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Pilates 101: Finding Neutral Spine

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:00:00 PST

The concept of neutral spine may sound simple, but this important Pilates concept can be elusive. To keep a neutral shade of spine, you maintain the natural curves of your back while doing an exercise, such as an upper abdominal curl (aka crunches). Keeping neutral means the muscles in your back are working in conjunction with your abs, and when you get your abs and back to fire together, you are working your core. Maintaining those natural curves keeps your ab work honest and makes it more difficult to cheat.

Although the concept of leaving things as they are sounds simple, when the majority of people lie on their backs, they automatically press their low spines into the floor. This, my friends, is not neutral.

To find your neutral spine:

Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, with your heels about a foot from your bum.
Rock your pelvis up and down so you can feel the top and bottom of your sacrum, the bony back of your pelvis.
Stop rocking and feel the entire sacrum on the ground, allowing the five vertebrae in your lumbar spine to make a gentle curve away from the floor. It will not be big curve!
Your bottom rib should also be making contact with the floor.
The curve of your neck should mirror the curve of your low spine, so it pulls away from the floor as well.

To learn how to find neutral spine from the front of your body, simply

read more. You can also monitor your neutral spine from the front.

Your pubic bone and top of your pelvis (ASIS) should be on the same plane and parallel to the floor.
To get a sense if these bones are even, place the heels of your palm on the top of your pelvis and the middle fingers of both hands on your pubic bone. These bones should be on the same plane.
The apex of the curve in your lower (lumbar) spine should be even with your belly button. This is another way to feel that the curve is there but not huge!

When lying on your back with both feet off the ground, you should round your low back (super scoop) and not maintain neutral. In those positions (like the 100s in Pilates), rounding the spine protects your back! Source

Back to Basics: Finding Neutral Spine

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:30:00 PDT

The concept of neutral spine sounds easy. You maintain the natural curves of your spine while doing an exercise – like an upper abdominal curl. Keeping neutral means the muscles in your back will be working along with your abs and when you get your abs and back to fire together you are working your core. Also, it is more difficult to recruit your leg muscles to help you cheat when you maintain neutral spine during ab work.

The concept sound simple, natural even, but when the majority of people lie down on their backs to exercise they automatically and immediately press their low spines into the floor. This, my friends, is not neutral.

So how to find neutral?

Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, with your heels about a foot from your bum.
Rock your pelvis up and down so you can feel the top and bottom of your sacrum - the back of your pelvis.
Stop rocking and feel the entire sacrum on the ground, allowing the 5 vertebrae in your lumbar spine to make a gentle curve away from the floor. It is not a big curve!
Your bottom rib should also be making contact with the floor.
The curve of your neck should mirror the curve of your low spine, so it pulls away from the floor as well.

To learn how to find neutral spine from the front just

read more You can also approach figuring neutral spine from the front.

Your pubic bone and top of your pelvis (ASIS) should be in the same plane and parallel to the floor.
To get a sense if these bones are even, place the heels of your palm on the top of your pelvis and the middle finger, of both hands on your pubic bone. These bones should be on the same plane.
The apex of the curve in your lower (lumbar) spine, should be even with your belly button. This is another way to feel that the curve is there, but not huge!

Fit's Tip: When lying on your back with both feet off the ground, you should round your low back (super scoop) and not maintain neutral. In those positions (like the 100's in Pilates), rounding the spine protects your back! Source

5 Things: You'll Learn In Your First Pilates Session

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:15:00 PST

If you are curious about Pilates but want to know a little bit more about what to expect at your first class - here's a list of five concepts you will likely learn early on in your first session or group class.

Finding your deep abs, aka transverse abdominis. You work your deep abs in every Pilates exercise, so chances are you will start here. These deep muscles can be hard to isolate without squeezing your bum or tucking your pelvis.
Breathing. Every exhale is a chance to work your deep abs since they work when you force an exhale. Sounds simple but it takes a little practice. You will also learn how to inhale without tensing your shoulders.
Finding neutral spine is a key part of the Pilates repertoire. You will learn how to keep your spine in neutral alignment (keeping its natural curves) while you a) breathe and b) move.
Articulating your spine - this means moving one vertebra at a time. Basically this is the opposite of the "neutral position" and works the flexibility of your spine.
Learning the upper abdominal position - you want to be able to lift your head without straining your neck and to find the spot to optimize your upper ab work.

The Skinny On: Neutral Spine

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 04:00:00 PST

We all want to have some neutral shoes and neutral pants in our wardrobes. But what about a neutral spine? If you have heard an instructor use the term neutral spine in a fitness class, but didn't have a chance to clarify its meaning - I'm here to give you the skinny on it.

Neutral spine means maintaining the natural curves of your spine. If you are lying on your back, the lowest 5 vertebrae should NOT be smashed into the ground but making a slight curve away from the floor. Your rib cage does rest on the floor. The neck mirrors your lower back and pulls away from the floor, while your skull rests heavily on the ground.

When lying on your back, a simple way to check if you are indeed in neutral is to make sure your ASIS (that's what folks commonly call their "hip bone") is in the same line as your pubic bone. Place the bottom of your palms on the ASIS and your middle fingers on your pubic bone. They should make a plane parallel to the floor. To see a spine way past neutral

read more

This spine is way past neutral - the ribs are away from the ground and more than the 5 lower back vertebrae are off the floor. Why we like it: Working in neutral spine is the best way to work your core since the back muscles are working in tandem with your abs.

