The Roll Up
The Roll Up is my personal favorite of all of the Pilates Mat exercises. The Roll Up requires core strength and stability as well as flexion in your spine. The Roll Up is very challenging, especially for Pilates beginners, but once you master it you will feel so strong and proud of yourself. The Roll Up that is taught today is not too different from how Joseph Pilates described it in Return to Life Through Contrology. However, instead of rolling all the way forward until your head touches your legs, you should stop rolling when you get to a seated position. More information below on how to perform the exercise.
Benefits of the Roll Up
- Strengthens your abdominals
- Develops core and pelvic stability
- Improves spinal articulation
Performing the Roll Up
- Lie on your back.
Start by lying on your back with your spine in a neutral position.
- Extend arms towards the ceiling.
Extend your arms towards the ceiling with your hands facing one another.
- Point your toes.
Make sure your legs are together with your toes pointed.
- Curl up to a seated position.
Inhale to prepare and then exhale as you curl your head off the mat, rolling up one vertebra at a time into a seated position.
- Find length through the spine.
Come up nice and tall in that position, like someone is pulling a string attached to the top of your head. Really try to find length through your spine here.
- Articulate back down to the mat.
Inhale again and exhale as you roll back down to the mat one vertebra at a time. Think of finding a nice c-curve in your spine when rolling down.
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Modifications for the Roll Up
- If the Roll Up is too challenging, start by sitting down on your mat with your knees bent. Find a c-curve in your spine with your arms extended out in front of you, palms facing up. Lean back with the c-curve in your spine, until you feel your abdominals kick in, and then come back to that starting position. Gradually try to go lower and lower until you feel that you’re able to do a full Roll Up.
- If you’re working on this movement with an instructor, they can gently support your back if you’re having trouble getting up into that seated position.
Tips for Success
- As mentioned above, the Roll Up is very challenging but don’t be discouraged!
- Keep in mind that the slower this exercise is, the harder it will be—but that’s the point.
- I would suggest mastering the Roll Up before trying the Neck Pull.