{"id":2053,"date":"2016-12-06T11:11:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T11:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2053"},"modified":"2016-12-06T11:11:51","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T11:11:51","slug":"why-cant-i-do-a-roll-up-part-2-hip-flexors-and-hamstrings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2053","title":{"rendered":"Why can&#8217;t I do a roll up? PART 2. Hip Flexors and Hamstrings."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The hip flexors include the deep muscle called the Psoas. This runs from the middle of your spine to inside the top of your thigh bone. It helps pull the spine up towards your legs. The other hip flexors are the ones you can feel in the front at then top of your hip. If you stand on one leg and hug the other knee into your chest you should feel them. So the hip flexors need to be functioning properly. Not too short and tight, not too weak. If you spend time sitting a lot in your daily life then these muscles may well be tight and weak!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: 16pt;\"><strong>HIP FLEXORS:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Shortness in these can make it hard to move through your lower back. If you struggle to sit on the floor upright this could be the case. There are a lovely range of hip flexor stretches that will open your hips and make you feel less \u201cstuck\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"738\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TpFx3-SBvPk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">For those people who find their legs lift off the mat as they come up, well that is probably down to your hamstrings, hip flexors and back. Your hamstrings help you keep your thighs on the floor and help lever the body up. If you can\u2019t keep your knees straight in a roll up then it\u2019s due to tight hamstrings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: 16pt;\"><strong>TIGHT LEGS AND BACK:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The band is your friend. Get stretching your hamstrings daily. Open up your lower back in the rest position, in hip rolls and in hip flexor stretches. Find the part where you are tight. Now work on your roll down &#8211; going from seated down to the mat using a band around your legs going vertebrae by vertebrae keeping your heels heavy and stretching out through your legs and feet. Stretching the upper and mid part of your back is also useful and the Spine Stretch is often put at the end of a roll up for this reason.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"738\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8oTnC_TZ3u8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">And finally here is a get out clause for some of you\u2026. I don\u2019t tend to use this one in classes as I like people to try without having a reason why they can\u2019t do something. However your body proportions do play a role, making it harder to master but certainly not impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: 16pt;\"><strong>PROPORTIONS:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If you have a long torso then a roll up will be harder than a short torso person. You have more weight to lift up compared to the weight staying on the mat. Teasers however will be easier for you!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I also firmly think that for some people CONFIDENCE is the key. If you believe you can do something and are determined then you will get there!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The hip flexors include the deep muscle called the Psoas. This runs from the middle of your spine to inside &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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":[964,6,889],"tags":[1221,1223,1226,75,252,175,153,980,802,118,223,1227,87,1225,1224,1222],"class_list":["post-2053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-core","category-exercises","category-feet","tag-hip-flexors","tag-hipl-flexor-stretches","tag-legs-life-in-roll-up","tag-pilates","tag-pilates-bitterne","tag-pilates-hampshire","tag-pilates-southampton","tag-pilates-studio","tag-pilates-studio-southampton","tag-pilates-with-priya","tag-priya-tew","tag-psoas","tag-roll-up","tag-spine-stretch","tag-tight-legs","tag-why-cant-i-do-a-roll-up"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3FIsx-x7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2267,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2267","url_meta":{"origin":2053,"position":0},"title":"Are my hip flexors tight or weak?","author":"Priya Tew","date":"13 July, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The hip flexors are a complex group of muscles that play a huge role in posture, pilates and day to day life. They are also a muscle that I often see people struggling with when undertaking curl up, roll ups, sitting up and any exercises with the legs in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alignment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alignment","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=616"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Anterior_Hip_Muscles_2.PNG-By-Beth-ohara-Own-work-CC-BY-SA-3.0-httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid545389-200x300.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":941,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=941","url_meta":{"origin":2053,"position":1},"title":"Turn off those Hip Flexors","author":"Priya Tew","date":"11 July, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the past few weeks you may have heard me talk about not using your hip flexors, switching off your thighs and hips or releasing tension through the hips.... why? It's all about using the core more and the hip flexors less. The hip flexors are a group of muscles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Back pain&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Back pain","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"Anterior_Hip_Muscles200","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Anterior_Hip_Muscles200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2049,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2049","url_meta":{"origin":2053,"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 &quot;Core&quot;","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":2107,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2107","url_meta":{"origin":2053,"position":3},"title":"Reformer Pilates March Madness","author":"Priya Tew","date":"6 March, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 OH MY DAYS. We are SO SO lucky. We now have a reformer and a half Cadillac in our 1-2-1 studio. A friend reminded me yesterday how I have been talking about having one of these for around 4 years, finally the day has come. The reformer is pretty\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alignment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alignment","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=616"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reformer March Offer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Reformer-March-Offer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Reformer-March-Offer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Reformer-March-Offer.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1159,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1159","url_meta":{"origin":2053,"position":4},"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 &quot;Exercises&quot;","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":886,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=886","url_meta":{"origin":2053,"position":5},"title":"Why is Pilates so beneficial for new mums?","author":"Priya Tew","date":"7 September, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Pilates is still quite a new form of exercise in the UK.\u00a0 Just to give you some background, Joseph Pilates, a German-born gymnast, circus-performer, boxer and anatomical-chart model, developed his training method during the 1920s, so it\u2019s been around for quite a while.\u00a0 He named his method \u201cContrology\u201d, initially to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AnteNatal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AnteNatal","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2053"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2064,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053\/revisions\/2064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}