(sorry, I just love the Calvin & Hobbes humour...)
Your hip flexors....bless them...mainly your Psoas which is your primary hip flexor starts at T12 (thats the last one in the line of your Thoracic vertebrae) is snuggled up to all of your Lumbar vertebrae runs through your pelvis and attaches at the top of your femur, your thigh bone...so its a busy thing, did you know its about 12inches long? blimey! And...thats not all...because of where it is, its responsible for all lower body movement...never has a day off..
So think about it next time you get lower back pain, its more than likely your Psoas giving you grief, maybe its a bit unbalanced, a bit tight on one side (theres 2..one on each side of your vertebrae) so whats a bloke/chick to do about it? well...what do you think the answer is....give you a clue...it begins with P and have the letters i l a t e s after it....
BUT dont be fooled that just any old Pilates class will do it....ask your Instructor where they were trained, who by, how much they invested in that training, how long was their training..it cant be taught in a weekend...can they answer your anatomy questions, do they know the modifications, do they know your posture type, do they know the equipment used in Pilates, can they tell you about Joseph Pilates and the history of the Method...how many Pilates moves are there..whats the breathing called and where do you breath from and why? whats the best position for your spine and pelvis to be in? why is it 30% and why not more than that and if you come across a teacher that says its more than that (say 80 - 100%) what are the consequences to your body? How do you effectively activate your deepest ab muscle that makes you strong, makes your abs flatter, cinches you in at the waist, stabilises your pelvis, reduces back pain...why use that muscles and not your 6 pack (rectus abs) why why why??? Ask........
