Pulled-up legs - helpful imagery?

[Sabastianni]

Thanks for your response. After doing it a few more times, I see what you mean. It's more like I'm using my abdominal muscles in resistance to the buttock muscles so it's both. Works great on two legs but I totally lost i in trying to stand on one leg...something to work on.

[Mazenderan]

That exercise does give the oddest feeling of lengthening through the psoas and hip area and straightening up without the usual pelvic tilting and tucking and maneouevring. I'll be practising it too, as I definitely don't want - As Miss Leigh called it - a 'marshmallow butt'.

 

Did anyone else find that the small of their back hurts during the portion of that exercise where you're purposely arching the back?

 

I found the same thing as jimpickles during that exercise - that instead of just the pitiformis kicking in, the whole outside of my thigh wants to assist in the workout.

[Serendipity]

Yes, I did find that part hurt, but I thought it was because of where I'd had it break years ago.

 

You described the feeling that I had during that exercise perfectly, Maz - lengthening and pulling. When I'd finished that lesson with Scott, my hips felt VERY open and not painfully so. That feeling stayed through the next day. As I said above, when I used it during the pirouette class, I could turn two clean doubles for the first time in months!

 

It's going to take a LOT of practice. It's not just one muscle group working - not just the piriformis, which is what I thought it would be. It's the front hip flexors, the tummy pulled in, and, yes, I remember the outer thigh. But that's without the outer thigh gripping.

 

With the extension, I recall asking one teacher (here at home) who had an amazing extension where exactly she felt her muscle working. She pointed to the "crease" between the thigh and the torso, in the front. When I worked with Scott and did his exercises as described by Dexie's Mom, I felt the extension in precisely the same place that that other teacher had shown me. And my extension went way higher, as well. :-)

[jimpickles]

"She pointed to the "crease" between the thigh and the torso, in the front. " - I guess that would be the iliopsoas muscle, which is the one that is most effective at lifting the leg high. Definitely one to be worked on.

 

Jim.

[Serendipity]

I guess. I'm not up on what's on that side of the body. But it was happily engaged for the first time I can recall! :-)

[olddude]

Great thread; thanks all - I'm going to work on this! Just trying it in front of the computer was illuminating!

 

...

Did anyone else find that the small of their back hurts during the portion of that exercise where you're purposely arching the back?...

 

Yes indeed. I think those are the muscles you need for a good arabesque - at least when I'm pushed by a teacher to get my leg higher, that's where it hurts!

[Mazenderan]

Hi - I just wanted to update with how I got in class this week consciously trying to pull up my legs.

 

You described the feeling that I had during that exercise perfectly, Maz - lengthening and pulling. When I'd finished that lesson with Scott, my hips felt VERY open and not painfully so.

 

I'm glad I managed your exercise properly Like yourself, I had a pretty immediate difference in class. My hips didn't feel open (hypermobility issues makes it difficult for me to feel anything around the hips and back) But my turn-out did markedly improve during exercises throughout class. I noticed the 'roomy' feeling at my psoas, and found that maintaining that feeling made my balances a lot stronger - especially in arabesque and attitude. Nippy exercises also felt easier because it felt like my feet had more room to move (frappés and piqués en arrière, especially).

 

Like you found yourself, Serendipity, my feet and ankles feel sorer that usual this morning. Not sure why that would be the case, but I'm sure it's a good thing!