Pilates and Descartes

I recently acquired a new client, let’s call her S, who had been doing private pilates sessions with another instructor at another studio three times a week for a year. Having done pilates three times a week for a year, S should have had a very sound intellectual understanding of the principles involved in pilates even if she was not (due to poor co-ordination, slow assimilation, severe muscle imbalances or what have you) able to demonstrate those principles very well.

At the very least, S should have been aware of the details of the pilates breathing technique, have had an understanding of which muscles comprise the core and have mastered the techniques involved in correctly contracting the core muscles. Although every instructor has a unique approach and employs different verbal, visual and tactile cues, a student who has been well-taught should have had a sufficient grounding in the basics to be able to adapt to another instructor’s style.

Unfortunately this is rarely the case. All too often I encounter students who come to me with previous pilates experience but who have only minimally (if at all) internalized and understood the technique. Learning pilates requires deep learning – students and teaches alike need to grapple with the technique. It requires learning how to assess one’s own patterns of movement, learning how to identify ineffective and harmful habits of moving, cultivating the discipline of constant awareness of one’s movement patterns, learning techniques to correct one’s faulty movement habits and a total willlingness to change.

In some ways, the pilates method is like Descartes‘ method of doubt. Descartes writes in his Meditations that in time he came to doubt the veracity of many of his childhood beliefs. Indeed, as he wrestled with this idea, he saw that many of the beliefs he held as an adult were based on the dubious beliefs of childhood. In order to re-evaluate his current beliefs it would be necessary to assess his foundational beliefs, reject those which were patently false and withhold assent from those the about which he was uncertain. The method of doubt entails demolishing through rigorous self-scrutiny the foundations upon which one’s beliefs are built  in order to re-build, from the ground up, a solid and certain belief structure.

Learning pilates is a similar undertaking. One must be prepared to pay attention to and, where necessary, fundamentally change one’s deeply ingrained movement patterns if one wants to maintain the integrity of one’s structure. Like the method of doubt, it is a once-off undertaking, but the effects of the process are lifelong.

S’s previous pilates instructor had evidently not employed this kind of deep method. Clearly, he was comfortable with imparting a shockingly surface understanding. Because it does not challenge the foundations of one’s movement patterns, this approach results in merely reinforcing the imbalances present in an already unstable structure.

It’s like painting over rust. In fact, it’s even worse. It’s like actively encouraging further rust and deterioration. Exercising without understanding what one is doing,without knowing which muscles one should and should not be recruiting  means that all one will achieve is a strengthening of the already overly-dominant muscles and a further weakening of the already underdeveloped ones.

The comparison between the Cartesian and contemporary Pilates methods stops there (I am by no means advocating absolute truth, universal skepticism or the belief in a god). However, as mentioned in a previous blog, people should learn to question their pilates instructor’s methods. Instructor should likewise constantly subject their methods to rigorous scrutiny. Surface approaches such as the one S wasted her time and money on are an insult to everyone’s integrity.

Easy like Sunday Morning

My university schedule has kicked in and I am going to have to re-think my running programme.

Inevitably, I will have to downscale to 2-3 runs per week and spend more time running on the treadmill (after work when it’s already too dark to run outside) rather than on the road.

Tonight I hit the gym at about 8pm to find it full to capacity. Confronted with queues for the treadmill, I realized my scheduled 30-minute run was not going to happen. With several people waiting for each piece of equipment, there was an unwritten time limit imposed on treadmill usage. Constrained to about 20 minutes, I decided to abandon the schedule (run 5 mins and walk for 1 min for 5 intervals) and run continuously for as much of the 20 minutes as I could.

Bear in mind that for the last 3 weeks I have been building up to a 5 minute continuous run. I would, therefore, have been very happy to double that before I needed to walk.

Happily, I am rather proud to report that I ran continuously for a full 20 minutes excluding warm-up and cool-down time. A first! This amounted to 2.4kms – also a first in terms of distance. Now I know that the pace is very slow and the distance very short, but nevertheless tonight’s run was a minor victory.

