tone your entire body but also improve your mobility, reduce pain, and enhance your coordination. Fitness trainer fitness_kaykay combines Pilates, bodyweight strength moves, and calisthenics in her recent 40-minute workout. There are no repeats, no jumping, and no equipment besides a yoga mat, but you'll target all the major muscles in your upper body, lower body, and core. I've been itching to get back to exercise after the birth of my son, but carving out the time to work out has been difficult. Instead of trying to rush through a gym visit, I decided to stay home and try fitness_kaykay's program instead. In addition to a yoga mat, you may want a rolled-up towel or pillow nearby to further cushion sensitive joints. You'll start with a brief warmup of eight exercises done for 30 seconds each. Then, you'll move through 47 different moves done for 40 seconds each with 10 seconds of rest in between. The workout ends with a three-minute cool-down and stretch. Since I've been away from the gym for a while, I figured a bodyweight workout with a Pilates focus would be an easy way to reintroduce my body to exercise. However, this Pilates-strength-cardio workout is anything but easy. Here are my observations. I've learned YouTube workouts are usually longer than advertised. There's a good reason for that, though, as many include both warm-ups and cool downs. That always adds a few extra (worthwhile) minutes. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Fitness_kaykay's 40-minute program is closer to 48 minutes total if you skip past her brief intro and get right to work. You always have the option to bypass the warm-up and cool down, although I wouldn't recommend it. Still, keep those 8 extra minutes in mind — especially if you're on a tight schedule. Even though the workout is almost an hour, it flew by. There are no repeated exercises, so that helps, plus the movements are unique and fun to do. I don't love a lot of instructor banter, but I also recognize how beneficial verbal cues are for beginners. While fitness_kaykay stays quiet and lets some high-energy music do the motivating, she does offer a few written form tips before some of the more challenging movements. The written reminders were helpful to me, especially since I hadn't worked out in a while. They probably wouldn't be thorough enough for a total beginner, but they're more than most fitness influencers offer. Along with the form tips, fitness_kaykay gives some minor modification options as well. I ended up having to go that route a few times and modify even further on several exercises. Even with the modifications, this workout was no joke. There were moments I had to pause and rest in the middle of work sets. Some of the Pilates exercises, like the Hollow hold into the teaser, were all but impossible given my postpartum status. If you're a total beginner, this workout may not be for you right now. You can always revisit it once you've built up some strength, which is what I plan to do. Fitness_kaykay mentions several times that this is a 'slower' workout, and to go at your own tempo. That advice really helped me to pace myself and focus on good form. Even some of the more basic movements took me some time to relearn, and I ended up doing much fewer reps in a set than I would have done pre-pregnancy. That was all for the best, though, because I was only slightly sore in the days following. Soreness is never an indicator of a 'good' workout, but it can signify that you worked the muscle in new or more intensive ways. I figured I might be in pain after this workout, so I was glad to still have most of my mobility. Depending on the workout and your goals, keeping your tempo slow is usually good advice — even if it means you get in fewer reps. Both Pilates and bodyweight exercises come with loads of benefits, including improved range of motion, increased muscle strength and endurance, and better balance and stability. Additionally, Pilates addresses deep core strength, which can correct poor posture, prevent injury, and reduce pain. It's low impact with plenty of modification options, making it accessible for most people regardless of experience or fitness level. Bodyweight exercises are also accessible for anyone and don't require any additional equipment. Building strength through bodyweight exercises is functional and adaptable, and can improve flexibility, coordination, and even mental health.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
The CEO of Crunch shares his 4-step routine to feel younger as he ages — from Pilates to creatine supplements