How to Get Rihanna's Rock-Hard Abs

Shape — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:32:58 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Rihanna is one hot singing sensation. Having recently been named the best-selling digital artist of all time - thanks to a whopping 47.5 million downloads of her hits - the sexy songstress is also a top contender for album of the year at this year’s Grammy Awards.

But not only does the Barbadian beauty know how to rock a stage, she also rocks a bikini, too! No stranger to showin’ off some skin, getting that taut and tight tummy definitely takes work.

The Top 10 Best-Dressed Stars at the Golden Globes

That’s where inspirational fitness expert extraordinaire Ary Nuñez comes in; she’s been training the artist hard for almost four years. “We focus on the core muscles and we do a ton of repetitions,” Nuñez says.

See Rihanna's ab workout after the break.

How to Lose 5 Pounds in 5 Minutes

Self — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:05:05 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, potato latkes, mashed potatoes and gravy . . . We're all guilty of overindulging in December but getting back on track doesn't have to be as difficult as it sounds. It may take weeks to melt away those post-holiday pounds but it's easy to create the illusion you haven't gained an ounce simply by improving your posture.

"Most of us spend way too much time slumped in front of computers, slouched at steering wheels or vegging out in front of TVs," says fitness expert Liza Savage-Katz. "It collapses lung space which restricts our breath, affects our mood and cuts off proper nerve and blood supply to the brain."

To counteract these bad habits, Savage-Katz recommends a few "very simple exercises kind of like sucking in your stomach" to "carry your body as nature intended." You'll instantly look as if you've dropped five pounds. Add these three moves to your daily routine to "strengthen your abdominals, improve your posture and strengthen your back."

Get the moves after the break.

Beginner's Guide: How to Sit on a Stability Ball

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:24:32 PST

You may think it's all fun and games sitting on a stability ball while you work, but you should implement these important guidelines to help protect yourself from accidental injury. While the stability ball has its advantages, you should avoid using one if you have an acute back injury, especially if your quadratus lumborum, the major back muscle that runs from your 12th rib to the top of your pelvis, is compromised. The ball offers no back support, forcing you to heavily depend on the QL for support. If you notice any sharp or discomforting pain, forgo the ball for an ergonomic chair.

Five Rules For Proper Stability Ball Usage:

Right size: Buy a ball that is intended for your height. Inflate the ball enough so that when you sit down, your legs create a 90 degree angle, at both the hip and knee, and your entire forearm can rest easily on your desk when typing.
Wide stance: Place your feet flat on the floor about six inches from the ball. Open your legs to about the ball's width (wider than hip distance). You'll notice that if you place your feet closer together, your hip flexors will tighten up, and that lower back pain will creep up.

See more tips.

Ease Your Way Up: Assisted Pull-Ups

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:34:16 PST

My Crunch trainer recently introduced me to the assisted pull-up machine, and it might be my new favorite exercise. The machine uses counterbalance weights, which means the higher the weight you set the machine, the easier the exercise becomes. Set the weight to 20 pounds less than your weight, complete three to five reps, and then adjust the weight accordingly. For instance, if you weigh 130 pounds, set the machine to 110 pounds.

Here's how to safely use this machine.

4 Ways Pilates Makes Everything Better

Susi May — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:43:46 PDT

Pilates has a rep as a girly exercise form that attracts ladies who lunch. Private sessions can be pricey, but mat classes will work your entire body. Originally called Contrology, the practice was actually developed to rehab injured soldiers after WW I - talk about functional fitness! After teaching the method for years (and rehabbing my own chronic back injury with it), I have decided Pilates makes everything better, from life's basics like sitting to things more extreme like CrossFit. Here are four Pilates fundamentals that everyone can benefit from learning.

Breathing
The most basic human function, breathing supports life and a fit life, too. A proper inhale fuels your muscles with oxygen, and a powerful exhale helps you engage your deep abs to protect your spine and support your torso. The conscious and studied breathing in Pilates might feel tedious at first, but learning how to breathe into your lower lungs, rather than just your chest, helps makes you a more efficient cardio machine. The Pilates method of inhaling wide through the ribs and exhaling by contracting the deep abs to push the diaphragm into the lungs also means you can keep your upper body and neck relaxed as you take in air.

Learn three more benefits when you keep reading.

You Asked: Gardening and Back Pain

Susi May — Sat, 21 May 2011 02:53:53 PDT

Hi Fit!
I've been going to the gym regularly for some time now. I do cardio and some strength training and I thought I was fit. Then I started a part-time job gardening. Now I'm wrangling hoses, hauling wheelbarrows and plants all over the place, digging, and squatting while weeding and planting. It is kicking my ass. Yesterday my back was just killing me after just three hours of planting fifty pots and hauling mulch. Good news is I have actually lost five pounds since I started this job, but do you have any suggestions for relieving that back pain issue?
- Green Thumb, Bad Back

I feel your pain, literally. Gardening is hard work and can really do a doozy on your spine. I recently did an entire Pilates session with a gardener dealing with back pain and will share my tips with you when you continue reading.