Scoop – Tuck – Arch – Neutral Spine
What do these terms mean? You hear them used a lot in Pilates but may have been afraid to ask for clarification. Well here you go!
Scoop – this is a muscular action of sucking in your stomach. Think of when you stand in front of a mirror and suck your stomach in. That is a scoop. Your pelvis should not move, you just contract your stomach muscles to pull your stomach in. You should try to do this all day long. Scoop, Scoop, Scoop!
Tuck – this is when you draw your tailbone down while in a standing position. Think of a dog’s tail that he hides between his legs. Same thing. This action DOES move the pelvis. It tilts the tailbone down and under towards the floor and the pubic bone draws up towards your nose. If you were to lie flat on your back and tuck your pelvis your low back (lumbar spine) would be flat to the floor and you would not be able to slide your hand under your low back because your pelvis is tucked or tilted.
Arch – this is when you draw your tailbone up and stick your tush out in a standing position. Think Jay Lo Booty or Kim Kardashian Booty. You stick your sitz (yes, sitz) bones out. This action DOES move your pelvis This creates a deep arch in the low back, which is not good. It also tends to make you stick your stomach out when you do this. If you were lying on your back you would be able to slide your hand under your low back. This is a bad position to be in as it puts a lot of compression on the back and leaves the abdominals in a weak, unsupported position.
Neutral Spine – This is how you want your spine to be. A happy medium between a tuck and an arch. Your pubic bone and tailbone should point straight down in a standing position. Everybodys Neutral Spine is different depending on your body type and how voluptuous your Booty is or is not! There should be a small space about the size of a grape under your low back when you are lying on your back. You should always try to work in Neutral Spine with a Scoop when doing Pilates exercises.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions in your Pilates Class. Chances are someone else is thinking the same thing!