Mini Pilates ball sequence
You don't need to put aside an hour to gain benefit from a Pilates session. If you are short on time but want to mobilise your spine and fire up your glutes and adductors, try this mini Pilates ball sequence.
Mermaid - you can perform your mermaid cross - legged (sitting on a foam block if you your hips are feeling a bit tight to achieve neutral spine), kneeling or a staggered mermaid position. With an open chest place the ball on the floor beside you and your right hand on top of it.
Inhale: Raise your left arm, reaching the fingertips up towards the spine as you lengthen your spine
Exhale: Allow the movement of the ball on the floor to guide the lateral flexion of your thoracic spine, focus on keeping long through your spine and opening through the left ribs as opposed to folding at the waist.
Inhale: Enjoy the stretch here
Exhale: Return to upright sitting and raise both arms overhead, taking the ball over head and grasp it in both hands
Inhale: Lengthen your spine and lift your breast bone towards the ceiling as you reach the ball upwards looking up at it - stick to a range that you are comfortable with and pay attention not to to arch your lower back as you do this.
Exhale: Return to neutral sitting posture still holding the ball overhead
Inhale: Switch the ball to your left hand and lower it to the floor to commence the sequence to the other side.
Shoulder bridge - lying on your back with your knees bent up and feet hip - width apart, place the soft ball between your knees. Let's try an inner thigh squeeze squeeze here to pre-activate your adductors before moving into the bridge.
Inhale:Prepare
Exhale: gradually engage your adductor muscles to squeeze the ball between your knees. Try and gradually increase the activation rather than squeezing with maximum effort too quickly.
Inhale: hold the squeeze for a long breath
Exhale: gently release the squeeze. Repeat 6-8
Now the adductors are fired up, time to get the gluts and hamstrings working too. Keeping the ball between your knees continue with a level 1 shoulder bridge.
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Articulate into your shoulder bridge, aiming for a diagonal line between your shoulders and knees in the bridge, maintaining the flexion in your lower back while at the top of the bridge. Remember you should be weight bearing through the area between your shoulder blades and your neck should feel relaxed.
Inhale: Think of sending your knee caps away from you to maintain a feeling of length through the thighs as you hold the bridge position.
Exhale: lower your back to the mat segmentally, focussed on feeling the contact between each individual vertebrae come back into contact with the floor to return to your start position. Repeat 6 -8 times
If you are feeling warm and ready for an increased challenge, try out shoulder bridge level 3 - incorporating an adductor focus by keeping the small Pilates ball between your knees.
Inhale:prepare
Exhale: articulate into your bridge as for level 1
Inhale: hold the bridge
Exhale:extend your right knee, maintaining the bridge alignment. Focus on engaging through your glutes to keep your hips up and you will need to use your inner thighs to hold on to the ball!
Inhale: bend the right knee to lower the foot the ground
Exhale:repeat on the other side. Continue for 3-5 knee extensions on each side, maintaining good form. If you feel that you start to rotate through your pelvis or your hips are lowering to the floor as you extend the knee, do fewer repetitions and come down to your rest position in between leg extensions rather than holding the bridge. With practice your endurance will improve!