This is a great version of your tricep dip and can be a great prep exercise for long back stretch on the reformer. If you keep a neutral pelvis and flex your feet you can really lengthen your hamstrings and feel a nice stretch as well!
![IMG_0718](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_0718.jpg")
It’s summer and I’m finding my weekly long bike ride is really improving not only my overall health but also my movement patterns and the balance in my body! The last few weeks I’ve noticed a few things going on in my body. The first was that my left quad muscles were very very sore after my long bike ride(and not my right) and second was that my right side waist has been overly tight(maybe a combination of a tight psoas and QL for those of you who love anatomy).
On my ride this week I realized when I got to one of my first hills that I was hiking up my right hip to try to get more power to get up the hill. So I focused on anchoring my right sitting bone(ischial tuberosity) to my seat and immediately noticed a huge difference. First of all my right quads and leg muscles had to work more and my right side felt lengthened. It definitely took some concentration throughout my ride to keep my right sitting bone on the saddle- I obviously had created a habit of trying to pedal with my hip! It was amazing though how much more balanced I was and how much better my body felt during and after my ride.
Having discovered this pattern I have been paying close attention to my hip alignment in my Pilates practice and have felt some exciting changes just from shifting my focus and being aware of it! I definitely can feel that I am working more evenly and I haven’t had the soreness that was more predominant on one side versus the other.
Are you a cyclist or runner looking to cross train? A regular Pilates practice can not only create more strength, flexibility and balance in your body, it will teach you how optimize your movement patterns so you can train most efficiently!!
![IMG_6580](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_6580.jpg")
Have you heard of “Barre” Workouts? There’s all kinds of workouts with “barre” in the name of the class at every gym and in the exercise DVD section of Amazon — but the only connection that I knew about was the barre is used in ballet lessons. So what’s the class about and can a non-ballerina be successful? I did some research.
It may look like ballet, but it’s not. Barre fitness classes are ballet inspired, incorporating a mix of ballet barre and pilates work with plies and kicks in the workout. Barre classes are choreographed to motivating music, and in each targeted workout, you’ll use the bar and exercise eequipment such as small hand weights and mini balls to slim and stretch your entire body. You don’t need dance experience to be comfortable in a Barre class.
What’s the difference between barre and a typical strength training class? Rather than larger, compound movements (think squats and shoulder presses), you’ll perform tiny, one-inch increments called isometric movements. That’s why you’ll often hear, “Down an inch, up an inch,” repeated by barre teachers. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises that focus on isometric strength training (holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles) combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements.
For someone who’s used to other cross training classes, it may seem like you’re not working hard enough. But that’s absolutely not the case, experts say. In fact, you’re getting a killer workout because the one-inch increments are enough to fire up the muscle and make it more elastic, but not too big to tear the muscle.
![IMG_6609](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_6609.jpg")
Some articles say that the major benefits of barre are improved posture, muscle definition, weight loss, increased flexibility and reduced stress. Women at just about any age and fitness level sign up for classes. Barre classes are perfectly fine for pregnant women because they’re not high impact. They may even help with imbalance (a common issue during pregnancy due to that growing belly) and stability. Weight loss results are highly individualized depending on how many barre workouts you do and how consistently you do them.
Do you have to look like a ballerina (tiny, lean and flexible) to take a Barre class? The simple answer is no. Barre is mindful movement. Participants can start at whatever fitness level they are at. The instructor will lead you through the movements, and suggest adjustments based on each student’s working level. You will sweat. Your muscles will shake because of the repeated, small movements.
What should you wear to barre class? Leggings, a sports bra, and a tank will do the trick. You may want to wear some grippy socks to prevent slipping.
![IMG_6583](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_6583.jpg")
Why should you add a barre class to your workouts each week? It’s easy on the joints, low impact, motivating and almost every article I read said that Barre targets “problem areas” for women. Who doesn’t want to target those “problem areas”? Articles also said that results could be seen and felt in as little as a month for people that add 2-3 barre classes a week to their workout routine!!
Still apprehensive? Rivercity Pilates is offering “Barre Basics Getting Started Package” that includes a Barre Basic Workshop and a package of 5 Barre classes at the studio. The Barre Basics workshop will teach you everything you need to know about this dance and Pilates inspired workout! The workshop will go over all the basic movement patterns and techniques used in Barre classes, give modifications for different bodies and give you a chance to practice basic Barre sequences! You can save 20% if you sign up by August 22nd and you’ll be off to a great start with your new Barre practice!!
Click the image below to sign up for the Barre Basics Getting Started Package!![Barre Basics Package (1)](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Barre-Basics-Package-1-1024x512.png")
One of the things that originally drew me to Pilates was the science of it. You see I was an engineer before teaching Pilates and my brain often thinks very logically and using reason. I have spent a lot of time over the years learning about why we do exercises, what muscles we use and what the best form of each exercise is for each body. This process has lead me to figure out that as an instructor one of my best skills is my intuition. Yep, that’s what I said intuition.
Intuition, a phenomenon of the mind, describes the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason.[2] The word “intuition” comes from Latin verb intueri translated as consider or from late middle English word intuit, “to contemplate”.[3] Intuition is often interpreted with varied meaning from intuition being glimpses of greater knowledge[4] to only a function of mind; however, processes by which and why they happen typically remain mostly unknown to the thinker, as opposed to the view of rational thinking.
