At the core of Pilates lies the Powerhouse – literally the centre of your body, it encapsulates your core muscles - not only the superficial abdominal muscles but also the deeper stabilising muscles of the pelvis, lower back + hips. Activating these muscles provides the foundation for efficient movement + optimal alignment.
Understanding how to effectively recruit your Powerhouse, plus the subsequent activation of your core muscles + breath, is essential for unlocking the full potential of your Pilates practice.
Engaging the Powerhouse in Pilates is like turning on a switch that ignites stability + control. As you perform all exercises in Pilates, activating the Powerhouse will support + facilitate fluid motion. It's this integration of strength + flexibility that distinguishes Pilates from other forms of exercise.
And the key to feeling this difference, is the concept of the two-way stretch.
Go Both Ways
The two-way stretch is a fundamental concept in Pilates that involves simultaneously lengthening the body in opposing directions. The art of reaching out through the limbs + lengthening the spine from tailbone to crown of the head requires you to maintain a strong, stable core whilst still breathing smoothly + efficiently.
The Two Way Stretch in Double Leg Stretch on the mat
Let's look at Double Leg Stretch on the mat - a quintessential two-way stretch exercise that is done quite early on in the classical mat series.
Start position: Laying supine on the mat, you exhale to hug knees to chest + lift your head towards the knees.
Breathing: Your inhale fills the low back to help carry the weight of the legs as they reach out of the hips, whilst the arms reach over head + the spine remains in a flexed position. This dynamic opposition creates a sensation of length + builds strength throughout the whole body, enhancing flexibility, endurance + stability.
Powerhouse: Central to the execution of two-way stretch is the recruitment of the Powerhouse, as they are inexorably linked. In the Double Leg Stretch, the Powerhouse assists with stability + anchoring the centre of the body as the limbs reach in opposition to each other, as well as maintaining flexion in the spine as it also stretches in opposing directions.
The Two-Way Stretch: is central to the success of the Double Leg Stretch.
The Two Way Stretch in Feet in Straps - Frog on the reformer
On the reformer, the Feet in Straps series is a great way to really feel the two-way stretch working. Let's have a look at the two-way stretch in Feet in Straps - Frog:
Start position: Laying supine on the carriage with your feet in the long straps, the knees are bent + legs are eternally rotated from the hips with heels together. Spine should feel long + in a 'neutral' position, with tailbone, back of the pelvis + ribcage grounding into the carriage.
Breathing: As you prepare to move, you inhale deeply, lengthening the spine + filling the low back with air for the purpose of “carrying” the weight of the legs into your centre. As you exhale, emptying the body of air, the ribs drawn in + abdominals contract to activate your Powerhouse as your hips + knees extend to press your legs away, high over the footbar.
Powerhouse: The Powerhouse assists in inflating + deflating the lungs + belly during respiration, helping to hold the legs (even whilst they're supported in the straps) as the hips extend + flex as well as keeping the spine connected to the carriage without the pelvis tilting or the ribcage popping.
Two-Way Stretch: The legs extend away from the body whilst the spine extends through the crown of the head – the opposing forces - connected through the Powerhouse.
More than just 'engaging your core'
The two-way stretch is a subtle yet powerful way to get the most out of your Pilates practice, whether on the mat or the reformer. Simply 'engaging your core' may help you to feel somewhat able to perform most of the Pilates repertoire but finding the stretch, the opposition of the body reaching away from, whilst maintaining stability of, your centre? That's what will ignite your Powerhouse + transform the way you approach all of your movement practices.
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