Top 5 Exercises on the Pilates Arc

From back pain to desk jobs and hyper-mobility, The Arch is your new best friend

The Pilates Arch is such a lovely piece of pilates equipment because it is amazing for restoring posture, especially the type of postural problems that arise from long hours sitting at a desk, or general stiffness in the spine that comes with aging. It's also a great way to build fundamental full body strength, especially for the core and the hips which are key areas that often need extra attention when recovering from back pain, managing hyper mobility, scoliosis, or issues with the knee/foot or hip that may make standing strength movements harder to do.

Today I want to share with you my top 5 exercises to do with the Pilates Arch. Here at Limber arts we lovingly refer to it as the turtle, because it really does look like a turtle. Plus, the first exercise we will be doing is one that I call "drunken mermaid." So we are running with the ocean/beach vibes here. Who's ready for a trip to Hawaii?

#1: "Drunken Mermaid" Best for headaches, upper back stiffness, and stress

You'll want to sit towards the front, so that as you twist back you still have something behind you to roll onto. make sure to support your head and neck as you do this. Imagine getting taller and longer as you roll back, and then use your core as you roll forward again.

#2 "Reverse Bridge" Best for back pain relief, spinal traction, & posture

The main key with this one is to make sure your head and neck are support the whole time, even as you come in and out of this exercise. You can use a pillow, or simply support your head with your hands. Look for a gentle stretch as you lower the hips, and then a strong core and hips as you lift back up.

#3 "Sit Up with Extension" Best for deep core strength & upper back stiffness

This one is ideal for learning to recruit your deep low core muscles, without straining the low back. Many fitness professional agree that the classic "sit up" is basically a waste of time, mostly because it pulls your head and neck into an even worse posture, plus it's just not really how our core muscles work functionally either. So, while I agree with that the solution is to do a sit up from extension. This will improve your posture while teaching your core to work functionally (from extension to neutral) plus it's still totally safe and often very beneficial if your managing osteoporosis.

#4 "Side Sit Up" Best for oblique core strength & scoliosis

Kick your top leg out straight, and reach towards your bottom knee when you lift. These tips will help keep the work out of your back and bring the muscle work into the front of your side-tummy (that's your oblique muscles.) This exercise is also great for scoliosis, although I have a lot of movements that I would teach and have you master before giving this one, depending on how much discomfort you are in.

#5 "Side laying bent knee lift" Best for hip instability, hip and back pain.

Okay, last but not least we have this gem of an exercise. If your able to manage standing strength exercises, then you'll want to add those in as well, but this is a great way to build strength when issues with the knees or feet make other low body exercises challenging or inaccessible. This is also a lovely way to strength the hips with the spine totally supported, so again it's great for anyone with hyper-mobility, back pain, or scoliosis, who's going to benefit from the spinal support as you gain body awareness. There's lots of variations on this one, but this is a great place to start.

Are you ready for your very own turtle? Where to purchase a Pilates Arc

I've had a number of clients recently asking for the link to purchase their very own turtle, and so I figured I would write this blog to help you get started once you find yourself with your new turtle and unsure of where to start.

By the way, I am not affiliated with balanced body, so I don't benefit from selling this product other than knowing that it furthers my mission to help you get out of pain and back to what you love.

If you're ready to purchase a Pilates Arc then you can find the direct link here

Once you've familiarized yourself and you're ready for some additional exercises then schedule a private session with one of our amazing instructors and we can get you going with a personalized full body workout that will help you improve your posture, reduce your back pain, and strengthen your core all at the same time!