Upper abs strength to support the upper body curl

Phew, that upper body takes a lot of work. If you’ve been following the last few emails, you know that the upper body strength has many parts, and if we want to build efficiency, we will have to take care of all these parts. Luckily though, now that the awareness and knowledge are there, all you have to do is tap into it when needed.

Let’s recap. To build efficient upper body strength that is resilient and supports your lifestyle, you need to understand the link system. Here’s what we’ve covered so far:

1. How to strengthen the wrist and forearms to support the shoulders. (using bean bags) – Pilates neck and shoulder exercise 
2. Pilates is at the center of all your other workouts. – Pilates everywhere 
3. How to increase chest mobility, because a big part of Pilates is the capacity of expanding your chest. – Chest Expansion with Pilates 
4. Use a foam roller to increase Joseph’s Pilates “capacious chest.” – Pilates foam roller exercises
5. Ribs’ mobility, how it works, and what is the benefits. – Rib cage mobility with Pilates 

And for our final chapter, I will show you how to engage the upper abs. The stomach series in Pilates is all about holding the upper body off the ground. That action tones the upper abs and allows the cervical and thoracic vertebrae to be resilient. So, as you guessed, it’s essential to build that muscle’s endurance to avoid strain and tension in the neck as we build the core. 

As we head into March, it’s all about feet and legs. But until then, try the last video and let me know what you think. 

In this video, we will cover 

• The heathy range of motion for arms above the head
• How to maintain the roll-up shape
• Where to look in the single-leg circle to help coordination
• Stomach series with the magic circle 
• Spine stretch cueing
• Swan with a foam roller 
• My new favorite – the side leg kick series with the magic circle to support the lift of the ribcage 
• Teaser with small dumbbells to support chest expansion