Speaker #0Welcome to BioPilates Deep Dive, the podcast that invites you to understand movement beyond its outward form. Today we are exploring a fundamental exercise from the short box series on the reformer, the round back or round back short box. At first glance, the movement seems simple. You roll the pelvis backward, maintain a C-curve, raise the arms, and then return. But a rounded back is never a collapsed back. It is an organized flexion of the spine, supported by the abdominals, controlled through the relationship between the pelvis and the femurs, and accompanied by very precise work from the hip flexors, the psoas major and the iliacus, whose eccentric action we will follow throughout the exercise. The box is placed crosswise on the carriage, either over the shoulder rests or against them. depending on the reformer model and the level of comfort required. The foot bar is in position four, two springs are attached and the headrest remains flat. The pelvis is positioned in the center of the box with enough space behind it to allow the sacrum to roll progressively along the box without moving off the edge. The foot strap is adjusted to maintain tension with the knees slightly flexed. It provides both an anchor and security. but it is not the driving force of the movement. The feet should neither slip nor pull excessively against it. Sit on the box with the pelvis and spine in neutral and the weight positioned over the sitting bones. The legs are adducted, the knees are slightly flexed, and the feet are securely hooked under the strap. Each hand holds the opposite wrist in front of the lower abdomen with the arms rounded. The shoulder blades are stabilized and wide, neither pinched together nor pulled down. The spine is lengthened from the tailbone to the crown of the head. The gaze is horizontal and the back of the neck is long. Take a moment to feel the sitting bones on the box, the feet under the strap, and the three-dimensional breath expanding through the ribcage. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and roll the pelvis away from the front of the femurs. The anterior superior iliac spines move backward. The sacrum comes into contact with the box, and the lumbar spine, followed by the thoracic spine, moves into flexion. The movement begins with the pelvis, not by hinging the torso backward as one solid unit. The pelvis rolls before the shoulders move back. Lower only as far as you can maintain this organization, with the abdomen controlled, the back of the neck long, and the breath still available. This is the true limit of the movement, not the distance traveled. The exhalation engages the pelvic floor, the transversus abdominis, and the obliques, which work concentrically to create and support the flexion. Once the curve has been established, inhale. Maintain the flexion and raise the arms overhead without moving the pelvis. The ribs remain connected to the pelvis and the lumbar spine does not arch. The shoulder blades accompany the movement through upward rotation and slight elevation without rigidity. This is mobility with stability. Keep the back of the neck long and the chin away from the chest. Raising the arms increases the lever arm. and requires greater abdominal control. If the ribs open or the curve begins to disappear, reduce the range of the arms rather than forcing the movement. Now exhale to lower the arms, then use the abdominals to bring the torso forward while maintaining the flexion without throwing the head toward the legs. When the torso arrives over the legs, inhale and sequentially lengthen the spine, moving from the tailbone through the lumbar spine. the thoracic spine, the cervical spine, and finally the head, returning to the starting position. Complete five repetitions. Often grouped together under the name iliopsoas, the psoas major and the iliacus share an insertion on the lesser trochanter of the femur, but they differ in their origins and innervation. The psoas major originates from the lateral surfaces of the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. It travels down alongside the spine, passes beneath the inguinal ligament, and inserts on the lesser trochanter. Innervated by the lumbar plexus primarily from L1 to L3, it flexes the hip and because of its vertebral attachments also contributes to controlling the lumbar spine. It therefore directly connects the spinal column to the femur. The iliacus originates in the iliac fossa and along the iliac crest converges with the psoas tendon and inserts on the lesser trochanter. Innervated by the femoral nerve, primarily from L2 to L4, it also flexes the hip and stabilizes the hip joint. However, it has no direct vertebral attachment. It primarily connects the pelvis to the femur. As the pelvis rolls backward, the anterior superior iliac spines move away from the femurs. The angle of the hip opens relatively, which corresponds to a reduction in hip flexion. Because the psoas and iliacus are hip flexors, they must lengthen but without releasing suddenly. They continue to produce tension while lengthening. This is eccentric work, acting like a brake that slows the backward movement of the pelvis. When there is too much tension, the person grips through the creases of the hips, restricts the movement of the pelvis, or turns the rolling action into a simple backward hinge. When there is not enough tension, the pelvis moves too quickly, the sacrum no longer rolls progressively, and the body simply falls backward. The correct level of control lies between these two extremes. When the arms rise, the pelvis must remain stable. This is where the iliopsoas complex contributes to maintaining the position while the abdominals preserve the curve. The challenge is to dissociate the movement of the arms. from the position of the pelvis without allowing the ribs to move forward again. If the torso leans backward without the pelvis truly rolling, the shoulders move back before the anterior superior iliac spines. In this case, reduce the range and allow the sacrum to meet the box first. If the person lowers too far, the abdomen begins to dome, the ribs lift, and the hip creases tighten. Move slightly higher. to recover a supported curve. If the chin drops into the chest, the neck becomes compressed. Maintain space between the chin and the sternum. If the shoulders rise toward the ears as the arms lift, with the shoulder blades either lifting away from the ribcage or being pulled too far downward, allow the shoulder blades to accompany the movement while remaining controlled against the ribs. If the feet slip out from under the strap, check the strap adjustment And... and maintain a slight flexion of the knees. This is also an important safety consideration. If all the effort is felt in the creases of the hips, it is a sign that the hip flexors are holding too strongly. Reduce the range and reinforce the abdominal intention. The next time you practice or teach this exercise, do not focus only on creating a beautiful C-curve. Observe whether the pelvis is truly rolling away from the femurs. whether the front of the hips can lengthen without gripping, and whether the sacrum remains in contact with the box. It is through these details that the round back short box becomes a genuine exploration of the relationship between the spine, the pelvis, the hips, and the breath. Thank you for listening to BioPilates Deep Dive. Take care of your movement, your teaching, and the quality of every intention you bring to your practice. See you very soon.
