Why are roll ups and roll downs in Pilates, not a good “core” exercise?
I’ve never heard that before either.
However, I teach the STOTT Pilates approach to pilates and the rollup is a movement that is taught progressively.
It can be taught as a:
1. Half roll up with the knees in flexion.
2. Half roll up with the legs extended.
3. Full roll up with the legs flexed.
4. It can be performed with a dowel
5. It can be performed with a ball between the knees.
The point is to modify the movement according to the level of your class or individual client.
…to activate the deep core muscles( local stabilizers) you have to place your spine in a neutral position! Then you have to challenge the spine moving arms and legs to change its position! As an example siting on a dome of a BOSU Keeping Spine Neutral and legs in inverted V position( V-Sit)..then start toe taping only. Thats CORE Stability!
As a Pilates instructor as well, I concur with many above comments. Taught correctly, it is a great exercise for the appropriate client. I have many people practice the bottom half first curling up then start from the top working down and pausing before they lose their correct alignment from either direction.
Hmmm, I agree with Lara in that I’ve never heard this question before. It absolutely works the core muscles. I prefer to do it by lifting the hands up toward the ceiling on the inhale, then raising the head and rolling up on the exhale. It’s not as hard on the neck as the neck pull which I prefer not to teach. When rolling down it is important, as Jill says, to pull the belly button to the back as you initiate the move. Once on the mat, I let them slowly roll their heads from side to side to release any tension on the neck.
I started Pilates at 250 pounds and could not even to one situp. I credit roll ups and roll downs as the one exercise that really increased my core strength enabling me to do situps with ease.