The CEO of Crunch said a routine of weightlifting, walking, and Pilates keeps him healthy at 58. His supplement stack includes creatine, a hot trend for muscle-building, brain health, and longevity. He said long-term fitness is about functionality, with a balance of strength, mobility and cardio. Marine Corps. vet Jim Rowley has been lifting heavy weights for decades, but his first few Pilates classes left him frustrated, sweating, shaking — and eager to go back for more. Rowley is the CEO of worldwide gym franchise Crunch Fitness, and has more than three decades of experience in the fitness industry. After his military service, he rose through the ranks at 24 Hour Fitness, becoming division president before going on to help launch UFC Gym, later taking the lead at Crunch. He told Business Insider that the lengthening, strengthening effect of Pilates has helped him ease the achy joints and tight muscles from decades of hard work in the gym and at the office. "It changed my life, to be honest with you. I became much more limber," he said. Crowley, who recently turned 58, said Pilates is now one of the foundational building blocks in his four-part longevity routine. He also changed up his weightlifting routine, honed his supplement stack, and has a cardio routine rooted in his military experience. "As you're active and aging, why would you not want to have more strength, more muscle, and greater mobility?" he said. Rowley said starting Pilates about three and half years ago helped him focus on muscles that hadn't gotten much attention over the years, including stabilizers in the the hips. "Pilates was an opportunity for me to try to lengthen, strengthen, and activate some of the smaller muscles," he said. Now, he goes to class twice a week for an hour per session, often with his wife. The Pilates classes he takes are mostly attended by women, Rowley said. He expects to see the gender balance shift: the challenge and resistance training in the workouts offer a lot for men who want to work on building muscle and athleticism. "There's a strength component instead of just the mobility and the balance," he said. "The biggest benefit for me has been my core strength has gotten through the roof." The improved stability has helped relieve back pain, which can come from muscle imbalances. Rowley still lifts weights, but has tweaked his routine so that instead of focusing on a big bench press as a point of pride, he's working more with dumbbells and machine exercises. Dumbbells allow for a greater range of motion, which can help promote mobility and joint health. Exercise machines provide stability and a fixed range of motion, so you can focus on targeting specific muscle groups. Both types of exercise are good for building muscle, with less strain or injury risk than intense barbell work. "I don't lift for ego anymore," Rowley said. Rowley is a self-proclaimed "supplement freak" who takes an estimated 40 pills a day, from a multi-vitamin for nutritional balance to probiotics for a healthy gut. The list is carefully curated from his decades of experience in the fitness industry. At the top of his must-have list is creatine, a naturally-occurring compound in the body that provides energy to the muscles so you can push through a few more reps. It's also a hot trend for longevity thanks to recent research suggesting it helps support a healthy brain and heart as we age. "There's a lot of supplements out there that are pure garbage," Rowley said. "Creatine to me is like a life source. I can tell you that my muscles feel better, my muscles fill up, I have the ability to go longer in the gym." Rowley's supplement regimen also includes: Vitamin D, which supports energy and the immune system. Magnesium, linked to better sleep and muscle health. Glutamine, for improved muscle recovery. Fitness for a long, healthy life isn't just about lifting big weights, or even having sculpted and lean muscles. Good cardio health is a crucial part of longevity, and benchmarks of aerobic fitness like VO2 max are increasingly a source of bragging rights in the fitness world. For Rowley, it comes down to functionality, and whether you can keep up with the activities of your life. "We look at the aesthetic of lean muscle and muscle mass as, wow, that person spends time in the gym, but could they run a mile? Could they run two miles or three miles?" he said. His definition of peak fitness goes back to the Marine Corps. standard of military fitness: the ability to do 20 dead-hang pull-ups, rep out 100 crunches in a minute (or hold a plank for more than three minutes) and run three miles in 18 minutes. However, as we age, running can put stress on the joints, so Rowley said he focuses on walking as much as possible, aiming for 10,000 steps a day for low-impact cardio and to reduce his time sitting. Walking is cardiologist-approved exercise, and the benefits for a healthier heart start at as few as an extra 500 to 1000 daily steps. Hitting the full 10,000 steps a day is a big commitment to stick to consistently, but Rowley said the payoff is better resilience and functionality as you age. "It's not easy to do, but what's harder: making that decision now or dealing with negative health in your older years? So choose your hard," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
The CEO of Crunch shares his 4-step routine to feel younger as he ages — from Pilates to creatine supplements