What’s more the run was incredibly easy. My breathing was smooth and deep. I could have run farther and faster but I kept to a comfort zone in order to make it breezily to the 20 minute mark.

Even though this milestone is incredibly small in the scheme of things, the improvement in my fitness is explicit.

I am delighted!

Showtime

I did it.

Today I completed the final day of my running programme on the treadmill – it being rather hot outside. The time and distance run was the longest and furthest I have ever attempted. Sure, I am still running ridiculously slowly, but the point is that I finished and more so, finished with ease. No shortness of breath, no cramps, no calf spasms or knee-pain – just great running. I am feeling rather proud despite the fact that the milestone is very small in the scheme of things.

The next goal is 5kms.

The Final Countdown

One day left of the ‘3 weeks to a 30 minute running habit’. It has gone rapidly and I have learnt a huge amount. My strength and fitness have noticeably increased, I have lost a little bit of weight and my muscles are generally more toned.

This week was all over the place. Life kept interrupting my intentions to run in the most inconsiderate way. I had to keep my running schedule fluid to accomodate everything else, so I took rest days in the wrong places and ran on days I should have been resting.

I started the week quite daunted by the knowledge that I would be running for 30 minutes for the first time. Granted, it is not continuous running as there are 1 min walking intervals after every 4 or 5 minutes of running, but still – it felt like a challenge.

Happily, I achieved both days of 30 minutes with ease. I geared myself mentally, paced myself and ran a slightly different route to keep my mind off the time. It was awesome – I felt strong and capable and the runs were very rewarding.

Tomorrow is the final day. It is also a 30 minute run but it will be the longest session of running time in relation to walking, attempted so far. I’m not sure how it will go. Feeling rested and relaxed before a run is important and this week has been anything but restful and relaxing. We’ll see.

Today’s run was very disappointing. It was supposed to be a breezy 15 minute session with seriously easy intervals, but upon waking I knew it would be a grind. I felt tired, sluggish and reluctant even before the run started.

The run was mostly a fight – my breathing wouldn’t relax, my legs wouldn’t warm up, I couldn’t get into the flow, my mind was in overdrive. Recognizing this, I tried to relax and not worry that the run was off. It did help, but still, it felt like a pointless run.

Having said that, the effects of the run are all positive. Now, an hour later, I feel more relaxed, my breathing has released and I have a more positive outlook. This is a huge contrast to yesterday when I was feeling totally stressed out by life’s happenings. I think the lesson is that even if the run itself feels terrible, the benefits will still be felt afterwards. In other words, just do it.

Scapular Stability

The shoulder girdle is often one of the trickiest areas to correct. Finding the right balance between scapular mobility and stability can be a challenging process as the shoulder girdle is a highly mobile structure. It attaches to the spine via the collarbones only, yet numerous muscles attach to it – some of them deep and small and some of them very large.

The co-ordinated movement of the arms and shoulder-blades (the scapulo-humeral rhythm) is determined by the degree to which the various muscle groups affecting the shoulder girdle efficaciously interact. Any imbalance within or between these muscle groups profoundly affects the overall functioning of the shoulder girdle.

Unfortunately, many Pilates teachers continue to use an outdated method of scapular stabilization which often exacerbates any existing musculo-skeletal imbalances. The notions that the shoulder girdle ought to be depressed and that the lats are the primary scapular stabilizers are oldfashioned ideas that have been thoroughly eclipsed by the development of newer and better techniques.

Depressing the shoulders causes unnecessary rigidity and constraint in the neck and upper shoulders, restricts the breathing process, engages the lats excessively and to the exclusion of other, more important muscle groups, and causes the scapulae to wing and retract.

Rather than the scapulae being fixed in a poked-depressed-retracted position, they should lie flat and wide across the back of the ribcage.

The emphasis should be on the breadth of the back rather than on scapular depression.

When the arm moves, the scapula should glide across the back of the ribcage, remaining (in most instances) flat. This requires reducing the involvement of the lats. Over-stabilizing the shoulder girdle
through excessive lat recruitment severely impedes scapular mobility.

