No bones about it

Pilates moves help strengthen your skeleton

By Elaine Paoloni | epaoloni@am-ny.com

December 26, 2007

Linda demonstrates broadway dance exercise 4 (Sam Horine / December 25, 2007)

Like a sturdy frame keeps a house standing tall, a strong bone structure is essential for a healthy body. While drinking an extra glass of milk for added calcium will do your body good, it isn't the only way to bulk up your bones; exercise also has its merits.

"Through exercise, the muscles literally pull on the bones, stimulating their growth and internal adaptation to applied forces," says Linda Farrell, an instructor at Broadway Dance Center. "And Pilates is a great exercise to challenge the muscles and build stronger bones."

Farrell designed the following Pilates mat exercises to help those with osteoporosis build bone safely and to keep others from developing the disease.

1. Side forearm plank

This exercise works your abdominal, shoulder, back and hip muscles.
Lie on one side in a plumb-line position from your head to heels, with your elbow directly under your shoulder and your feet flexed. Place your top arm either on your top hip or reach it forward and down to the floor, with your palm placed directly in front of your navel. Inhale and engage your abdominals, then exhale and lift your hips a few inches off the floor, forming a diagonal between your head and heels. Maintain length through your spine and the crown of your head as you lift up. Your shoulder blades should glide down, and your lower ribs must not sag. To maximize stability, keep your hips and legs strongly engaged and your feet flexed; your outer foot should be pressed into the floor. Hold for a moment and slowly lower yourself back to the floor. Repeat three times on each side. For an easier variation, lift your hips slightly and keep your front arm gently pressed into the floor at your fingertips. For an advanced challenge, bring your top arm up toward the ceiling or hold it behind your head.

2. Side kick: front and back
This exercise works your abdominal, shoulder, back and hip muscles.
Lie straight on one side, with your shoulders and hips vertically stacked and your head resting on your lower, outstretched arm. Place a towel underneath your neck for extra support. Bring your legs slightly forward on a diagonal without letting your pelvis tuck under; bend your bottom knee for greater support. Place the hand of your top arm in front of your navel, fingers pointing upward. Engage your abdominal and back muscles, and lift your waist slightly off the floor. Lift your top leg up in line with your pelvis, keeping it parallel and softly pointing through your toes. Inhale and reach your leg forward for two pulses, then exhale and reach your leg back for two pulses. As you kick, keep the sides of your back equally lengthened, your pelvis stable and your working leg parallel to the floor. Continue to kick, keeping your body aligned while slowly increasing your range of motion throughout the repetitions. For an advanced challenge, prop yourself up onto your forearm, but make sure your rib cage does not sag.

3. Swan
This exercise works your back and abdominal muscles.
Lie on your stomach, with your arms under your shoulders and your elbows at your sides. Keeping your abdominals engaged, inhale, lengthen your body through your crown and extend up vertebra by vertebra to the point where your front hip markers stay rooted to the floor. Don't push off with your arms; use your back extensors to avoid rounding your back. Lengthen and deepen your spine between your shoulder blades so that your breastbone stays on the floor as long as possible through the extension. Pause for a moment, keeping the energy flowing up your spine and down and out through your legs. Exhale, and slowly roll your body down with control, one vertebra at a time. Repeat five times. For an advanced challenge, roll up slightly and try to lift your hands up from the floor without collapsing. When you lift, keep your shoulders relaxed and your abdominal and back muscles engaged.

4. Single-leg stretch
This exercise works your abdominal muscles.
Lie on your back with your legs in a tabletop position, with your knees and hips at a 90-degree angle. Place your palms gently around your left thigh with your elbows extended. Inhale, draw your navel in toward your spine and curl up your tailbone so that your lower spine is flat on the floor. Maintaining this connection, and keeping your head, neck and spine on the floor, exhale and slowly extend your right leg straight out angling toward the ceiling. Hold the position for a moment, keeping your lower back flat on the floor, and then slowly bring your leg back into tabletop position. Complete eight repetitions, take a rest and repeat for two more sets. Place your hands on your right thigh, and repeat the exercise with your other leg. For an advanced challenge, lower your legs only to the point that your abdominals stay engaged and your lower back is supported on the floor.