Of course its important to know the science of the exercise, it important to know the exercise in your own body and to know the anatomy of each exercise but I have to tell you once I started following my gut in my teaching I really feel like my teaching went to a different level. My clients progressed quicker and they connected more with me.
![upperabcurl](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/upperabcurl.jpg")
Let me give you a quick glimpse into a intuition type of a moment for me. I’m working with a client and she’s doing her hundreds with her legs extended in the air. There’s nothing “wrong” with what she’s doing but my gut tells me if she were to take her legs just a little bit lower and really reach all the way through her tips of the toes she would be able to engage the backs of her legs more, open her hips more, curl her spine more and just plain get more out of the exercise. So I ask her to try and check in that she is not straining or feeling any pain. BINGO! She gets more engagement, feels more whole body work and just plain moves better!! I know there is some scientific and anatomical reasons behind why this adjustment is where she needs to be but quite frankly in the midst of teaching I don’t have time to analyze each muscle group and give an explanation why. Sometimes the engineer in me goes back after our session and figures this out to a T just because I like to know – but really I don’t need to!
Now I can remember being a young apprentice teacher and watching other instructors do this type of teaching and really wanted to know how I could learn to do it. At the time I don’t even think I recognized it as a skill but I knew the instructors I was observing or taking lessons from were amazing teachers who always made just the right adjustment or cue. They really embodied the Pilates work and movement in general and were able to easily pass that information on to clients. So how do you fine tune your own intuitive teaching skills. Like any skill you must practice!
Here’s a few tips that help me when I want to hone in on teaching how and what a client needs on any given day:
- Observe and don’t try to change anything. Let your client move and just observe. Try not to over correct and just see how their body moves. See if you notice anything or what stands out to you.
- Ask your client. This one seems pretty obvious but I think sometimes we forget to ask clients how the movement feels. Use what your client tells you to help you get an inside look of what’s going on in their body.
- Try different things. When you have an idea or want to change something about a movement don’t be afraid to stop and try something new or change something.
- Follow your gut!! If you think your client could stabilize better, move more freely or curl just a little more-they probably can! Don’t be afraid to act on those gut feelings and find a way to share that appropriately with your client!
Learn more about our Pilates instructor training programs and mentoring opportunities with me at Rivercity Pilates by clicking here!
![IMG_6149](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_6149.jpg")
Shannon Ottoson teaches Pilates mat and equipment classes at Rivercity Pilates.
Twitter: I recently joined Twitter and am working on learning to use it. My handle is @sotto586. Tweet me and I will figure out how to reply!
Where are you from? I grew up in Des Moines with my 4 siblings and I moved to North Liberty in ’99, to work in Cedar Rapids as a mental health nurse.
Favorite food to prepare? I’m not a cook at all! My favorite thing to make myself is my daily Isagenix shake, really!!
Favorite sport or sports team? I love baseball, I grew up with it, I understand the game, and it is played during the warm months! My favorite team is my son’s team. :)
Why did you choose to practice Pilates? I started mat pilates in 2001, after my son was born. I had read an article about it and it sounded different. I was hooked after my first class! The work is so subtle, so deep, and so evolving. It never gets old or easy, and it requires a presence of mind that I really enjoy.
Why did you become an instructor? I fell in-love with how I felt physically and mentally after I started a regular Pilates practice, and I couldn’t stop talking about it! I felt it was something that has to be experienced, and I truly wanted everyone to feel as supple and as “inside” their bodies as I felt.
Is there something about you that would surprise the students that have attended your classes? I doubt it, I’m pretty much an open book! I’m really struggling with this one, I’m pretty boring!
What is your favorite song/ group/ genre of music? I grew up on John Denver and love him! For listening I am loving Dave Matthews, and for working out I have been listening to current pop music and it’s like a guilty pleasure!
I’m guessing you’ve never been at the gym doing bicep curls and had your trainer ask you,” How did that exercise feel in your body?” As a Pilates instructor this is a question I often ask my clients as we work together. You see, learning the method of Pilates in your body isn’t just doing the exercises that your told to do, but it’s a process learning about your own body and how to move it as efficiently as possible on any given day.
The learning process that happens is really a 2 way street between instructors and clients. When I ask a client how something felt I am doin![IMG_7081](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_7081.jpg")
g a couple of things. First I am asking them to be aware enough of what they are doing to be able to describe how something felt in their body. Second I want to get a sense of what a movement felt like to them because that’s the best way for me to help them learn that movement and other movements I’ll be introducing to them.
There is no right or wrong way to answer the question as I’m really just wanting to connect with a client so I can help them learn how to move better. There’s so much more to a mind body movement practice like Pilates than just repeating an exercise and as an instructor I love to connect with clients and help them develop their practice in their bodies and life.
Interested in exploring a mind body practice like Pilates? At Rivercity Pilates we offer a variety of classes and instructors and would love to help you develop your movement practice. Try us out today by scheduling a complimentary private session with one of our Pilates or Yoga instructors. If you prefer to attend a small group class to try Pilates your first class is complimentary. For more information on what to expect in your first session, click here!