The Pilates roll-up is a low-impact, bodyweight exercise that’s great for strengthening your core muscles and improving spinal flexibility. I’ve recently added this to my exercise routine and it’s helpful when I’m sitting at a desk for long periods of time.
To perform the Pilates roll-up exercise, lie on your back on your best yoga mat, curl your body into a seated position, then roll back up and lie on your back. This will work on your abdominal muscles, but the rolling and stretching motion will help strengthen your spine.
Below we explain how to do the Pilates Roll-Up, what it does and what muscles it targets, and how to incorporate this exercise into your daily life.
What is the purpose of the Pilates Roll-Up?
Pilates is great for increasing muscle tone and overall strength while strengthening your core, improving your posture, and increasing your flexibility and mobility. An hour of consistent Pilates practice can have amazing effects on your body.
This movement is a fundamental exercise for improving spinal mobility and building core and hip flexor strength. Pilates Roll-Ups can be difficult for beginners with tight hamstrings, so we recommend starting with a slight bend in your knees. The goal is to press the backs of your legs into the mat as you straighten them. This exercise should also improve your posterior chain flexibility.
How to do a Pilates roll up
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Here are some step-by-step instructions from Pilates Anytime:
- Lie on your back with your legs stretched out and together
- Extend your arms overhead with your palms facing up
- Inhale and reach your arms overhead, lifting your torso off the floor, with your head and shoulders leading the way.
- As you exhale, release your spine, vertebrae by vertebrae, off the mat toward a seated position.
- Curl forward and draw the crown of your head toward your feet, arms parallel to the mat.
- Draw your stomach in toward your spine and use your abdominal muscles to pull your torso forward.
- Inhale as you roll back to the starting position.
Pilates Anytime encourages avoiding momentum, jerking or straining. Instead, move smoothly and with control, and use your breath as an aid. Do not hold your breath. If you have an injury, consult with a qualified physician before starting any new exercise.
Why can’t you do roll-ups in Pilates?
There is some debate as to whether rolling up can harm the spine, especially for people with tight hamstrings or back pain.
For example, in an article published in the Pilates Instructor Academy, one instructor claims that the Pilates Roll-Up does not stretch the hamstrings or lower back, and if you have tight hamstrings, it could overload already unstable muscles and increase lumbar instability.
Other Pilates instructors suggest not slamming the exercise into a seated position (called a half roll-down), adapting the exercise using straps or resistance bands, or even placing a small pillow or towel under your back to press against while you roll up.
The key is that your pelvis must remain stable at all times. Imagine you have a large ball resting on your thighs and you have to reach past the ball, drawing your hands toward your feet and curving your spine.
Strength and mobility go hand in hand. Tight hamstrings and back muscles, poor spinal flexibility, and weak core muscles can make it difficult to bend your spine while rising. Start by improving your core strength and posture, then adding mobility exercises to your routine or asking your Pilates instructor to modify your exercises.
What muscles do Pilates roll-ups target?
Roll-ups primarily target the abdominal muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings, back muscles and spine. Different people’s builds will feel different benefits from this exercise in different areas. In theory, roll-ups are functional and improve your ability to get up from a lying position, but if you have back problems, consult your Pilates instructor or doctor first.
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