For older adults, those with physical limitations and others who struggle with mat routines, armchair
pilates offers a welcome option.
Pilates is a mind-body system that emphasizes controlled movements and conscious breathing patterns. This
gentle activity provides many benefits that not only attend to some physical concerns of aging, but also help
clients achieve greater well-being and self-esteem through their golden years.
Aging adults may experience numerous concerns with their bodies. Pilates can help address these issues. For
instance, this type of exercise can combat loss of muscular strength and endurance without putting undo stress on
the joints. Touted for their core benefits, most pilates movements focus on strengthening the deep stabilizing
muscles of the torso, helping to prevent back strain and maintain good posture. In addition, the joints often
become less stable with age. Pilates helps maintain stability by strengthening the deep support muscles of the
joints, allowing people to do more dynamic activities such as walking, stair climbing or tennis.
This approach to exercise is based on the Five Basic Principles listed below:
- Breathing
- Pelvic Placement
- Rib Cage Placement
- Scapular Movement and Stabilization
- Head and Cervical Placement
These techniques are essential for helping participants realize their goals. They encourage greater body
awareness and work together to create a safe, effective foundation for pilates exercise. As a result, clients
perform individual movements more efficiently and achieve the maximum benefits from each exercise. Finally, the
principles provide the backbone for functionality in everyday life.
PRACTICING AND PRINCIPLES
The pilates exercises described in this section will increase understanding of the Five Basic Principles. To
start, participants should choose a solid chair with a firm seat, and their knees should be slightly lower than
their hips when seated.
PRINCIPLE 1: BREATHING
Many people are unaware of their breathing patterns and tend to breathe in a shallow manner. Breathing more
deeply, particularly during pilates, fully oxygenates the blood, helps prevent unnecessary tension, activates the
deep torso stabilizer muscles, and helps focus the mind on what the body is doing. Breathing into the lower lobes
of the lungs increases power, as the exercise below shows.
SAMPLE EXERCISE:
Sit as tall as you can near the front of your chair, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
- Breathe in through your nose and out through a slightly pursed lip. As you do this, keep your shoulders
relaxed – don’t let them rise. Breathe in and out 5 times.
- Continue to breathe as you try to contract your pelvic floor. This helps you reach the deepest layer
of your stomach muscles, which help support your lower back. Repeat 5 times.
- Place your hands at your waist like a girdle. Breathe in. As you breathe out, draw up the pelvic floor and
try to tighten your stomach without allowing the spine to move. Repeat 5 times. (Feel this abdominal engagement.
This is the position you should be in to begin each exercise.)
- Still with your hands at your waist, breathe in. As you breathe out, draw up the pelvic floor and try to
squeeze your legs together, as if you had a tennis ball between your thighs. Repeat 5 times. For the rest of
these exercises, clients should breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, as well as tighten the
stomach muscles before starting each movement.
PRINCIPLE 2: PELVIC PLACEMENT
Back pain and strain and postural problems become more common with age. Pilates can help minimize back pain and
achieve optimal posture, while maintaining the natural curves of the spine.
The position of the pelvis dictates the position of the lower back. Being able to support the pelvis in a
neutral position keeps strain off the lower back. Furthermore, it takes abdominal strength to move away from
neutral as the spine bends, and to return to this position.
The following exercise promotes awareness of the spine and how the abdominal muscles, in tandem with the
deep spinal muscles, help keep the spine healthy.
SAMPLE EXERCISE:
Sit against the back of your chair, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Place a solid pillow behind your
back, if necessary. Sit up on your sit bones, so that your lower back has a natural curve (neutral) and is not
pressed into the chair or pillow behind you. Think of lengthening your ears away from your shoulders. Keep your
shoulders relaxed.
- Keep spine neutral as you breathe in.
- Breathe out as you contract your abdominal muscles and press your lower back into the pillow. Try to
stay sitting as tall as possible and allow the movement to originate from your abdominals. Breathe in and
return to neutral.
- Repeat 5 times.
PRINCIPLE 3: RIB CAGE PLACEMENT
Losing strength in the upper middle back (thoracic spine) can worsen lower back or neck tension, as the rib
cage position directly affects the spine. Quite often the rib cage will lift up as an individual tries to sit tall or
raise an arm. This flattens out the thoracic spine.
Alternatively, the rib cage may drop down and give the appearance of an excessive curve in the upper middle back.
