Spine Stretch Forward
This exercise really shows us "the big picture."
So many exercises depend on how well you understand and can execute Spine Stretch Forward: Saw, Stomach Massage, Rowing #1 and #4, to name a few.
Different set ups, but the same exact skill required.
You need to know how to bend your spine forward not just so that you won’t hurt your lower back but also so that you can experience the satisfying feeling and benefits of elongating your spine.
If those exercises feel difficult or disconnected go back to practicing Spine Stretch Forward. Then, use the way you do it in those other exercises. You will find the missing piece.
I don’t look at Spine Stretch Forward as just another exercise.
To me, it is a preparation for how you need to approach other exercises that you will be learning in the future.
Here you discover how to use your lower abs to support your spine/lower back in forward flexion.
You also have the opportunity to begin exploring the concept of “spine elongation." Most of all, how it should feel in your body when performed correctly and what modifications, if any, your body needs.
Think of this exercise as a checkpoint. If it’s unclear or uncomfortable, don’t rush past it. With help from a skilled teacher you will figure it out. 😉
When I teach Spine Stretch Forward, I first try to make sure my clients understand, in their bodies, how to keep their pelvis stable and use their abdominals to assist in the movement of the spine. You can find the explanations of how to practice pelvis stability and the Pilates Scoop through instructional videos in my fundamental movement course, What Pilates Is: The Essential Skills.
What Do You Need to Know Before You Can Perform Spine Stretch Forward Successfully?
I have had a fair share of "throwing my back out” in my twenties. Before I started practicing Pilates it would put me to bed for 2-3 days.
Over the years, Pilates has been helping me keep those episodes “at bay”, so I am super aware of how important it is to teach Spine Stretch Forward and other similar exercises with utmost precision.
Because of my history of lower back issues, I am extra sensitive to how others move their spine. Sometimes I will involuntarily raise my voice and almost shout: "Don’t do that!” when seeing my client starting to bend at the hips 😅
It used to be that progress in Pilates was measured by how well one could execute an exercise.
No matter if it was a beginner or advanced level of difficulty.
To me it’s still like that.
If you don’t understand how to organize your spine during Spine Stretch Forward, you carry that confusion into every exercise that contains the elements of this exercise.
No matter how advanced.
And that’s where things start to feel harder than they should either physically or mentally.
Watching hundreds of bodies move during thousands of hours I can comfortably say: You cannot rush the progress of your physical body and the speed at which you develop body awareness and body/mind connection.
Bending your spine is one thing. Elongating it at the same time is another.
That combination is a skill that you begin to learn in Spine Stretch Forward.
Without support from the abdominals and awareness of how to move properly, it is easy to turn this movement into a lower back muscles strain.
This is tough exercise for many. The demands of Modern Life do not help. If you cannot sit straight because your hamstrings or hip flexors are tight, make it easier for yourself by sitting on something so that your pelvis is higher than your feet.
Your Pilates education should begin with understanding in you body the three positions of the pelvis: tuck, neutral, and arch. Without this foundation, exercises such as Spine Stretch Forward can be difficult to perform because you may not recognize how the position of your pelvis affects the purpose and benefit of the exercise. I teach these positions through Pelvic Rocking in my fundamental movement course, What Pilates Is: The Essential Skills.