The Amazing Stickie loves Pilates. Today she is working on bridging, which is an excellent exercise for strengthening glutes and hamstrings, working on spinal mobility, and synchronizing breathing with movement.
She begins lying on her back with her arms at her sides and her knees bent so that her feet are flat on the floor. She ensures that her feet are hip-distance apart. Stickie inhales deeply. As she begins to exhale, she tilts her pelvis toward her belly button. She continues this curling motion until her behind lifts up into the air and she is a straight line from her shoulders to her knees. Some of us find that our hamstrings don’t enjoy this process. Stickie used to have this problem, too, until she learned to imagine pulling her knees out away from her pelvis.
Stickie inhales at the top of the motion. Then, as she exhales, she pulls her hips away from her shoulders and rolls herself down, one vertebra at a time, back to the starting position.
Safety note: Because Stickie doesn’t actually have bones, she is not ever going to get osteopenia or osteoporosis. Anyone who does have either of those conditions should not roll the spine up or down. Instead of tilting the pelvis and rolling up, those folks should keep the spine a straight line, lifting the hips straight up toward the ceiling and lowering the same way.
Stickie likes to do four or five bridges during her Pilates workout.
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