Marine Corps. vet Jim Rowley has been lifting heavy weights for decades, but his first few Pilates classes left him frustrated, sweating, shaking — and eager to go back for more. Rowley is the CEO of worldwide gym franchise Crunch Fitness, and has more than three decades of experience in the fitness industry. After his military service, he rose through the ranks at 24 Hour Fitness, becoming division president before going on to help launch UFC Gym, later taking the lead at Crunch. He told Business Insider that the lengthening, strengthening effect of Pilates has helped him ease the achy joints and tight muscles from decades of hard work in the gym and at the office. "It changed my life, to be honest with you. I became much more limber," he said. Crowley, who recently turned 58, said Pilates is now one of the foundational building blocks in his four-part longevity routine. He also changed up his weightlifting routine, honed his supplement stack, and has a cardio routine rooted in his military experience. "As you're active and aging, why would you not want to have more strength, more muscle, and greater mobility?" he said. Pilates classes: to build muscle and mobility Rowley said starting Pilates about three and half years ago helped him focus on muscles that hadn't gotten much attention over the years, including stabilizers in the the hips. "Pilates was an opportunity for me to try to lengthen, strengthen, and activate some of the smaller muscles," he said. Now, he goes to class twice a week for an hour per session, often with his wife. The Pilates classes he takes are mostly attended by women, Rowley said. He expects to see the gender balance shift: the challenge and resistance training in the workouts offer a lot for men who want to work on building muscle and athleticism. "There's a strength component instead of just the mobility and the balance," he said. "The biggest benefit for me has been my core strength has gotten through the roof." The improved stability has helped relieve back pain, which can come from muscle imbalances. Dumbbells: for better range of motion during strength training Rowley still lifts weights, but has tweaked his routine so that instead of focusing on a big bench press as a point of pride, he's working more with dumbbells and machine exercises. Dumbbells allow for a greater range of motion, which can help promote mobility and joint health. Exercise machines provide stability and a fixed range of motion, so you can focus on targeting specific muscle groups. Both types of exercise are good for building muscle, with less strain or injury risk than intense barbell work. "I don't lift for ego anymore," Rowley said. Creatine supplements: for a healthy brain and body Rowley is a self-proclaimed "supplement freak" who takes an estimated 40 pills a day, from a multi-vitamin for nutritional balance to probiotics for a healthy gut. The list is carefully curated from his decades of experience in the fitness industry. At the top of his must-have list is creatine, a naturally-occurring compound in the body that provides energy to the muscles so you can push through a few more reps. It's also a hot trend for longevity thanks to recent research suggesting it helps support a healthy brain and heart as we age. "There's a lot of supplements out there that are pure garbage," Rowley said. "Creatine to me is like a life source. I can tell you that my muscles feel better, my muscles fill up, I have the ability to go longer in the gym." Rowley's supplement regimen also includes: Vitamin D, which supports energy and the immune system. Magnesium, linked to better sleep and muscle health. Glutamine, for improved muscle recovery. 10,000 steps a day: for cardio without joint pain Fitness for a long, healthy life isn't just about lifting big weights, or even having sculpted and lean muscles. Good cardio health is a crucial part of longevity, and benchmarks of aerobic fitness like VO2 max are increasingly a source of bragging rights in the fitness world. For Rowley, it comes down to functionality, and whether you can keep up with the activities of your life. "We look at the aesthetic of lean muscle and muscle mass as, wow, that person spends time in the gym, but could they run a mile? Could they run two miles or three miles?" he said. His definition of peak fitness goes back to the Marine Corps. standard of military fitness: the ability to do 20 dead-hang pull-ups, rep out 100 crunches in a minute (or hold a plank for more than three minutes) and run three miles in 18 minutes. However, as we age, running can put stress on the joints, so Rowley said he focuses on walking as much as possible, aiming for 10,000 steps a day for low-impact cardio and to reduce his time sitting. Walking is cardiologist-approved exercise, and the benefits for a healthier heart start at as few as an extra 500 to 1000 daily steps. Hitting the full 10,000 steps a day is a big commitment to stick to consistently, but Rowley said the payoff is better resilience and functionality as you age. "It's not easy to do, but what's harder: making that decision now or dealing with negative health in your older years? So choose your hard," he said.
