Bringing your arms back from over your head during the abdominal curl is one way of increasing the challenge.
Curl with arms and legs lifted
Increase the demands on your strength further by lifting both arms and legs during the curl.
Abdominal strength is a core Pilates goal. And one of the key groups of exercises that you need to master in order to achieve that goal is the abdominal curl. In the foundation exercises you will have learned the basic abdominal curl with both hands supporting your head. Do not attempt the exercises on the following page below if you are still finding the foundation version hard: for example, if you have difficulty in supporting the movement with your abdominals. Most people need several weeks' practice before they are ready to progress.
Increasing the challenge
There are a number of ways in which you can increase the challenge of the abdominal curl. The first is to lengthen the area that is lifted during the exercise. It requires more effort to lift the shoulders from the floor when the arms are extended than when they are held next to the head. The first exercise incorporates an overhead arm stretch with the abdominal curl. This requires careful coordination with your breathing, but once mastered produces a graceful and satisfying movement.
You can also increase the abdominal workload by lifting your legs. In this position, the feet no longer provide a point of leverage for the movement, so the effort is concentrated in the centering muscles. The second progression exercise, which includes a knee lift, requires concentration and body awareness to be both effective and safe. The movement must be controlled through your abdominals and not forced by straining the neck forward or arching the spine. If you find this exercise too hard, work on the easier abdominal curls for a bit longer.
The final exercise, the combined curl, is a composite of both movements. It provides a really effective challenge for the abdominals.
Progressed abdominal curls
Before you start these progressed versions of the abdominal curl, check that your pelvis is securely in the neutral position. You will need to maintain this position for the first exercise. In the second and third exercises, the lumbar curve inevitably flattens against the floor. However, you need to maintain a sense of the base of your spine lengthening away from the body. Whichever version you are doing, try to retain a sense of the spine stretching as well as curling. Use your engaged centering muscles to prevent yourself from collapsing in the middle. Remember to stop if your abdomen starts to bulge or the muscles begin to quiver. This means the exercise is too demanding for you and is a sign that you need to lift less far or revert to an easier version.
Abdominal curl with lifted arms
1 Lie in the neutral position with your arms over your head.
2 As you perform the curl in the usual way lift your arms in an arc so that they are just above the floor as you finish your out-breath at the end of the movement.
Abdominal curl with raised legs
1 Lie with your arms at your sides and your legs raised with your knees above your hips.
2 Perform the abdominal curl in the usual way but you will find that you need to work the centering muscles harder in this position.
Combined arm and leg lift
When you have worked on the previous two versions of progressed abdominal curls, try combining the two elements in one exercise.
