Apologies, this articles been waiting to be posted since February when I did my Healthy Hips CPD course with APPI Training
I thoroughly enjoyed my Healthy Hips course, and it reminded me about why Pilates is so special. We can do the basic movements and get a good level of mobility and strength but when we progress our practice and really focus on the specificity of the movement & which muscles we engage, it takes the exercise and the benefits obtained up a whole new level.
One of the most profound subtle changes was with the anterior hip flexor and quad (thigh) stretch. We regularly do this stretch in kneeling by tucking our tail bone under but when we add the subtle movement of turning the pelvis slightly or lifting the breastbone it targets the psoas muscle specifically, giving a great stretch across the front of the hip.
Using therabands is always a great way of changing muscles activation but just by changing the point we pull from (ie. hand or foot) will switch the focus from the abdominal to the gluteal muscles.
As you progress with your Pilates practice, it's not always about doing harder or (fancier looking) exercises, it's about increasing your body awareness and understanding how subtle changes can make an exercise more intense and specific for the job you want it to do, whatever the difficulty of the exercise you're doing.
After an intense weekend of exercise on the course by body felt it had worked hard but I was left with an amazing lightness and freedom of movement around my hips.
Pilates may appear easy at first glance but when done with precision and control it can build significant strength and lasting fitness.