Many people require an increase in scapular mobility in order to re-gain normal functioning. Even for those with hyper-mobility, however, over-stabilization and excessive lat recruitment is not the solution.

The tips of the scapulae should slide forward towards the side ribs under the armpit and the scapulae should swing out and up.

This flattens and broadens the back and permits ease of movement in the shoulder girdle. The correct positioning of the scapulae as above facilitates the recruitment of the serratus anterior rather than the lats – the serratus being the primary scapular stabilizer.

It should feel as if there is some space deep in the pit of the arm. The armpit ought not to be depressed. This is achieved by drawing the armpits slightly upwards and contracting them slightly inwards (medially) rather than pushing them downwards.

Correct scapular stabilization thus involves several things:

– the out and up swing of the scapulae (rather than the back, down and together push of the shoulder blades)
– the positioning of the tips of the scapulae forward against the side ribs (rather than poking and winging)
– the flattening of the scapulae wide against the back ribcage
– the broadening of the back
– the feeling of gently ‘sucking up and drawing in’ of the armpits
– the prioritization of serratus recruitment

Notice how different this is to the kind of awful cues one often hears, such as: ‘Push the shoulders back and down’ and ‘Squeeze your shoulders together at the back’.

This kind of outdated teaching does nothing to correct existing muscle imbalances and simply makes them worse. Furthermore, it is a method which is about 30 years out of date and has absolutely no place in a modern Pilates studio.

Teachers should keep up with recent developments in movement analysis and students should learn to question their teachers’ methods. The onus is on both teacher and student to critically assess the content of any exercise session. After all, Pilates is meant to be ‘intelligent exercise’.

Euphoria Morning

This morning’s run occurred in magic conditions. Cloud-cover was thick and the atmosphere ominously overcast.

The past few days have been oppressively hot, so running in this morning’s grey coolness was a welcome relief.

The run itself was thrilling. It took a while to warm up, but once I’d found my stride, I began to soar. Like swift-footed Achilles pursuing Hektor round the walls of Troy, I ran with purpose and power. It is on rare occasions that one feels that kind of mastery and euphoria. I had complete control and ease of movement. It was exactly the sensation I used to get when performing onstage on a good night, knowing that a standing ovation is inevitable.

I’ve discovered the key to running power (or one of them at least), is the control of the torso. If the arms are correctly placed and the thoracic spine, ribcage, shoulder girdle and arms are moving as one coordinated unit, one’s alignment and breathing fall naturally into place and the run happens more easily.

Overthinking the legs and feet sometimes makes the stride sticky and this is probably where joint impact occurs. By correcting the form of the upper body, the lower body seems to follow suit. This allows for whole body coordination, which makes for an effective run.

Another rest day tomorrow. Let’s see what day 14 of the programme brings.

Sex Toys, Porn and Destiny

At an all-girl dinner party for a bride-to-be recently, the conversation inevitability turned to sex.

There were the routine questions that betray the more minor anxieties that surround matters sexual, such as ‘How much is normal?’. The answers that ensued did much, it seems, to reassure those with busy schedules who try to simultaneously juggle multiple balls (excuse the pun) and maintain a satisfying sex life.

Then there was the ‘What is normal and what is deviant’ type questions. Threesomes, sex in public, sex toys and porn were the extent of the activities and items that constitute slightly errant sexual behaviour for this group of 30-something, middle-class women whose views fall somewhere midway between conservative and liberal.

Threesomes and sex in public were considered wild but tantalizing by everyone around the table, but the use of pornography and sex toys divided the group.

There was no moral attachment to the issue of using sex toys. Whilst some felt that vibrators enhance the experience for women and are a crucual component of a fulfilling sexual encounter, others believed that the intensity of stimulation provided by a vibrator made sex without toys disappointing by comparison.

The conclusion reached by those holding the latter view was, surprisingly, that vibrators should therefore never be used. Using a vibrator during sex is so good, they argued, that normal sex just doesn’t compare. Rather than spoil a woman with great sex, eliminate the toy and let the woman accept mediocre sex.

