Speaker #0Hi, and welcome to BioPilates Deep Dive, the podcast that explores movement awareness, anatomical precision, and the intelligence of the body in motion. Today, I'd like to invite you to revisit a fundamental exercise in the Stott Pilates Reformer repertoire, second position footwork, a classic, but also a fascinating laboratory for anatomical exploration. because behind the pushing of the carriage lies an entire world, a world of muscle fibers, joint stability, and neuromuscular communication, and in particular, two discrete yet essential muscles, the paraneus longus and the paraneus brevis, also known as the long and short fibular muscles. These two muscles are located on the outer side of the lower leg, the long fibular muscle, which is larger, originates at the head of the fibula and along the length of its shaft and inserts underneath the sole of the foot at the base of the first metatarsal and the medial cuneiform. It forms a stabilizing arch, a kind of lateral bridge that supports foot aversion and helps maintain lateral ankle balance through its tension. Its tendon runs behind the lateral malleolus then crosses beneath the foot. to attach on the opposite side. Invisible, but active with every step, every push, every impulse. The short fibular muscle, as its name implies, is shorter. It originates in the lower third of the fibula and inserts on the base of the fifth metatarsal. Less extensive, but just as important, it acts as a lateral counterbalance, protecting against excessive inversion. It's the first to react during a misstep. It's the one that protects against ankle sprains. It's the one that helps the foot stay aligned during the exercise. What I love about Pilates is that nothing is left to chance. Even in a so-called basic exercise, even in a simple pushing of the carriage, everything can be observed, refined, and adjusted. In the parallel version of footwork, the feet are placed on the foot bar, heels hip-width apart, ankles in dorsiflexion, knees bent. When I exhale to push the carriage, I keep the feet stable, the ankles aligned, and the knees tracking over the second toe. The fibular muscles act here as stabilizers. They prevent the ankle from rolling inward or outward. They support the push without disrupting the alignment. In lateral rotation, the legs open wider, with the knees pointing outward, still over the center of the feet. Here, the hips external rotators are active, but the fibular muscles support the alignment from below. They ensure good anchoring, precision in the turnout, and a smooth carriage return. In medial rotation, the legs are moderately abducted, with the knees gently touching. The placement becomes even more delicate. The slightest lateral imbalance can affect posture. And once again, it's the fibular muscles that quietly preserve stability. without compensation. These muscles belong to the large family of skeletal muscles. Unlike cardiac muscles, which beat without our awareness, or smooth muscles, which move food through our digestive system or regulate blood pressure, skeletal muscles are voluntary. We choose to activate them. Our central nervous system sends a signal through motor nerves to the motor end plate. where the nerve meets the muscle fiber. Once the message arrives, the fiber responds, it contracts. This process may seem simple, but it's astonishingly precise. For a small muscle like the peroneus brevis to contract appropriately, the nerve signal must be generated, conducted, and transmitted correctly. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors must activate. intracellular calcium must trigger the contraction. And all of this must be modulated millisecond by millisecond for the movement to remain fluid and controlled. This voluntary function is one of the things that makes Pilates so powerful. Because in Pilates, we don't just repeat movements. We feel them, refine them, embody them. And with conscious repetition, coordinated breathing and anatomical awareness, the muscle adapts. This is what we call neuroplasticity. Neural connections strengthen. The gesture becomes more precise. The muscle becomes more intelligent. And this intelligence is built on four fundamental properties, four functional characteristics that define muscle behavior at every level of movement. The first is excitability. The muscle's ability to perceive a signal, most often a neurotransmitter, and respond. Without excitability, there's no contraction, no communication between the nervous system and the muscle. The second is contractility, the ability to shorten with force when appropriately stimulated. That's what makes you push the carriage. That's how intention becomes action. The third is extensibility. the ability to stretch beyond its resting length. It's what allows flexibility, fluidity, and adaptability in movement. And finally, elasticity, the muscle's capacity to return to its original length after contraction or stretch. It's what ensures continuity, balance, and the integrity of the gesture. These four properties, excitability, contractility, extensibility, and elasticity are present in every repetition of footwork, and the fibular muscles are no exception. They receive the signal, contract, stretch, and return, silently, consistently, precisely, and that's where their role becomes strategic. A foot that rolls inward, an unstable ankle, an unbalanced push, all of that has a ripple effect up the chain, to the knee, the hip, the spine. That's why, in my teaching, I give special attention to foot placement, knee tracking, ankle stability, and the subtle yet continuous activation of the fibular muscles. There are also several useful modifications I regularly suggest to my clients, depending on their body, their needs, and their energy levels. For example, we can alternate the breath, inhale to push, exhale to return. This reverses the pattern and stimulates the transversus abdominis to contract on the inhale while preserving pelvic lumbar stability. We can also introduce short-range pulses, pushing the carriage halfway and returning. This rhythmic pattern activates the glutes, targets the vastus group, and refines proprioception. Another option is to add end-range pulses, going almost to full extension, then returning slightly, just enough to encourage co-contraction around the knee. This supports the patella and enhances joint control. Finally, I often use a flex band tied around the thighs, just above the knees. This activates the hip abductors, reinforces lateral stability, and builds spatial awareness between the legs, especially helpful in rotated positions. These aren't decorative options. They are functional tools designed to adapt to each body, each moment, each level of experience. They remind us that movement intelligence isn't measured by difficulty, but by the capacity to adjust, to listen, to respond with precision. Yes, footwork is a leg exercise. Yes, it works the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, but it's also a foot exercise, an alignment exercise, a sensory feedback exercise. It reminds us that movement begins at the point of contact. Without anchoring, there is no propulsion, no flow, no axis. What we do with the legs only makes sense if the foot is stable. And the foot can only be stable if the ankle is supported. And the ankle is supported when the fibular muscles do their job, quietly, in synergy, with humility. So I thank them, these lateral muscles. I honor them. and I bring them to the forefront. of my pedagogy, because teaching also means illuminating what is usually unseen, giving meaning to what might otherwise go unnoticed. Thank you for listening, and I'll see you again soon in BioPilates Deep Dive for another episode dedicated to movement awareness, applied anatomy, and the deep richness of Pilates from the inside out.
