Breaking down the Mat (Pilates intro exercises)

We are one week into March Matness! Have you been playing along too? Like I mentioned last week in my blog What is March Matness, this is my first year that I am participating. So far, I’ve been really enjoying the deep dive into the exercise of the day AND I’ve even taken it an extra step by committing to doing Pilates all 31 days. Now, I probably won’t be doing all of Joe’s order but I am committed to doing what I’ve designated as my intro series.

What I love about Pilates is the similarities in shapes. The shapes of the exercises in this intro series can be found in the more advanced exercises in the mat and exercises on the equipment as well. How cool is that? I love how everything works hand in hand to improve our movement.

These are the 12 exercises I’ve committed to doing daily for the month of March.

The Hundred

I get a lot of questions about this exercise like why do we do it and what are the benefits of it. This is the first exercise that Joseph Pilates put in the traditional mat order. The hundred integrates the cardio respiratory system with the musculoskeletal system which is why I especially love giving it to my running clients. It warms you up, gets your blood flowing and right away starts to incorporate coordination.

The Roll Up

It’s one that I find a lot of people can struggle with but there’s a lot going on with it. It’s not just about what needs to be strong to bring you up, it’s also about what needs to be loose and mobile. That’s why I like it for my clients that have low back pain & tightness.

For me, I’m still working on getting the reach out of my legs and being able to lengthen them into the floor more. Part of this is due to having tight hip flexors from running and under-active glutes (I often say my glutes have amnesia 🤣).

 Single Leg Circles

Once I understood this exercise it became one of my favorites. I will admit it is a tricky one to get, especially as someone that is quad dominant. Single leg circle is a core exercise in disguise exercise while also stretching the hamstring, IT band, and lower back. It will always be a non-negotiable one for me and my running clients. 

Rolling Back (Rolling Like a Ball)

I heard one time that Joesph Pilates put in rolling exercises into his order to bring us back to our roots as children and be playful. I think the person that said that either wasn’t doing the exercise correctly OR didn’t have a tight back. Although it is a fundamental exercise, it’s not easy when done correctly. There’s a push/pull connection in the arms and the legs to help open the lower back while working the arm→ back connection. The core works to rock you forward and back ( not momentum and DEF not the whip of your head back). I will admit the the rocking gives a nice massage the lower back though.

Single Leg Pull and Double Leg Pull

Single Leg Pull is a core exercise BUT where I really find it’s magic is the fact that it kind of looks like a high knee running in place motion. Lower abdominals pull the knee in while the opposite leg reaches. I like to think that “reach” is similar to pressing away from the ground so the whole back line of the legs is turned on from the arch all the way to the booty. Double Leg Pull is your rolling like a ball plus a long body lengthen. How tightly can you compress the belly? In doing so you stimulate digestion and ultimately rid the body of toxins. Then stretch out and lengthen.

Spine Stretch Forward

Fun Fact: Pilates organized his mat order in human developmental order. We’ve now graduated to a seated position! We go from tall spine to forward flexion stretching the low back, hamstrings, and inner thighs if you are tight like me. 

The Saw

Stretching the back of the body in a new way, It’s your Spine Stretch forward with rotation added to it. That deep rotation wrings out the spine, helping you to get taller & longer and then we dive forward into a hamstring stretch. 

Swan, Single Leg Kicks and Double Leg Kicks

Now we have arrived at the extension exercises, another developmental graduation.Extension is hard for me, in fact it’s may main Pilates focus of 2021 so I am really digging in and working on these exercises. A majority of the time I forego The Swan Dive and opt for a baby swan extension, followed by the Single Leg Kicks and Double Leg Kicks which the stretching of the frontside of the thighs. I’ll be honest and admit I used to skip this whole series until I trained for my first half marathon. Not only did I think the quad & hip flexor stretch was magical, it’s also one where my glute amnesia is absent. Hello booty!

Shoulder Bridge

If there was one exercise I would recommend above all others for my running clients it would be this one. The front of the entire body gets a stretch- quads, hip flexors, chest- while the hamstrings and glutes get to work. It also is a juicy spinal articulation to help open up the lower back. If you are someone that sits a lot this exercise will feel so good and that’s a promise.

AAAAAAAND Done! Stretch & Strengthen all in about 10-15minutes.

There you have it! Some of these have lengthier tutorials and explanations on my Instagram BUT it is only March 8th so we still have a fair amount of March Matness to go. You can follow me to continue watching & learning on my journey but I would love for you to JOIN ME.

Ready to celebrate March MATness? Request your paperless calendar checklist below! You’ll find the sequence of the original 34 Pilates mat exercises, along with the social media posting schedule, should you wish to follow it. Work through the exercises daily or weekly on your own at your own pace.

If you happen to join in and share on Instagram I’d love to see it so please tag me! (@laura.melgar.fitness) Have questions about any of the exercises listed? Drop them in the comments below!