Pilates: The Perfect Exercise for All Ages
It is clear that to maintain a healthy and strong body you must resort to two key supplements: a balanced diet and constant exercise. However, when push comes to shove, neither our routine allows us to eat as well as we should nor does sports seem as easy as we would like.
Pilates has burst into our lives as the most effective sport and perfect for all ages. The possibilities it offers depending on your resistance are so wide that, depending on the exercises, they are very suitable for working different areas of the body at any age and in a very effective way.
A clear example of this is the “dead bug”. This is an exercise that focuses on working the core of our body, also providing the necessary stability in the lumbar area. Perfect for training coordination and the shoulder girdle, this Pilates method is very effective for connecting the thorax and trunk.
Strength training experts also emphasize the benefits of this practice also for the mind having to pay special attention to the opposite movements of the legs and arms. But how is the “dead bug”?
You will not need any materials. You just have to lie down on a mat with your hips flexed at 90 degrees and your legs perpendicular to the trunk, and then also bend your knees, leaving the lower part of your legs parallel to the ground.
You should keep your arms elevated and stretched upward, so that they are perpendicular to the trunk. To begin the exercise you will have to extend a single leg at the same time as the opposite arm, so that both touch (or get as close as possible) to the ground.
It is important to keep the trunk firm and in the same position, maintaining control of it. The slower you repeat the movements, maintaining constant breathing while stretching your extremities, the greater the benefits you will obtain. It is the key to “dead bug” and that makes it one of the most effective Pilates exercises.
Practicing the “dead bug” brings high benefits to our body, even if it is a exercise of moderate difficulty, suitable for beginners. Correct execution, in addition to offering us quick results, will help us maintain a strong and healthy physical shape.
But apart from that, do the “dead bug” will protect us from certain injuries and ailments that appear as we age. The exercise is better for knees and wrists than other types of exercises that are equally effective in which these parts of our body must support a large part of our weight. As a result of your practice, we will find extra benefit for hip flexors since they help her bring her knees closer to her chest. These are essential to maintain the stability of the pelvis, activating every time we walk. Therefore, it is an exercise perfect if we spend many hours a day sitting. Any exercise in which the core plays a leading role is highly beneficial for preventing lumbar injuries. The “dead bug” is a perfect alternative to irons, which also help keep the core strong and defined. However, these are extra difficult for people who are just starting out, not to mention how annoying they are for those who suffer from lumbar ailments.