With due respect my constructive comments are as follows: 1. No brerathing technique involved at all. Breathing is one of the essentials of the Pilates method. I teach insructors "No breath - No Core" as the breathing should be done loudly with full exhalation to connect the transversus 2. "putting your hands on to make sure he's using the correct muscles" - it would be better to place the fingers on the medial border of each scapular and feel them closing your finders towards the spinal column, while drawing the inferior aspect of the scapulat down towards the sacrum, thus negating shoulder elevation. 3. "Relax the shoulders" - How? They are working! They need to work. See 2. above 4. Phillip is constantly looking down. This can lead to increased upper trap engagement. He should be looking straight ahead. 5. There needs to be continual reminder of the core to stabilise the body, especially at the extremity if the movements. 6. This exercise is notorious for upper trap strain. It would be better if, when drawing the 'elbows' back (not the hands) that the hands are rotate to a palms up position and coming back in line with the lower rib level. This would engage the lower traps and lower romboids - the weaker parts of these muscles, while keeping the elbows down. I refer to this as the Reverse Karate Punch movement. 7. The eccentric contraction of the rhomboids should be emphasised to keep these muscles engaged so the is no 'relax' when the arms are in the forward position The instruction lacks specificity. I hope all the instruction is not the same as this. Please contact me at pilatesmethod@yahoo.com if you would like to discuss further.
With due respect my constructive comments are as follows:
1. No brerathing technique involved at all. Breathing is one of the essentials of the Pilates method. I teach insructors "No breath - No Core" as the breathing should be done loudly with full exhalation to connect the transversus
2. "putting your hands on to make sure he's using the correct muscles" - it would be better to place the fingers on the medial border of each scapular and feel them closing your finders towards the spinal column, while drawing the inferior aspect of the scapulat down towards the sacrum, thus negating shoulder elevation.
3. "Relax the shoulders" - How? They are working! They need to work. See 2. above
4. Phillip is constantly looking down. This can lead to increased upper trap engagement. He should be looking straight ahead.
5. There needs to be continual reminder of the core to stabilise the body, especially at the extremity if the movements.
6. This exercise is notorious for upper trap strain. It would be better if, when drawing the 'elbows' back (not the hands) that the hands are rotate to a palms up position and coming back in line with the lower rib level. This would engage the lower traps and lower romboids - the weaker parts of these muscles, while keeping the elbows down. I refer to this as the Reverse Karate Punch movement.
7. The eccentric contraction of the rhomboids should be emphasised to keep these muscles engaged so the is no 'relax' when the arms are in the forward position
The instruction lacks specificity. I hope all the instruction is not the same as this.
Please contact me at pilatesmethod@yahoo.com if you would like to discuss further.