Developing core muscle tone is very important, because it is the one that controls and maintains the stability and balance of the body in any phase of the most varied daily movements. Pilates, as we know, is particularly effective for this purpose and also includes high intensity exercises, such as those in which a situation of asymmetrical support or body imbalance makes the performer more unstable, forcing him to activate the core more deeply . This is the case of the exercise called Push up Sideways 2, which is performed on the Chair. Apparently it is a push-up movement aimed at toning the upper body, but don’t be fooled: in reality it works the whole body and the Powerhouse is involved in an intense and constant way. Anna Maria Cova, physiotherapist and founder of the CovaTech Pilates School, teaches us how to do it.
The work develops coordination and teaches how to distribute force in a calibrated way to the various muscle groups.
How it is done
Set the resistance of the Chair to a medium-low level, according to your abilities and level of training. Then stand transversely to the machine and place one hand on the seat, the other lower down, on the tilting bar. Extend your legs back and assume the plank pose, with your head, torso and legs well aligned. Activate your abs and back to stabilize your body, but also your shoulders, quads and glutes to control your position.
Exhaling, extend the arm resting on the bar and push it to the ground. Then, inhaling, bend it and return to the starting position. Repeat the whole thing 3-5 times on each side, with great control of gesture and posture. To intensify the work, you can take one foot off the ground.
The free body version
Even at home, without having a chair, you can solicit and train your muscles with movements and hold similar to those of the exercise on the chair. Among the exercises of the matwork that are closest to the work of the Push up Sideways 2 there are the Push up, and the Leg pull front. In the first case you work dynamically, with a focus on the pectorals and shoulders, in the second in a static way, with tighter and deeper involvement of the buttocks. Abdominals and stabilizer muscles are always active, in both sequences.