Perfect Form

The Scoop On BOSU Ball Pilates

Featured Article Pilates Style Magazine July-August 2009 BY KRISTINE GRESHAM

One of my biggest challenges as an instructor is getting students to scoop their abs correctly. I know how hard it can be—as late as my third level of training, my teacher was still telling me to engage my power-house more intensely. My a-ha moment finally came during a workout in which I was playing with different ways to engage my abs. Suddenly I stopped contracting my top muscles so much and instead pulled from the inside. Of course, discovering something for yourself and explaining it to others are two different things.

I’m always looking for new ways and cues to help students grasp this concepts of Pilates. Before I became a Pilates instructor, I was a personal trainer, which helps me think outside-the-box when teaching Pilates. I often use props as teaching aids, and one of my favorites is the Bosu ball (an acronym for both sides utilized). Once I was experimenting with some Pilates moves on it and realized that its instability forces you to engage your powerhouse and work into the transverse abdominal scoop. It also gives you a reference point—something you can pull your tailbone away from—and helps the instructor see if you are actually doing it. Another a-ha moment!

After students experience the scoop on the Bosu, I tell them to put that feeling into long-term memory so they can re-create it during every Pilates movement. Now many of my students request Bosu workouts. When you divide the number of exercises you can do on a Bosu ball by the mere $136 it costs, you have a real bargain o nyour hands. For maximum results, I recommend doing this routine on its own two to three times a week or as a complement to regular mat work. .

Read The full  Pilates Style Magazine Featured Article by Kristine

written by admin