Pilates: Cash or Credit?

There's a sentence I say in the studio so often that my clients can finish it for me.

"You're buying that with your low back."

I'll ask for mid back extension (the “cow” part of cat / cow) and watch clients sag their low back instead. It looks like a cow. But the mid back didn't change one bit. It happens in flexion too - the “cat” part where the mid back stays mostly flat and they curl from the ribs to the hips instead. That's why I have to repeat it.

Think about it like money. If you want something and you don't have the cash, you can put it on a credit card. You get it today. But somebody has to pay that card back later, with extra on top.

Your body works the same way. Every movement has a spot that's supposed to pay cash for it. When that spot is tight - thanks a lot, tech posture! - or sleepy, or just not strong enough yet, your body reaches for a credit card. Often, it's your low back.

Low Back is the friend who always says "I got this!" and then absolutely cannot afford it.

The move still happens, and it might even look pretty good. The bill just shows up later as an achy back, or joints that feel stuck. Plus interest.

Mid Back Extension

Pay cash with: your mid back (the thoracic spine, if you want the fancy word).

Charged to credit: your low back. (the lumbar spine)

I'll cue "lift and open through the upper back" and the ribs flare while the low back folds like a hinge. Big range, zero mid back. 

To learn how to pay cash (to find supported, mid back extension)

1. Sit down on the floor or a mat, and ower yourself down onto your elbows. 

2. Then position one WundaCore block with the curved side up between the lower part of your shoulder blades. 

3. Slowly lower yourself down over the block. If your head does not reach the floor you can place the second block or a pillow underneath your head. 

4. Lay quietly and breathe deeply through your nose for 1-2 minutes. Any areas of tension? Send your inhale there. Sensitive low back: bend your knees. 

There’s a very good chance you’ll feel your spine release or get a few cracks out. It will feel tight at first. 

Using support and removing other variables like trying to find it in the middle of an exercise allow your brain to trust the extension and learn you to find the shape and the opening. This is the honest price, and it's the one that builds your savings.

The Receipt Check

After any move, ask yourself: who paid?

If the work lives in your low back, you put it on credit. If you feel your ribs, your mid back, or your deep belly, you paid cash. Cash is the goal every time.

Share the movement, share the load.

Dr. Brent Anderson, a renowned physical therapist and author of Principles of Movement, teaches that the more of your spine that shares the work, the less any one spot has to carry. That's paying cash: everyone chips in, and nobody gets stuck with the bill.

A smaller range you paid cash for is worth more than a bigger one you charged. Earned range stays, it builds on itself, and it protects you. Borrowed range always comes due.

If you want to practice paying cash, this workout on my YouTube Channel shows the WundaCore Block set up for mid back extension at around 17:30. 

WundaLove,

Amy