The Pilates curl up is a wonderful exercise to mobilise the cervical and thoracic spine whilst strengthening the abdominals.

It is crucial to learn how to support and move the head in a curl up before practising too many repetitions.

The head should be imagined to be a heavy bowling ball, which is fully supported through out the movement by interlaced hands.

The curl up is initiated by the head tipping down and the eye gaze pointing towards the groin.

The ‘heavy bowling ball ‘ must remain heavy in the hands to avoid straining the neck muscles by the ‘pulling’ effect that often happens by mistake.

Keeping the little toes, big toes and heels of the foot connected to the floor will help the flow and control of a well-performed curl up to enable the upper spine to mobilise and the abdominals strengthen.

All video footage is aimed at existing clients with a solid understanding of core stability, lateral breathing and good Pilates alignment.

If you are not familiar with these then please contact Victoria before attempting the exercises exhibited here.