In this blog we address the love hate relationship with those abs and arms exercises. Here at Body Athletica when we think about class programming, we certainly think there is a trend of prioritising the lower body and glutes, spending some time on abs, however only doing only a few arm exercises here and there. As an instructor do you fall into this category of teaching??
We challenge you to think about your general class breakdown (into upper body, lower body, abs) and reflect how you teach. Is it time you even out your proportions? One way to think about it… breakdown your classes into 30% upper body, 30% lower body, 30% abs and leave 10% warm up and cool down.
The reason why: the 3 layers of abdominal muscle form the foundational strength in our body. Anatomically the Transverse Abdominus forms our deepest layer of support (our corset muscle) and then the Rectus Abdominus and obliques form our front and side trunk support. If our trunk has poor support, then both our lower body and upper body will have less stability and therefore more risk of injury or pain issues. If our upper body and shoulder girdle is weak it can lead to poor posture, shoulder injuries, and neck pain.
Our society today is also very sedentary with a significant amount of people having desk-based jobs. This makes the need for postural, core, and upper body strength even more necessary.
Here is an effective ab & arm flow to get you started. This will fill 25 mins of your class.
Setup | Short box on top of reformer
Spring | Light
01 | Seated roll backs on box (feet under foot strap)
02 | Seated on box | Offerings / Hug / Tricep Combo
03 | Reformer burpees
04 | Plank repeaters / holds
05 | Side sitting on box | Side bends for obliques (1 foot under strap)
06 | Straddle box | Drawer the sword, wood chopper
Swap sides
Footbar down, short box over springs
07 | Plank repeater with forearms on box
08 | Side planks
09 | Side kneeling, single hand strap, reach up and over (swap sides)
10 | Pikes
And there you have it, a 10 exercise series focusing on those abs and arms. This will make up your 30% abs and 30% arms. Set the reformer on a light spring and you’re ready to go. No spring changes needed making it a seamless flow. Perfect for any fitness level and easily progressed to make more challenging or regressed to make easier.
Want to learn how to program creative classes. Our Pilates Instructor courses are in-depth and will have you ready to teach as soon as you graduate.