This is strange logic indeed. If the means to a quality experience is available and if a quality experience is desired, it makes no sense to deny the means on the basis that it succeeds. Secondly, if sex without the use of a vibrator is really that dull, then the solution is to work on one’s sex life not to resign to the dullness. If a vibrator aids in making one’s sex life less dull, why on earth would someone who on one hand complains of dullness and on the other praises the virtues of the vibrator, choose not to utilize it?

The argument smacks of self-effacement. Perhaps there remain tendrils of some pre-sexual revolution, faintly misogynistic, ascetic, self-abasing Judeo-Christian mentality picked up in chuildhood, in all of this. If this is true, then the criticism falls strongly on those women who have done nothing to examine the beliefs to which they were exposed in childhood and who continue to cling to unworthy but familiar notions. It is not okay that these modern, western women are comfortable with the idea that sexual pleasure for a women is a negligible ideal.

As for the issue of pornography some women said that they watched porn with their husbands with the specific intention of spicing up their sex lives whenever they were feeling sexually humdrum. No-one admitted to watching porn for its own sake, or to watching it by themselves without their husbands. Watching porn was, they implied, a male thing – perhaps even a need that men (but apparently not women) have. Better, they argued, to watch it with them than to have them watch it alone or with their male buddies.

The consensus seemed to be that since porn exists, and since men will watch it whether or not you want them to, porn should be used only to fulfill a very specific function: marriage strengthening. Watching porn together as a couple has, they said, two benefits: (1) it reduces relationship deception in that the woman has access to what might otherwise have been secreted away, (2) it may boost the couple’s sexual chemistry.

Well and good. Honesty and sexual fireworks in a relationship are obviously good things. What is not so good about the argument above is the underlying feeling that watching porn constitutes some kind of personal betrayal and this introduces the moral element that the issue of sex toys failed to produce.

Why are these women so anxious to participate in their husband’s porn-viewing? Their primary reason is not that they actually desire to watch porn themselves, but because they desire to be involved in an activity indulged in by their husbands. What do they think will happen if he is allowed to watch it by himself? All of these women are in stable relationships or marriages which have passed at least the seven-year mark. Do they really believe that the simple act of looking at sexually explicit images on a screen can undermine a relationship which has already proven itself by weathering countless storms of a much more serious nature? Surely not.

What is probably closer to the truth is the motivation behind what was expressed by the bride-to-be on the subject of men attending strip clubs. ‘Why’, she asked, ‘would my fiance need to go to a strip club when he has me?’ (Coming from her, the question is particularly pertinent: she is a tall, blonde, gorgeous, long-limbed cabaret dancer.)

The same question could be directed at the issue of men watching pornography: ‘Why would a man who has ready access to sex in the form of his lovely wife still require additional sexual stimulation in the form of watching porn?’

The reactions which the thought of their husbands watching porn and attending strip clubs produced in these women varied from resignedly accepting (with conditions attached) to outraged. Somehow these activities are considered to be just ‘not right’.

It’s hard to see how this assignation of morality can be justified. If a couple has chosen to be sexually exclusive and if there is no violation of that decision, then what objection can there be to activities which stimulate one’s sexuality but do not endanger one’s commitment to monogamy? If going to strip clubs and watching porn (whether alone or with one’ partner) are sexually exciting activities which do not involve infidelity, then how are they different to the sexually exciting use of sex toys (whether alone or with one’s partner)? Why does one give rise to moralizing and the other does not?

The truth is that this is about vanity. We would like our men to be so enamoured of us alone that they are rendered completely incapable of perceving the sexual presence of anyone else. This is unbelievably childish. It is like wishing that your partner would fail to see people with brown eyes simply because you would like him to believe that yours are the only brown eyes in the entire world.

Rather than thinking through their logic, these women chose to remain rooted in a hand-me-down morality which rationalizes an argument from vanity. A sprinkling of sound reasoning and a pinch of rigorous thinking on these matters would reveal to these women the flimsy basis of their arguments.

