Squat Pilates Style

Joseph Pilates incorporated squats into a variety of his classical exercises and exercise sequences for good reason. The squat is a great full body exercise that is very functional.  Think about how many times throughout your day you use this type of movement to sit down and get up or to bend and pick something up.

To really embody the Pilates method in your squats here are a few quick tips:

• Coordinate your breath and movement.  Inhale as you bend into your squat, exhale to return to standing.
• Engage your core!  Engage your deep abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button toward your spine.
• Keep your spine in alignment. Try to maintain a nice straight line from the crown of your head to your tailbone as you are squatting.
• Pay attention to your feet, ankle and knee alignment.  Whether you are doing your squats in parallel or an external rotation, try to line up your knees over your center toes when you squat.  Keep the knees behind the toes as you bend.

Remember it’s great to challenge yourself and work up to more and more squats but do be aware of your form and alignment.  If you find yourself not able to maintain proper form take a break!!

Need a quick visual demonstration?  Check out our squat video here!   If you want more support, and if you have an exercise ball, watch this!    As always, if you have any questions, feel free to call or stop in to the studio!