Selecting Pilates Blocks to Improve Support And Alignment

Pilates blocks can increase flexibility, offer support, and promote a stronger mind-body connection when incorporated into your exercises. They are also helpful for novices who need props to help them achieve specific positions. For instance, Kirra suggests using a block at the lowest height to support your back when switching from half moon to boat pose. This frees you up to concentrate on stretching your spine and using your core.

Changing Up the Exercises

Pilates is a low-impact workout that can enhance your strength, flexibility, and balance. It can also be adjusted to accommodate varying skill levels and ailments. For instance, a block can help relieve joint pressure if you have problems with your knees. For instance, position a block at the lowest height between your feet while kneeling on your mat, hip-distance apart. Then, as the block supports your lower back and helps you maintain length in the back of your thighs, you can use it to lift your torso, expand through your chest, and maintain alignment in your upper body. Watch this YouTube video from Go Chlo Pilates to see an example of this adjustment in action. The 10-minute practice consists of well-known mat core exercises with one small adjustment that maximises the effectiveness of each and every movement. Additionally, it lessens bouncing and hopping, which can strain and injure joints.

Keeping Your Body Stable

Stability is a major benefit of using blocks in Pilates exercises. During difficult exercises, placing a block beneath the hands or feet can assist stabilise the muscles and joints, enhancing alignment and lowering the chance of injury. Using blocks in a workout can also support a stronger mind-body connection and foster creativity. Students can break past training plateaus and experience movements in new ways by incorporating props like blocks into traditional Pilates exercises. For instance, in Pigeon Pose, inserting a block between the feet can ease the strain on the front knee, facilitate chest elevation, and maintain a neutral spine. Similarly, when doing Boat Pose or Warrior 1, placing a block under the shoulder can help support the upper body and enhance balance.

Improving Adaptability

You most likely moved your body fluidly as a child, splaying out on the floor to watch TV, jumping off a chair, and reaching out to swing from the monkey bars. Your body is more mobile and flexible when it is flexible and mobile, which also helps with posture, pain relief, and other health issues. The capacity to extend and stretch muscles and connective tissues across a joint's whole range of motion is known as flexibility. However, mobility is broader in nature and encompasses strength, control, and stability in movement. Pilates is a low-impact workout that lengthens and strengthens muscle regions including the back and core using deliberate movements. You can become more flexible in certain moves by using a block. For instance, you can get support and increase the stretch of the position by putting the block between your knees if you're not yet ready to perform a full split on your own.

Gaining Power

Pilates movements incorporate many muscles simultaneously to produce a full-body movement, in contrast to other strength-training regimens that concentrate on specific muscle groups. This enhances core strength and balance. In addition to preventing accidents, a strong core also lessens strain on the back muscles and joints. In one study, compared to a control group that did not take Pilates, participants who regularly attended Pilates lessons saw significant improvements in their body composition, posture, and balance. These adjustments were ascribed to the emphasis on alignment and exact motions devoid of momentum. For instance, if your hamstrings are too tight to reach the floor during a standing forward fold, you can sink deeper into the stretch without straining them by placing a block under your feet. When you're first learning a pose, like the splits, you can also utilise blocks to support your body. They are safe for people of all ages and fitness levels because of their rounded edges and non-slip substance.