For A Good Pilates Ab Exercise, Just Do Pilates
It seems that a lot of people are searching for a good Pilates ab exercise. That's really not necessary - if you are doing Pilates, you're going to be doing ab exercises, almost regardless of which particular movements you're performing. Pilates (so named because it was originated by Joseph Pilates) is based on six basic principles. One of the principles is called 'centering', which involves initiating every movement with what we now refer to as the body's core, which is the abdomen, hips, buttocks and lower back. Pilates called that area the powerhouse, and felt it was very important to have a strong powerhouse to function well in one's daily life.
The other five principles follow.
Breathing: all exercises have specific breathing instructions, and Pilates said to think of the lungs as a bellows because he felt that forced full breathing would oxygenate the blood and allow it to more efficiently carry away waste products.
Flow: the exercises are recommended to be done in a smooth, fluid manner, with no abrupt or jerky movements. This can be challenging if using a piece of Pilates equipment. Control and precision: actually two principles, but closely related. Every body part should be kept under control at all times, and all the exercises should be done precisely as recommended, with everything kept in the proper relative alignment and all movements done in the proper trajectory. Concentration: Keep your full attention on the exercise as it is performed. While other forms of exercise will frequently focus on the arms or legs, with some core work added in, Pilates movements all begin from the core, with the idea that strengthening this 'powerhouse' area will eventually allow the whole body to perform at an optimal level. If your main focus on doing Pilates is to flatten your stomach, you will need to perform the exercises with perfect form. That usually means to keep the ab muscles pulled in and up at all times, lengthening the abs and flattening them in towards the spine. In many other forms of abdominal exercise, the rectus abdominus (the six-pack ab muscles) is allowed to bunch up and become shorter. Pilates advocates claim that while this motion does allow the muscles to get stronger, it aso precludes them from becoming flat. Joseph Pilates is reported to have claimed that in ten sessions, exercisers would feel the difference from his system, after twenty sessions, they would see the difference, and after thirty, they'd have a whole new body. With the recent popularity of Pilates ab exercises, it appears he may have just been onto something.
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