When sitting or standing, it is best to have the rib cage directly above the pelvis. |
SAMPLE EXERCISE:
Sit near the front of your chair, spine and pelvis as neutral as you can, feet flat on the floor, arms down
by your sides.
- Arm Scissors: Breathe in. Breathe out as you raise your right arm in front of you, being careful not to
raise your rib cage. Repeat with the left arm. Alternate 3 times each side.
- Arm Circles: Breathe in and raise both arms in front of you, being careful not to raise your rib cage.
Breathe out as you open your arms wide and lower them.
- Repeat 5 times.
PRINCIPLE 4: SCAPULAR MOVEMENT & STABILIZATION
As the shoulder blades move with the arms, stability is important. Weakened muscles in the shoulder blade area
can easily lead to neck and shoulder tension. Also, if the shoulder blades become rigid and lack mobility, pressure
can build up into the shoulder joints, leading to pain and inflammation. The following exercise helps participants
attain optimal shoulder position to minimize this possibility.
SAMPLE EXERCISE:
Sit near the front of your chair, spine and pelvis as neutral as you can, feet flat on the floor.
To find a good position for your shoulders, place your hands on top of your head (so your fingers touch in
the middle), lift your shoulders and open your elbows as wide as you can without changing your neck position.
Slide your shoulders down and lower your arms. You should feel open through the front of your shoulders. This is
your neutral shoulder position.
- Reach your arms out in front of you at shoulder height. Breathe in. As you breathe out, slide your
shoulder blades together; breathe in and bring them back to neutral. Repeat 5 times.
- Reach your arms out in front of you at shoulder height. Breathe in. As you breathe out, slide your shoulder
blades away from each other. Breathe in and return to neutral. Repeat 5 times.
- Reach your arms out in front of you at shoulder height. Repeat through the full range of movement
you’ve just completed in the previous 2 exercises: Breathe in and slide the shoulder blades together;
breathe out and slide them away from each other. Repeat 5 times.
- Leave your arms by your sides. Breathe in and raise your shoulder blades, being careful not to tense them
too much. Breathe out and lower your shoulder blades to neutral. Repeat 5 times.
- Leave your arms by your sides. Breathe in and slide your shoulder blades down, being careful not to tense
them too much. Breathe out and raise them to neutral. Repeat 5 times.
- Go through the full range of move-ment you’ve just completed in the previous 2 exercises: Slide
your shoulder blades up toward your ears and then carefully down. Avoid pressing down too much.
- Repeat 5 times. Roll your shoulders to get rid of tension.
PRINCIPLE 5: HEAD & CERVICAL PLACEMENT
Ideally, the neck (cervical spine) should hold its natural curve, with the head balanced directly above the
shoulders when sitting in a neutral position. Excessive bending and rotation of the neck in any direction can put
stress on the joints and lead to neck problems. One way to ensure participants stay within safe limits during
exercise is to notice the focus of their eyes, as described below.
SAMPLE EXERCISE:
Sit near the front of your chair, your spine and pelvis as neutral as you can, feet flat on the floor.
- Sit tall, abdominal muscles tightened. Breathe in. As you breathe out, allow your eye level to drop to your
knees as you lower your head. Avoid looking directly to the floor, as you will then be bending your neck too
much. Breathe in and lift your head and eyes back to neutral. Repeat 5 times.
- Sit tall, abdominal muscles tightened. Breathe in. As you breathe out, turn to look toward the right
shoulder. Breathe in and return to starting position. Repeat on other side.
- Repeat entire sequence 3 times each side.
INCORPORATING THE PRINCIPLES
Once people grasp the Five Basic Principles from the above movements, they can try the armchair pilates
practice presented here, which incorporates these techniques. Performing exercises such as these correctly on a
regular basis (three times per week is recommended) can help do the following:
- Improve the circulatory system through movement
- Improve postural strength
- Increase musculoskeletal strength and joint range of motion
- Maintain functional ability Pilates also connects the mind and body. Combined, these benefits make pilates
an ideal form of exercise for older adults.
Former professional dancer and co-founder of STOTT PILATES, Moira Merrithew was trained and certified at
Joseph Pilates’ original studio in New York. Together with a team of health professionals, she has spent
years refining the original pilates mind-body method of exercise to include modern principles of anatomy and
exercise science. Merrithew is the featured performer and co-creator of more than 70 STOTT PILATES videos,
author of numerous technical manuals and published articles, and a sought-after presenter and media personality.
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