This is particularly true for the topic to which the dinner conversation next turned.

The bride-to-be was asked if she wanted to start a family. Answering in the affirmative she added that the desire was potentially hampered by some possible fertility concerns. She was then told that having a child would happen ‘if it was meant to be’. Everyone around the table nodded at this wisdom.

Actually, no. She would have a child if the medical issues resolved. This is not a matter of destiny but biology. If she did not manage to conceive ‘naturally’ (I use the word with caution) then her chances of having a child would depend on the odds of success of any fertility treatment. Although it may be more comforting to leave the issue to destiny, in truth, it is a matter of statistical probability over which we have some, but (in these cases) often very little control.

The belief in destiny (or ‘teleological determinisn’, a phrase coined by Tauriq Moosa) is intertwined with numerous other problematic beliefs. To believe that one has a destiny is to believe that one came into existence for a purpose. This implies several things: (1) there exists a Realm of Purposes which determines our daily experience, (2) there exists some sort of Great Architect of Purposes who pre-plans every individual’s specific purposes, (3) an individul’s free will is constrained by his greater purpose and (4) that the universe itself is somehow geared to meet these purposes. This would be the extent of Teleological Determinism.

Once one accepts these premises, however, there is nothing stopping one from accepting the sinister idea that the universe exists to enable one to meet one’s personal goals.

Notions such as the Law of Attraction would have one believe, for example, that because the universe aligns itself to one’s desires, one can attract to oneself the child one wishes to conceive. Despite the facts of medical infertility, conception will occur, by this logic, if one has a strong enough desire to conceive. This is an extremely damaging idea for, conversely, one’s inability to conceive is explained by virtue of the fact that one did not have a strong enough desire to conceive.

This is patently nonsense. Yet, it is what many people believe. If the belief in destiny started out as comforting, mostly harmless delusion, the conclusions are anything but comforting and harmless. For an excellent article exploring these issues in depth, see here.

I wonder if the women around the dinner table that night will ever question the assumptions they so blithely made around sex toys, porn, strip clubs and destiny. I wonder, if they do begin to question, how the resultant changes in mentality will affect their lives. Perhaps the changes will be minute. Perhaps their husbands will suddenly find they have earned more trust from wives who are a little less vain. Perhaps the realization that having a child or not is not a matter of how closely one is aligned to one’s destiny, or of how capable one is of merely desiring something (a life!) into existence, will result in less angst and more clarity of thought and deed.

Even if the changes in these cases are only small, the benefits that come with acquiring the tools and the will to critically examine one’s general beliefs and values are enormous.

Sit Back and Relax your Mind

Running is mental.

I’m discovering how crucial it is to be in the right state of mind to run. Although this may sound ridiculous coming from a novice walk/jogger, I’m pretty sure the principle holds even at this most fundamental of levels.

At the beginning of this week I was brimming with confidence after my awesome treadmill run. The first few road runs thereafter were fantastic. Then my week started getting busy and stressful and my focus on running started to dwindle.

I didn’t skip a run but my runs became harder.

Lead legs.
Reluctant mind.
Laboured breathing.

I couldn’t switch gears mentally as I had before, so I couldn’t enjoy the runs as much. All I could think about was how my run was all wrong and I just wanted to it stop.

I realize that this is all part of the training – possibly the toughest part. What made my last few runs hard was more mental than physical reluctance. I knew the euphoria of the beginning of the week would turn and I expected it at some stage. I wonder how I am going to motivate myself to keep running when I go back to university full-time in 2 weeks. Life is about to get pretty crazy and consistency with exercise has always been a problem.

This is why I need to keep going solidly with the programme for the next fortnight. Once the habit is formed, hopefully it will stick.

Rest day tomorrow. I hope the next run will be better.

Thoracic Extension

 

Here’s my take on executing the prone thoracic extension exercise known either as ‘Breastroke‘ or ‘The Dart’.

