Speaker #0Hi and welcome to BioPolady's Deep Dive, the podcast that explores movement awareness, anatomical precision, and the depth of the Pilates method. Today I invite you to dive in, literally and figuratively, into one of the most demanding prone exercises, the breaststroke. It's an exercise we think we know, but in reality it requires subtlety, precision, and a deep understanding of the body's muscular chains. Let's begin with the starting position. I lie down on my stomach. My pelvis is in neutral. So is my spine. My legs are long and parallel, either in adduction or slightly abducted, hip width apart. My ankles are in plantar flexion. My toes are gently pointed, not tense, just reaching back softly. My arms are bent. My hands are close to my shoulders. Palms face the mat. And most importantly, my shoulder blades are stabilized and connected. I take a breath to prepare, and on the exhale, I extend my arms forward, palms facing down, shoulder width apart. I create a long, low line. The upper body floats just above the mat. The ribcage stays closed, the spine elongated. I inhale. I draw a circle with my arms out to the sides and then toward the hips. Palms turn back toward my body, and in the meantime, I begin a gentle extension of the thoracic and cervical spine without lifting the lower ribs off the mat. The shoulder blades remain steady, like wings guiding the gesture. I exhale. I bend the elbows, let the hands lead the return forward, and lower the torso into that long, low position. The head doesn't return to the mat. It stays aligned, alive, available. I repeat the movement five to eight times with presence, with precision, and with respect. So which muscles are engaged here? The transverse abdominis, of course, to stabilize the lumbopelvic region. The deep pelvic floor supporting the base of the movement. The erector spinae in the upper back bringing the spine into extension. The obliques and hip extensors maintaining pelvic neutrality. the posterior deltoids, the latissimus dorsi, and the teres major guiding the movement of the arms. But today, I want to focus on a muscle group that's often forgotten, the plantar flexors. They're the ones that keep the ankles in flexion, that stabilize the base, and that prevent any unwanted lumbar extension. Among them, the soleus, deep and postural, the gastrocnemius, more superficial, linking the knee to the heel. The posterior tibialis, discrete but essential for alignment, and alongside them, the fibularis longus and fibularis brevis, also known as the long and short perineals. The fibularis longus crosses under the foot's arch, supports the lateral side of the foot, and contributes to aversion and plantar flexion. The fibularis brevis, more lateral, attaches to the fifth metatarsal and helps stabilize the ankle in the frontal plane or All these muscles work in synergy, in a postural tone. They keep the foot extended, the pelvis stable, and support the entire upper body. But for a muscle to activate, willpower alone is not enough. You need nerves. And for a nerve to respond, a specific condition must be met. It's called the excitation threshold. It's an electrical threshold, a number, a boundary. Generally, around minus 55 millivolts. If the electric potential stays below that value, nothing happens. But if it's exceeded, then everything activates. Sodium channels open. Sodium ions rush into the cell. The membrane depolarizes. The potential goes from negative 70 to positive 30 millivolts. This electrical wave travels along the axon, heading toward the muscle. There, it triggers the release of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter of movement. The message crosses the synapse, enters the muscle fiber, calcium is released, and the muscle contracts. It's a firework, a message racing through the nervous system and creating movement or stabilization. Then everything quiets down. The neuron repolarizes, enters a refractory period. and gets ready for the next impulse. What's fascinating is that this entire process happens without any conscious effort. It occurs every time you engage your transverse, point your foot, or stabilize your pelvis. And the more you practice it, the faster your nervous system becomes. The threshold is reached more easily, and the gesture becomes fluid, economical, precise. The variations offered in this exercise are not just accessories. They refine the work. They make it smarter. The ring between the ankles creates resistance in the lower body. The flex band across the back intensifies scapular mobilization. A pad under the anterior superior iliac spine prevents anterior pelvic tilt. A small sponge between the knees reinforces the midline connection. All of these tools also reshape proprioception, neurological responses, and the finesse of movement. at its core Breaststroke is a global exercise, one of coordination, anchoring, and regulation. An exercise that reminds us movement isn't just about muscles. It's about breath, intention, electricity, and memory. Thank you for listening to this episode of BioPilates Deep Dive. I'll see you very soon for a new exploration of the moving body. Take care of your posture, your nerves, and your breath. See you soon.
