bottom uppers: lets talk

[starlight6]

RE: Alright!

Uh huh. Now you sound like Cathe! You WILL love it!

Anybody else out there going to join us? Please?

Ruth

 

[cinza]

RE: Alright!

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-03-01 AT 08:46PM (Est)[/font][p]last week we had a request for some abs..
anyone have a suggestion?
Ruth, i am guessing you might enjoy delivering the challenge this time...i will let you borrow my horns if you do!

 

[starlight6]

RE: Alright!

Yes but I'm the one who suggested abs in the first place! Should I challenge myself? I'll probably go WAY too easy!;-)

 

[cherylnb]

RE: Hi Cheryl!

Boy, you guys are good. I thought I'd just lurk around, unaccountable to anyone! Ha!

As it turns out, I did start the step-ups on Monday night. It takes hardly any time, so no excuses! I'm going to do them three times a week in addition to the other cardio and weights I try to get it each week - usually three cardios and one time each of the three PS tapes or Firm Standing Legs or Floor Legs. (I don't think I'll ever get through the entire SLA workout, though! How do you girls do it???)

I'll keep you posted. Thanks for checking in on me ;-)

 

[cinza]

Cheryl! Yup, we gotcha! We dont go easy on anyone!

cheryl.. when you get used to the step ups..
there are variations.. You can do things that will really make you proud you did them!
Let me know when you are ready...
or
you can search our threads from 1-2 months ago where we talked about adding adductions and only tapping or not even touching the floor with one leg.... it really works the supporting leg if you dont rest it any more than you have to..
also.
i do arm movements with the step ups... bicepts or any sort of extentions... with lighter weights... sometimes.

 

[cinza]

Ruth

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-04-01 AT 02:31PM (Est)[/font][p]Ruth not only can you challenge yourself..but you can try to make me suffer...You know i love to suffer! jUst like in the old days when you would write and say

[marquee] drop and give me 20 ..[/marquee]

NOW its Drop and give me
20 crunches!

20 obliques!

20 lower ab lifts!

are you doing that pilates move?

HOw are you at rolling backwards.....
Lie on floor arms by your side... INhale...lift your legs straight up... EXhale and slowly take you legs over you head and maybe touching the floor with toes (or not) inhale... exhale and roll the spine back down one vertibrae at a time .
Use arms by your side to help lift and anchor as you need.
ITa a great move
this uses the lower abs to lift and start ... and uses everything to slowly come down. and its good for spinal flexibilty....and abs.
do 6

Here is a thing to think about...
anytime you are standing and lifting a leg without holding on to something, you are doing good ab work....

 

[starlight6]

RE: Cheryl! Yup, we gotcha! We dont go easy on anyone!

Cheryl, you see what she's like don't you? You just started your stepups & now she wants us to do biceps as a little added attraction!
Cinza, roll-up is kind of fun!
Wouldn't want to disappoint you:
[marquee]CINZA! DROP & GIVE ME 30 CRUNCHES!!![/marquee]
Variety: your choice. See, I'm a nice guy! hee hee
;-)

 

[cinza]

RE: Cheryl! Yup, we gotcha! We dont go easy on anyone!

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-05-01 AT 12:26PM (Est)[/font][p]Piece of cake ruth!!
:-gloat

rolls up tres fun ... are you getting to see how deep the work can be? holding the "c" ... when i started pilates i could not get up till the instructor told me to exhale at the hardest part.. that was a miracle.

i love the rolling down part...you might not know that the muscles are used quiet differently on the down part than on the up part. (or so I read)

have you tried the roll over yet? its fun too ... control and fluidity and flexibility .. you can keep the legs folded over you as far as you like while you come down..

when you get strong you do something like the roll over called the jacknife.. the toes touch the floor then the legs are raised straight up and held up as you roll down.. very carefully... vertebrae by vertebrae..
fantastic ab work...
LOVE EM!

in pilates you do 6-10 of things instead of 30 ...
but you do them very mindfully with the idea of working harder internally...

ps.
some folk think pilates is easy... not so... after years of doing it you can still work deeper...

and its best to always work honestly.

 

[starlight6]

RE: Cheryl! Yup, we gotcha! We dont go easy on anyone!

Well it may be a lot of fun, but I certainly wouldn't call it easy! Not if you're really trying to do it right, anyway.
R.

 

[starlight6]

RE: Cheryl! Yup, we gotcha! We dont go easy on anyone!

Oh & by the way, since 30 was easy I thought in all fairness I should do 30 too. Much to my surprise :-wow it WAS easy!

 

[cinza]

Got some new material...

had a fabulous class with a sub teacher who kicked our backside.

She had us do step ups... but with the best variation yet
... the best because it makes sure you dont cheat and that you use your heel to pull yourself up with instead of pushing off with the free foot.
(and as tamilee will tell you : using your heel= using the glutes)


... keep the free leg straight and stiff as wood ....... only tap or lightly rest it on the step and floor ...
And have it touch the floor very close to your step.
STRAIGHT all the time is the trick...



she did some lunges that i really felt ... about a billion of them on the same leg before doing a billion on the other.

Her advise was... keep the torso very upright ... i really felt it in my glutes for the first time.

and here is a good ab one ... that you will be glad to know everyone in this class of advanced exercisers was groaning over;

sit on the edge of your bench ...
sit very straight
raise one leg so it is straight out parellel to the floor while the other leg stays bent with the foot on the floor..

now
take the lifted leg.. and lower it to the floor and back up parallel with the floor...on the count of 4 down and 4 up.
do this without switching legs till you have to call for mercy... then do it a few times more before switching legs....
dont forget:
keep the back upright and perfectly straight..