Let's bust the myth, or common thought: If you can't do a Roll Up it's because you have weak abs.
You do use your abdominal muscle during the Roll Up, but the Roll Up is more than just an "ab exercise".
There are quite a few factors that go into the Roll Up that people don't realize.
Backside Body Activation [hamstrings and glutes]
Back Position [Tall Spine]
Roll Up is a much more complicated exercise than people realize.
It's also one of the most frustrating exercises for people because they think it should be easier to do [slowly raises hand].
I, personally, think this goes back to our elementary school days of doing "as many sit ups as possible in one minute". Anyone else have to participate in the "Presidential Fitness Test"?? Talk about childhood trauma (for me).
Some of us relate the sit up we did in school to the Roll Up. And I agree that we are doing a similar motion (tall spine to flexion), but don't y'all remember that we had a partner holding our feet down???
There's a reason someone held our feet down and it's the same reason Joseph Pilates had a strap on the mats. Backside Body Activation!
The tactile hands/strap holding the feet down helps us access our leg muscles, specifically our hamstrings and glutes (the muscles on the back side of your upper leg and your BUTT).
The more you use your legs and butt, the easier your Roll Up will be. But (pun intended) it can be hard to figure out how to use your legs and butt more, especially if you don't have access to a strap on your mat.
Here are my recommendations for how to access more leg and butt for backside body activation:
Mat Strap + Resistance Band
Yes, both at the same time! Place the mat strap around the feet and add the Resistance Band around the feet. By using both, you can access more leg, but it can also help those who are building their back and abdominal strength.
This combo has helped Pilates beginners who have a longer torso compared to their shorter legs.
Mat Strap
Adjust the legs until you find the most connection in the backsides of your legs and in your butt.
This might mean you bend the legs a lot or slightly to start. Sometimes it's easier to access your muscles with bent legs (remember what I said above about those sit ups and someone holding the feet down? Our legs were bent for those sit ups, so play around!).
Feet against the wall
A very interesting and surprising concept to MOST of my clients.
Those who have trouble with a mat strap can have better luck with their feet against a wall instead.
Full foot against the wall!!!!
Meaning the heel of the foot should be pressing into that wall.
If you start lying on the mat, this can be the best way to get that full connection. It's okay and VERY likely that the legs will bend when you roll up.
PRESS the feet in to roll up!!
Heavy ankle weights over the legs or have someone hold the legs
At least 4-5 pounds over each ankle. The legs need heaviness so the muscles can activate easier.
Personally, I prefer the wall over ankle weights.
Magic Circle around the feet [like a ring toss - see picture below]
Pressing out (ABductor muscles) can help people access the muscles up the legs into the butt and hips.
It can give people something to focus on as they lower down to the mat.
Magic Circle or Small Ball between the feet
Pressing in (ADductor muscles) can help people access the muscles up the legs and inner thighs into the butt and hips.
It can also give people something to focus on as they lower down to the mat.
Your Roll Up & Your Tall Spine
Here's the deal - everyone's body will lie different on the mat and where your ARMS are will affect how your spine is on the mat.
Stick with me here, I'll explain, but I do have a blog post that goes over the body shapes HERE!
Your arms are connected to your back. When you lift your arms up to your ears, it's very likely that your rib cage will lift up. This can put your spine into extension.
And here is the KEY TAKEAWAY: If you are in extension instead of Tall Spine, it will be harder for you to do your Roll Up because your Roll Up is meant to be Tall Spine to Flexion.
Flexion and Extension are your OPPOSITES.
Tall Spine is your "in between" or your neutral.
Being in your Tall Spine BEFORE moving into flexion or extension can help improve your movement.
What to do: Take your arms to a position that helps you reach your ribs into the mat. When the ribs are against the mat, you are closest to your Tall Spine. See my arm position below - noting that it changes over time.
Arm position will be different for EVERY BODY. There is NO IDEAL arm position. The goal is to use as many muscles as possible and improve movement in your own body, however you need to.
If you are reading this and thinking, my Roll Up is great, but my Neck Pull is a bitch - this is the section of the post for you. When you take your hands behind your head for Neck Pull it is even more likely that you'll pull your rib cage into extension... which makes it harder to roll up into flexion.
Creating Space in your Side Waist
In the last section I talked about going from Tall Spine to Flexion. Taking it one step further, you want to aim for your longest flexion.
When you try to stay as tall as possible while curling up and over, you gain access to more back and abdominal muscles, especially the muscles in your side waist.
To simplify this concept, try this:
Lie on the mat
Find your Tall Spine with your arms up [see last section!]
Evaluate your side waist space
How much space do you have from the top of your hips to your bottom ribs?
Can you keep that same amount of space as you start to curl up and over? Or do you shrink yourself as you roll up?
Try a Roll Up - aim to keep as much space in. your side waist as possible.
I highly recommend a strap or, even better, feet against the wall for this trial!
You'll want to use this concept on the way up and on the way down.
On the way up
Reach your waistband back into the mat as you lift up through the top of your head. Keep the space in your side waist as you curl up and over.
On the way down
Lift up through the top of your heas as you put your pelvis down, waistband, low ribs, shoulders, and head.
I'm not trying to make your Roll Up harder, I promise!!! Again, the Roll Up is so much more complex than we think :) I'm just here to give you a few tools to try to help you figure out how to improve movement in your body.
Note: It isn't about what it looks like. Roll Up utilizing these concepts will look different on every body. People should be allowed to figure things out in their body.
Torso Length vs Leg Length
Less of a concept and more of a reality for some people.
I'm just here to tell anyone who is proportionally longer in the torso with shorter legs that utilizing all the tricks above, especially the strap + resistance band or the wall + resistance band is a GREAT WAY for you to explore how to access muscles throughout your whole body.
When you liken the body to a lever in Roll Up, your pelvis as the pivot point - you may need to utilize the different tools I mentioned a bit longer than some people. And that's 100% valid and more than okay and totally fabulous. Do what works for you and your body.
In my opinion, learning how to access more muscles, becoming stronger and more flexible, and becoming more stable and balanced are all better ideas than a goal of "doing a Roll Up without a strap".
Hopefully, I've showed you enough to prove that If you can't do a Roll Up it's because you have weak abs is a total Pilates Myth.
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