How to Do the Ultimate Pilates Roll-Down — Part 2 of 3

 

Today, in part two of The Anatomy of a Roll-Down, we’re going to cover the next key movement and how that feels when you’re doing it correctly so you can fine-tune and perfect your roll-down.

I’m excited to share this exercise with you because it’s rarely taught, or mentioned, yet it’s critical to doing a roll-down that actually works for you. Getting this right will help you avoid wasted time and effort, or creating chronic problems over time.

Today I'll show you how your Ilia, or pelvic bones, move on your sacrum and femur heads and you'll see how this makes it much easier to do your roll-down properly. You'll learn how to move your pelvic bones without using your glutes, quads, or low back which is the integral part of the roll-down that many of us are missing.

In fact, most of us forget, or never learned, how to move the pelvis using the smaller, internal muscle groups instead of the bigger muscles on the outside of the pelvis. When you let the legs “boss your pelvis around” like this you can end up with low back and pelvic problems as well as a weak roll-down that doesn't do much for you.

Once you have this movement mastered, you’ll see big improvements in your roll-down as well as the rest of your practice.

If you try this exercise out at home, I'd love to hear how it goes, especially if it felt different from what you’re used too. It can be challenging to figure out how to move the pelvis from the inside at first, so stick with it!

See you at the studio!
Sydney

Picture of Sydney

Sydney

I’m here to help you get stronger and more flexible through alignment-based restorative exercise so you can enjoy all the activities you love in life. You can work with me in two convenient ways: digitally through the Pilates Tonic Online membership or personally with in-person Restorative Movement Sessions.

2 Responses

  1. Great demonstration Sydney!
    Just to confirm, the ilia are rotating in opposition of the sacrum (from part one), correct?
    Is part of the goal in the second exercise to eventually feel this opposition?
    thanks!

    1. Hi Amy, on the inhale the ilia are rotating away from the sacrum and on the exhale the ilia float back to the sacrum. The sacrum is still making the same movement as the first video, except now the focus is on the ilia instead of the sacrum. The goal is to get an idea and feeling of the movement without using the glutes or legs. Great question! Thank you for your feedback.

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