reading

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

A foreword

NOSE BREATHING

Training in special conditions

Weak or sensitive neck

Shoulders, elbows, wrists

Back

Hips

Knees

Ankles

Pregnancy

To Bear in Mind

HYPER-EXTENSION OF THE JOINTS

POSITIONS OF THE FEET

QUALITY/QUANTITY

POSITIVE ATTITUDE / PERSEVERANCE

The Six Basic Principles

CENTRE

CONCENTRATION

CONTROL

PRECISION

BREATHING

FLOW OF MOVEMENT

Key Concepts

“V” FEET POSITION

CENTRAL LINE AND “BOX”

NAVEL TO SPINE: “INWARDS AND UPWARDS”

CHIN TO CHEST

SPINE ARTICULATION VERTEBRA BY VERTEBRA

“C”-CURVE

EXERCISES ONTHE MAT

Exercise Guidelines

BASIC SYSTEM

INTERMEDIATE SYSTEM

ADVANCED SYSTEM

THE MATBASIC SYSTEM EXERCISES

I – THE HUNDRED

II – ROLL UP

III – ONE LEG CIRCLES

IV – ROLLING LIKE A BALL

V – SINGLE LEG STRETCH

VI – DOUBLE LEG STRETCH

VII – SPINE STRETCH FORWARD

THE MATINTERMEDIATE SYSTEM EXERCISES

I – SINGLE STRAIGHT LEG

II – DOUBLE STRAIGHT LEG

III – CRISS-CROSS

IV – OPEN LEG ROCKER

V - CORKSCREW

VI - SAW

VII – NECK ROLL

VIII – SINGLE LEG KICK

IX – DOUBLE LEG KICK

X – NECK PULL

XI – SIDE KICK SERIES

FRONT/BACK

UP/DOWN

SMALL CIRCLES

XII - TEASER I

XIII - SEAL

THE MATADVANCED SYSTEM EXERCISES

I – ROLL OVER

II - SWAN DIVE

III - JACKKNIFE

IV – SPINE TWIST

V - SCISSORS

VI - BICYCLE

VII – SHOULDER BRIDGE

VIII – SIDE KICK SERIES

BICYCLE FRONT/BACK

CIRCLING THE INNER THIGHS

HOT POTATO

LEG LIFTS

LEG BEATS

BIG SCISSORS

BIG CIRCLE

IX – TEASER II

X – TEASER III

XI – BOOMERANG I and II

XII – HIP CIRCLES

XIII - SWIMMING

XIV- LEG PULL DOWN

XV – LEG PULL UP

XVI – KNEELING SIDE KICKS FRONT-BACK

XVII - MERMAID

XVIII – PUSH UP

About the Authors

A foreword

Our purpose for this book is to provide you with a directory of exercises, a specific order, and detailed recommendations and tips that allow you to enjoy Contrology as a tool of body development at home, in case you cannot attend a studio or wish to complement your private sessions. It is always highly advisable to have a teacher following your individual program.

The key to Contrology lies in developing and strengthening the “powerhouse”. You should start on this adventure with a predisposition for improvement, a positive attitude and an unwavering will.

The importance of the instructions and details given for each exercise could be summarized in this sentence by Pilates himself: “the development of the small muscles has an effect on the development of the bigger ones. As small bricks are used to build great buildings, thus each muscle has a role in the development of the muscle system as a whole”.

Find time to be alone, exercise is more pleasant and beneficial when mind and body are connected. Concentrating for some moments on centre, control, precision, flow and breathing is much more effective to reach a feeling of well-being and an increase in our self-esteem through practice than trying to achieve a specific result.

Take each movement to the limit of your ability, but not beyond, use your common sense and remember you must be in control at all times.

Introduce new exercises gradually, without rushing, don’t forget that Contrology, as presented in these books, is the result of a lifetime of research and for it to have sense and to reach optimal results, the book’s guidelines must be followed. Perform each exercise slowly but diligently, learning each one thoroughly before proceeding to the next one, until you can do the whole Basic System series of exercises to the smallest detail, and without having to look at the book. Doing an exercise without understanding the required conditions is ineffectual. At the beginning, it is normal to forget some small details. Even when you believe you know how to perform an exercise, there is still room for improvement if you review the instructions.

It will then be the moment to settle on doing all the Basic System series three times a week, day in, day out. When you can do this with a certain ease and flow, it will be the time to start introducing new exercises, one by one and in the proper order, no more than two new exercises per day and never doing more repetitions than indicated.

If you are a beginner, you should start on the mat, at home, for no more than fifteen minutes a day; and then gradually introduce longer mat exercises, never exercising for more than 45 or, at the most, 60 minutes.

