03/05/16

Bending forwards to the ground and straightening back up is an activity that most of us do repeatedly everyday without ever giving it a second thought.

However, if you are one of the many people who have ever experienced lower back pain or a hamstring injury, chances are you are far more aware of how injuries to these areas can affect this simple daily activity.

Performing Pilates exercises such as the hip hinge into monkey squat acts as preventative maintenance for this everyday activity. Whether it's bending to get something out of a cupboard, sitting down in a chair, going to the toilet, or getting in and out of a car, it’s a great exercise to practise to strengthen your everyday mobility.

Aim of the exercise series: -

• Core stability
• Lumbar pelvic rhythm
• Strengthens Gluteus Maximus (the big bottom muscles!)
• Strengthens and balances the Quadriceps (the group of four muscles at the front of each thigh)
• Promotes correct lifting / manual handling technique
• Mobilises and coordinates the hip, knee and ankle joints while challenging spinal stability

As we bend forward, a combined movement of the lumbar (lower spine) and the pelvis occurs. As we begin to bend forward from the trunk, simultaneously, the pelvis and bottom shift backwards acting as the body’s natural counter-balance to keep the centre of gravity over the base of support. This is known as the lumbar pelvic rhythm.

It’s a hugely adaptable series of exercises too; we start with the hip hinge and progress through to the monkey squat.

The hip hinge (picture 1)



or the monkey squat (picture 2)



can be adapted for less mobile clients with the use of a chair (picture 4)



While the monkey squat itself can be made much more challenging for more advanced clients by lowering and holding the squat, adding heal lifts, introducing arm movements and even moving the feet closer together to test a clients balance. We can use equipment too to support and give great feedback on a spinal alignment (picture 3)