In the previous two articles, we learned how to perform the first two exercises of the Pilates Stomach Series, Single Leg Stretch and Double Leg Stretch.  In this article, I will break down Scissors, the next exercise of the series.  Scissors will require many of the same skills needed in Single and Double Leg Stretch.  However, Scissors will challenge the flexibility and strength you gained with the other two exercises.  In Single and Double Leg Stretch, the legs moved through a series of movements extending the legs out straight and bending the legs into the shoulder.  In Scissors, the legs are kept straight requiring more flexibility and strength to maintain the position.  Scissors will continue to improve coordination and strengthen with flexibility the abs, hips, gluts, shoulders, arms, and low back while pushing your flexibility and strength as a team to score a Pilates touchdown.    

All Pilates exercises build from several fundamental skills.  Basically, all Pilates exercises are the same.  It is not uncommon to see the same exercise flipped upside down or performed slightly different creating a new exercise.  The more you can see how the exercises are interlinked, the more you can understand how to rise to the challenge of a more advanced exercise.  Sometimes trying a more advanced exercise may illustrate where you need more flexibility or strength.  You will be able to go back to another exercise that works that strength and flexibility in a less challenging way.  It is important to understand this concept especially with Scissors.       

Scissors is awesome for stretching the back of your legs and low back as well as strengthening the hip.  However, many students try to avoid the challenge inherent in Scissors.  The use of a straight leg through the entire motion is more challenging than Single or Double Leg Stretch where the knee bends and then straightens.  It is more difficult to keep a straight leg because the back side of the body needs to be flexible as well as the hips to maintain a straight leg throughout the entire motion.  Students will bend their knee as they lift their legs avoiding the tightness especially when pulling the leg closer.  This will avoid the tightness rather than improve the flexibility. 

As well, the strength of the hip will come more into play in this exercise.  The hip needs to support the straight leg to lift it up without excess strain or using momentum.  Students will try to lift up higher in their upper body curl to reach their leg rather than using the strength of the hips to lift the leg to your hands.  It is important to use the strength of the hips especially the hip flexors.  Hip flexors tend to be tight from sitting for long periods of time and are typically not used properly.  The straight legs in Scissors help work the hip flexors more efficiently and effectively if performed properly.  If you continue to avoid your tightness or strengthening the hip, you will not prepare your body for the more advance exercises that are to come.  You may get some benefit from the exercise, but you won’t be scoring a touchdown.           

In a football game, you rely on the skills of your players to make plays.  However, the players need to understand the basics of the game.  Each player has a position that requires a particular set of skills.  If you are a wide receiver, you need to be able to run, catch the ball, and many other fundamental skills.  If you can’t catch the ball, all the juking is a waste of energy.  This is similar to Pilates exercises.  In the previous exercises, you started to build the fundamental skills needed to progress to the next exercise.  If your hip pops when you perform Single Leg Stretch, your hips are probably going to pop with Scissors.  You will not get the most out of your Scissors because you are continuing to avoid your weakness or tightness.  As you master the skill of Single Leg Stretch you start to gain more strength and flexibility.  Scissors will be more accessible to you when that strength and flexibility improves.  Soon all the juking will be worth it as you catch the deep ball to score a touchdown.                  

Now let’s say you have a set of players that possess the fundamental skills to play the game.  Each of them have a set of talents, but it doesn’t mean that these talents will work together as a team.  This is similar to the body.  Your body has certain tightness, weakness, strength, and flexibility.  The back of your leg may be flexible while the low back is tight.  This will affect how the body moves.  You will create more flexibility in your back by working specific exercises that focus on this fundamental.  This is the same for your weakness.  Now imagine a team that only requires the quarterback to make plays.  The team is not going to move the chains when there aren’t players catching the ball.  The quarterback can throw a thousand balls and only a few will be caught by chance.  If you incorporate other players into the game, you start to create a more balanced offense.  That is when the team walks the ball in for a touchdown.    

Just as the previous skills in Single Leg Stretch are needed in Scissors, the skills in Scissors will be used in more advanced exercises, such as High Scissors and Control Balance.  Each of these more advanced exercises requires the same skills, but adds a new challenge.  You will be able to meet the new challenges by juking your way into the end zone to catch a perfectly thrown ball for a touchdown.  

Master Scissors to improve coordination and strengthening with flexibility the abs, hips, gluts, shoulders, arms, and low back.  But more importantly, master the fundamental skills as a team to score a touchdown.  When you master your Scissors, give yourself a high five…You are a ROCKSTAR!

Tags: how to do Pilates, Pilates, pilates scissors, Pilates Stomach series, scissors

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 1:36 pm and is filed under My Inner Rockstar, Pilates Exercises. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.