The Pelvis:

Lying prone, the pelvis should be very slightly posteriorly tilted – enough to elongate the lumbar spine in order to avoid lumbar extension but not so much that the gluteal recruitment becomes excessive. The primary pelvic stabilizers are the deep abdominals and pelvic muscles – the gluteals remain secondary pelvic stabilizers in the prone position. Excessive gluteal recruitment will rigidify the lumbar spine instead of  supporting it.

 

The Thoracic Spine:

Take care to set up the prone position such that the thoracic spine is not already extended. If there is a natural tendency to extend the thoracic spine this will manifest itself in the prone position as well and any subsequent attempt at further thoracic extension will result merely in additional lumbar extension.

 

The Shoulder Girdle:

The scapulae should not be deliberately retracted. Instead, aim for scapular neutral – where the scapulae are flat against the back of the ribcage and the back broad. There should not be any deliberate depression of the shoulder girdle. This will only result in excessive lat recruitment. Aim rather for serratus anterior engagement, where the points of the scapulae slide forward against the side of the ribcage and the scapulae can be held in an outward-upward position.

The Thoracic Extension:

This should come from the upper thoracic spine not from the thoracic-lumbar junction, and definitely not from the lumbar spine. The aim is to isolate and mobilize the upper thoracic only. This means moving from the point behind the sternum rather than from the point behind the navel. The scapular should not be deliberately retracted although some natural retraction is inevitable. The focus should be on maintaining the flat, wide position of the scapulae.

The pubic symphysis and lower ribcage should stay firmly anchored into the mat to prevent extension from the thoracic-lumbar junction or lumbar spine.

Some people will not be able to find the neutral placement of the shoulder joint (this should not be an exaggerated external rotation) without retracting the scapulae. In this case, focus on the flat, wide scapular position rather than the external rotation of the shoulder joint. That is, the thoracic isolation and the recruitment of the serratus should be emphasized, at least initially, more than the degree of openness through the shoulder joint.

For this reason, it can be unhelpful to perform the exercise in two stages: initiating the movement with a retraction of the scapulae, and then extending the thoracic spine. Instead, with the scapulae already in position, extend the thoracic spine in one movement.

Some kyphotic people will be unable to isolate or even feel the thoracic spine. For these clients, it can be helpful to introduce the extension incrementally starting with the cervical spine. Once this area has been mobilized it may be easier to find the thoracic extension bit by bit, almost vertebrae by vertebrae.

For non-kyphotics the thoracic extension can be focused at the point behind the sternum. The movement is initiated from this point and the thoracic and relative cervical extension occur as if part of one unit.

The main points are that the extension should not come from the thoracic-lumbar junction, nor should the scapulae be held in a retracted, depressed position with the shoulder joints in forced external rotation.

Finally, as always, length before height. Spinal elongation takes priority over degree of extension. Elongation occurs through both ends of the spine. It’s called Dart for a reason.

Guess you better Slow that Mustang Down

Day 5.

Like yesterday, today’s run was awesome. I concentrated on enjoying the run and drinking in the surroundings. My neighbourhood is suburban but beautiful – big, family houses with gardens and wide, tree-lined avenues which are at their best in the morning sun. I’ve found some good, flat routes that take me through some visually stimulating areas.

I’ve also found my pace. I’ve discovered that I need to really restrain myself in order to maintain a sustainable pace. Although it is incredibly slow (conversational pace), running at a comfortable speed means I can breathe more easily and relax mentally. It really is about letting go. Holding back is, oddly, the key to moving forward.

The easier pace has improved my form. I am running more lightly and can monitor any deviations in form much better. My body and breathing are starting to come together. I am feeling less like an ill-made, angry and unco-ordinated heffalump and more natural in my stride.

The few runs I’ve done have already had a positive impact on my body. I am feeling more flexible, aligned and stronger. My breathing has deepened during the day which helps me to re-align my thoracic spine and release residual tension in the upper trapezius musculature. All this is improving my confidence.

Tomorrow is a rest day, but I look forward to the next run.