{"id":1192,"date":"2014-02-14T17:00:03","date_gmt":"2014-02-14T17:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1192"},"modified":"2014-02-13T11:40:35","modified_gmt":"2014-02-13T11:40:35","slug":"curl-up-not-crunch-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1192","title":{"rendered":"Curl up not Crunch Up."},"content":{"rendered":"

Curl ups or sit ups are a minefield. Personally I don\u2019t think they are the worlds best exercise, there are far better exercises that you can do to work the abdominals and curl ups are pretty hard to perfect. However they are used in a lot of Pilates moves in conjunction with leg movements so it is good to get the technique correct.<\/p>\n

Your upper abdominals should be used when you are doing anything in a curled up position in Pilates. To help you use these properly and not strain your neck you need to get the correct neck alignment. Start with a small chin nod, and then use your upper abs to curl up, never lead with your head or neck when curling up, instead think about leading from your breastbone with your head coming up second. Support your head in your hands with your elbows just in your line of vision.\u00a0 Always keep enough space for a small orange between your chin and your chest. You shouldn’t \u00a0feel too much stress in your neck. It is certainly important to have a strong neck but not to the point of causing pain or any additional tension.<\/p>\n

\"Pilates<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead of crunching the abdominals focus on lengthening through the spine and keeping the waist stretched out. You want to curl up growing taller and then release the spine one segment at a time back to the mat.<\/p>\n

You can always modify those exercises by keeping your head resting on the mat. Another helpful prop for people who are prone to neck issues is to roll up a towel to recreate your cervical spine curve.<\/p>\n

(Thanks to Jo Fleet for letting us use this photograph).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Curl ups or sit ups are a minefield. Personally I don\u2019t think they are the worlds best exercise, there are …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[462,454,460,456,457,458,287,463,459,127,175,461,153,118,223,464,455],"class_list":["post-1192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercises","tag-crunches","tag-curl-up","tag-flexion-in-pilates","tag-how-to-do-a-curl-up","tag-neck-strain-in-curl-up","tag-neck-strain-in-sit-up","tag-pilates-bitterne-park","tag-pilates-crunches","tag-pilates-curl-up","tag-pilates-dvd","tag-pilates-hampshire","tag-pilates-sit-up","tag-pilates-southampton","tag-pilates-with-priya","tag-priya-tew","tag-rectus-abdominus","tag-sit-up"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Jo-Curl-Up-1.jpeg?fit=640%2C478&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3FIsx-je","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1159,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1159","url_meta":{"origin":1192,"position":0},"title":"5 mistakes you could be making in Pilates","author":"Priya Tew","date":"6 January, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"1. Not using your breathing: The breathing is often the tricky part for people as it feels back to front! However it really is crucial to breath correctly to get your core really activated. When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts downward drawing in air. When you exhale, the diaphragm\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exercises"","block_context":{"text":"Exercises","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pilates with Priya: Neutral Spine","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/DSCF9797-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1304,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1304","url_meta":{"origin":1192,"position":1},"title":"Say NO to Sit Ups","author":"Priya Tew","date":"8 August, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Sit-ups are one of those exercises that I'm really not keen on. Many people perform them incorrectly, they are not safe in pregnancy or post-birth\u2026 and yet they are often one of the main exercises people will be doing. A sit up or any variation of this movement where you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bump to Birth"","block_context":{"text":"Bump to Birth","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=259"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pilates with Priya: Why not to Curl up after having baby","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/IMG_1681-300x203.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2049,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2049","url_meta":{"origin":1192,"position":2},"title":"Why can\u2019t I do a roll up? PART 1. Stiff backs and getting stuck.","author":"Priya Tew","date":"16 November, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Roll ups can be one of those nemesis exercises that people struggle with and they can cause so much frustration. I\u2019ve got a number of people in various classes who struggle with these so it\u2019s made me get my thinking cap on. Why are they such a struggle? How can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Core"","block_context":{"text":"Core","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=964"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Is2LFKfKCr0\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":239,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=239","url_meta":{"origin":1192,"position":3},"title":"Pilates recommended by Osteoporosis experts.","author":"Priya Tew","date":"6 July, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Osteoporosis International Journal has written a guide for health professional working in rehabilitation for patients with Osteoporosis. The techniques described are basically Pilates showing how spot on the Pilates technique really is. 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This is one of the reasons\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exercises"","block_context":{"text":"Exercises","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pilates curl up","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Pilates-curl-up-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1726,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1726","url_meta":{"origin":1192,"position":5},"title":"3 Moves to think about with Diastasis","author":"Priya Tew","date":"23 November, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0If you have abdominal separation, or are pregnant, here are 3 moves to stay clear of... 1. Sitting up from Lying It's such a simple everyday move but sitting up in bed is something to modify. Why? It puts pressure on your rectus abdominus or \"six-pack\" muscles. 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