Upper Extremity Integration with the Pedipole

Many people new to Pilates know that the method strengthens their core, but they often don’t realize that Pilates looks at every body part of the body from every direction. Veteran Pilates teachers sometimes find it frustrating, that the method gets reduced to “just” the core when it can do so much more. (I love when it rhymes.)

I’ve heard it explained that Pilates is core-centered. Your core is the part that connects the upper extremities (head, neck, shoulders, and arms) with the lower extremities (feet, ankles, knees, legs, and pelvis) via the trunk (core). With the help of our exercises, we work on integrating the center of the body into every movement we do. It’s about becoming whole. Remember that Joseph Pilates’ principles introduced in his book “Return to life” were Whole Body Commitment, Whole Body Health, as well as Breath?

The Pedipole (aka Ped-o-pull) is an excellent tool to teach you just that. It’s one of the many Pilates apparatuses that are incredibly functional. You’re standing up straight focusing on maintaining your ideal posture and then you pull down on the handles that are attached to springs - all while maintaining balance in front of an unmounted Pedipole.

Breathing is, of course, important here as well. A good exhalation will trigger your abdominals to pull the rib cage down, hence connecting the ribcage with the pelvic bowl and giving your spine stability. The breath will also help make the movement fluid, instead of jerky. 

Watch the video and see how you can improve your upper extremity core integration, while improving your posture and whole-body health.

Related: Connecting Your Upper Body to the Core