The Pilates Roll Up Deconstructed

Without TYE4

The Pilates roll-up works best for flexible spines of proportionate length.

The upper body's direction, as the arms move along the mat and then incrementally upward, is assisted by a strong mind-body connection. However, there must be a certain amount of flexibility in the cervical, thoracic, and lower back, along with enough hamstring stretch to transition the pelvis from horizontal to vertical without over-contracting the psoas during the roll-up or the piriformis during the roll-down.

The entire body starts in extension — arms, legs, neck, and spine — while supine. The timing of getting the torso vertical from horizontal is a coordinated effort. It involves knowing which muscles to relax and stretch (the erector spinae along the back of your body) and which to tighten (the rectus abdominis and internal obliques) as the front of your body contracts during the roll-up and roll-down.

The chin should move toward the sternum while the crown of the head lifts through the imaginary line created by your arms extended above the shoulders to avoid over-contracting the cervical spine, which is often caused by tech neck.

The intercostal muscles stretch in the back and narrow in the front of the ribcage during the roll-up, while the abdominals, attached at the breastbone and pubic bone, must continuously engage. The obliques assist in hollowing the space between the hip bones.

These muscles must lift the weight of your head and shoulder girdle off the floor. Once upright, the rectus abdominis can relax for the inhale, then must contract again to handle the load in reverse.

The slow performance of the roll-up and roll-down can be fatiguing without proper muscle recruitment. It is necessary to contract the quads while extending the hamstrings during the roll-up and extend the quads while contracting the hamstrings on the way down.

It is also important to inhale during the extension while supine, then exhale as the arms raise over the shoulders and continue the roll-up to a sitting position. This moves the diaphragm high into the ribcage, shortening the front and expanding the back of the ribcage supportively. Inhaling while sitting erect relaxes all the effort these muscles have performed, while exhaling as the body reaches forward and rolls down focuses the mind and energizes you.

Finally, imagine the floor of the pelvis as a diamond where the sitz bones, pubic bone, and the bottom of the sacrum either face your feet while lying down or the mat while sitting. This helps to quickly and smoothly transition the pelvis from horizontal to vertical and vice versa.

With TYE4X

Using the TYE4X for the Pilates roll-up, I decided to use the “figure 8” wrap for the leg bungees and the “standard arms” for the arm bungees.

I found that TYE4X stops the “cheating” that typically involves using momentum to roll up. Without this cheat, there is the recruitment of more muscle groups. For example, the “figure 8” enables the engagement of the abductors and glutes in the lower body. The upper body benefits, particularly in the quadratus lumborum, because the figure 8 leg bungee wrap attaches from the underarms of the harness.

Breathing is deepened as the entire ribcage becomes the focus, not just the front and back parts, but also the sides of the body.

The X of the harness and the placement of the hands in the inner loops provide just enough support to align the pelvis more effectively and deepen the forward bend, especially when holding the leg bungees forward and to the side when seated.

Using the TYE4X makes the roll-up slower and more challenging, but it ultimately addresses common issues, leading to improvements when the exercise is done properly.

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