***Knees Over Chest Is Best - For Getting Great Benefits from Pilates Training

I’ve been focusing a bit more on my own Pilates workouts lately - and it’s such fun to discover new things about the same old exercises I’ve been doing and teaching now for fifteen years! It’s never boring, and regardless of whether I’m teaching a client, or giving myself a workout - I’m amazed at what I continue to learn about the benefits and subtleties of the Pilates system.

Here’s my revelation for the week! (or perhaps it’s just today’s revelation - and something else will pop up eager for me to share tomorrow.)

I’ve always cued my clients to begin learning their exercises with the awareness of working within the framework of the Pilates “Box.” Think about the torso from shoulder to shoulder, and hip to hip. Every exercise starts from the center of the box, moves away from, and back to center. The farther away from center you move, the stronger you have to be to maintain balance, control, and core support for your exercise or movement. Feeling where the corners of the “box” are help create an awareness of being evenly distributing your weight and staying centered. Great concept!

So when the knees bend in towards the chest on any exercise where should they go?

I encourage clients to stay within the framework of their “Box” and here’s why:

When the knees don’t open wider than the body there are multiple benefits for strength, flexibility, joint range of motion, core stability and control.

Here are 5 Great Benefits for “Knees Over Chest is Best - For Pilates Training”:

The abdominal muscles have to pull in - out of the way when the thighs/knees pull in towards the chest. This cues the core muscles to work and get stronger while the legs are moving.