You can check on your progress in two ways: doing a longer session on the mat with added exercises, or improving your rhythm and pace without losing control and knowledge by doing a system in less time.

PRECAUTIONS BEFORE GETTING STARTED - WARNINGS TO THE READER

• Do the exercises on a mat to protect your spine.
• If you need it, because when you lie on your back your head hangs too much and it feels uncomfortable, you can use a small pillow or a rolled towel under your nape.
• It is advisable to wear comfortable clothes for training. Remember you also breathe through your skin. Go barefoot or use socks.
• Avoid rich meals for at least an hour before the session.
• Patience, perseverance and constancy will be the best companions for your progress.
• It must be born in mind that doing the exercises of the advanced system requires you to have a “strong powerhouse” and NOT to suffer from any acute pain or injure.
• Work in silence so you can listen to your needs, difficulties and progress.

NOSE BREATHING

The nose filters, hydrates and directs the air towards the lungs, it warms the air, gives us the sense of smell, brings oxygen, creates mucus, drains the sinuses and affects the nervous system. Breathing and mind are interrelated; if you hold your breath, your mind will be alerted, if breathing is irregular, your mind loses focus. Being in command of our breathing makes our minds stronger and enhances concentration.

Joe Pilates used to say that “to breathe correctly, one must inhale deeply and then exhale all the air from the lungs as if wringing a soaked towel”.

Training in special conditions

As a general rule, if there is any injury or physical problem, training must avoid direct pressure over the affected area. Having said this, and as long as the pain allows for a degree of mobility, our long years of experience in Contrology and the positive results we have obtained lead us to believe that it is necessary to go on moving the body. It is beneficial to work on the development of a correct muscle balance and alignment, both usually lost when there is an injury and often cause of new ones. Also, Contrology focuses on the joints, protecting and strengthening tensors and ligatures and favoring blood flow for an overall improvement.

People who need a special healing treatment must unavoidably follow a full system of supervised movements until their health improves significantly; only then will they be able to exercise on their own. Any alteration of a previously established system must be supervised according to the individual needs. It is essential to understand that practicing Contrology on one’s own, even if it is a highly desirable goal, can be achieved only to a certain extent.

If you already feel pain or are uncomfortable around some part of your body, you must be very careful. Sharp pain is always a sign of alarm and it is advisable to ask a doctor about doing the exercises included in this book with no supervision. Next we present some modifications and advice, but remember at all times that all exercises should be performed without pain.

Weak or sensitive neck

If your neck is sensitive, roll a small pillow under your nape. If it is painful for you to lift your head when lying down, do not do it. Gradually, and only if it is possible, lift it for a few seconds and rest it again when you feel the effort is too much. Always use your “powerhouse” and not your neck to lift your head. Avoid exercises that require lifting your head or that put pressure on your shoulders and neck.

Shoulders, elbows, wrists

In all the three cases, it is advisable not to lift weights, and not to press down. Injures and pain on the shoulders use to be related with the neck and the other way round; you will probably need to use a small pillow to rest your head. For the shoulders, you should be careful not to do ample movements and work carefully with narrower movements. It is very important to keep a good joint alignment at all times.

Back

Concentrate on pulling your navel towards your spine. The narrower the space between your belly and your spine, the more protected your back will be. If your back is already injured, do only those exercises where your spine is flat and stretched, either lying down or sitting. Do not do exercises involving spine twists. Exercises requiring you to lie on your stomach are considered the less safe and are not recommended. If you feel pain, it is often advisable to work with your legs apart and flexed, parallel to your hips and keeping a correct foot-knee-hip alignment, instead of keeping your legs together.

Hips

Hip problems may limit how far forwards a body can lean; if you do this movement, do it carefully and with no pain. Avoid putting pressure or forcing the joint and when you work with lifted legs, try softening or relaxing the knees. As in cases of sensitive back, you can exercise with parallel legs.

Knees

Avoid kneeling, pressing down, fully stretching or folding your legs and hyper-extending your knees. It is also advisable to work with your legs slightly flexed. Keep leg symmetry and alignment, knee ache is often produced by a bad posture. Working in parallel may be better at the beginning, though anatomy differs from person to person.

Ankles

Avoid kneeling or sitting on your feet and do not press down. Do not flex or stretch your feet excessively and maintain at all times an adequate leg alignment while you exercise.

Pregnancy

If you haven’t practiced Contrology before getting pregnant, you must NOT start with the method now; if, on the contrary, you are a regular practitioner, you can go on exercising, with some modifications. The central general rule would be to avoid any exercise that requires lying face down from the very beginning of pregnancy. During pregnancy, some exercises can be modified. Contrology makes ideal post-partum gymnastics, even if you have never practiced it before; you can start when your doctor judges it appropriate.