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Mat Pilates Case Study
Block D
Student Details
- Name
- Ciara Fanning
- Tutor
- Nina Plazanin
- Tutor CC Email
- coachedbynina.fit@gmail.com
- Course Location
- Dublin - Tallaght
- Course Group
- S26 Tallaght April Pilates Group
- Course Start
- April 2026
Block D
- Total word count
- 335 words
- Fields completed
- 26 of 26 (100%)
Block Overview27 words
Class Focus: Core strength and spinal mobility
Duration: 55 minutes
Key Exercises: Shoulder Bridge, Chest Lift, The Hundred, Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, Double Leg Lower
My Goals160 words
This class focuses on developing core strength, spinal mobility, and controlled, coordinated movement through a progressive mat‑based sequence. The warm‑up uses lateral breathing, alignment work, pelvic tilts, and Pelvic Curl to help participants establish a strong mind–body connection, bringing awareness to posture, breath, and deep core activation before increasing load. Shoulder Bridge further prepares the body by promoting posterior chain activation and segmental spinal articulation, setting up a balanced foundation before moving into flexion work. Chest Lift and The Hundred then build a clear flexion pattern and coordinated breathing, supporting the goal of improving abdominal endurance and rib‑to‑hip connection. The abdominal series(Leg Lift Supine, Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, and Double Leg Lower) aims to challenge stability, precision, and dynamic control as lever length increases. The class concludes with Spine Stretch Forward, Cat–Cow, Child’s Pose, and a Standing Roll Down to promote spinal length, release, and integration, ensuring participants finish feeling balanced, lengthened, and fully connected to their movement.
Block Details15 words
Block Name: Block D
Class Duration (mins): 55
Focus: Core strength, spinal articulation & mobility
Goals & Pilates Principles133 words
Class Principles: Breathe, Centre, Concentration, Control, Precision, Flow
Class Focus: This class is built on the six principles of Pilates :Breath, Centre, Concentration, Control, Precision, and Flow, guiding every movement from warm‑up to cool‑down. The warm‑up encourages participants to connect breath and alignment through lateral breathing, pelvic tilts, and Pelvic Curl, establishing a strong mind–body connection and awareness of their centre. Shoulder Bridge reinforces control and precision through spinal articulation and posterior chain activation, while Chest Lift and The Hundred integrate breath and concentration to build endurance and rhythm. The abdominal series challenges stability and coordination, maintaining flow and control throughout. The class concludes with Supine Spine Twist, Cat–Cow, Child’s Pose, and Standing Roll Down, promoting release, balance, and mindful breathing to leave participants feeling centred, lengthened, and fully connected to their movement.
Warm-Up
| Exercise | Reps | Cues | Modifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alignment & Lateral Breathing | Hands rest on the sides of the rib cage to feel the movement. Inhale through the nose for 5 seconds, allowing the ribs to expand east to west and slightly into the back while keeping the belly drawn in. Exhale through the mouth for 5 seconds, feeling the ribs draw in and down as you reconnect to your centre, gently knitting the ribs together without gripping. The chest stays soft, the neck relaxed, and the breath remains low, wide, and controlled | ||
| Pelvic Tilts | 8 | Lie on your back on the mat, bend knees, keeping feet flat on the floor, hip width apart, ensure you are in alignment hip-knee-ankle. Your natural resting position should have a small gap between your lower back and the mat, if you can imagine a grape in between your back and the mat (you can check this with your hand). Move into posterior tilt by tilting your pelvis backwards and pressing your lower back fully into the mat into our imprint. Imagine squashing the grape. Move back to neutral. Next move into the anterior tilt by tilting your pelvis forward and arching our back to create a bigger gap, more of an orange than a grape. You can imagine having a bowl of water on your pelvis. Neutral pelvis the water should be still. Posterior tilt the bowl tilts towards you and the water pours. Anterior tilt the bowl tilts away from you and the water pours. | Reduce range; slow tempo |
| Overhead Arm Circles | 8 | Start by lying comfortably on your back with your spine in neutral, ribs soft, and arms reaching up toward the ceiling. As you begin to circle the arms, keep the ribs gently knitted together so the movement stays in the shoulders rather than the back. Only take the arms overhead as far as you can without the ribs popping or the lower back arching. Let the shoulders stay relaxed and glide smoothly in the sockets, avoiding any lifting toward the ears. Keep the movement slow and controlled so you can really feel the shoulders opening and the chest staying soft. The goal is to create easy, comfortable mobility through the shoulders while keeping the rest of the body still and connected through the centre.Imagine your arms are drawing smooth circles on the ceiling, like you’re polishing a big round window above you. Keep your ribs gently knitted together so the window stays still and only your arms move around it. | Keep arms only to shoulder height instead of fully overhead to reduce load on the shoulders and ribs. |
| Pelvic Curl | 8 | Lie on your back knees bent, same as tilts. Start in neutral spine and with a deep inhale, engage the core and draw the belly button into the spine. Move into the posterior tilt, flattening to the mat and squashing the grape. Lift hips off the floor, rolling up one vertebra at a time. Curl only to the shoulder blades.Slowly roll back down, articulating through each vertebra one by one. | Can hold a pilates ball between the knees if needed for stability. |
Main Phase
| Exercise | Reps | Cues | Modifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder Bridge | 8 | Start lying on your back with your knees bent and feet hip‑distance apart. For Level 1, press through the feet and peel the spine from the mat like lifting a pearl necklace, one bead at a time, increasing your range of movement each time as you work toward a full bridge. Lower back down with the same control, placing each pearl gently back onto the mat. For Level 2, come into your bridge and raise the arms toward the ceiling, keeping the ribs soft and the pelvis steady, then return the arms and the spine to the mat together with smooth, controlled articulation. For Level 3, lift into your bridge and take the arms overhead so the biceps line up with the ears, keeping the ribs knitted and the pelvis stable. Maintain the arms overhead as you lower the spine back to the mat, again placing each pearl down one by one, and then return the arms to the mat to finish. | Keep arms grounded. Keep spine neutral instead of articulating and hinge.. |
| Chest Lift | 8 | Lie on back, knees bent, feet flat on floor hip width apart. Raise arms fingers to ceiling, interlace fingers and place hands behind head (at the base of the skull). Keep spine in neutral position and ensure shoulders are relaxed. Draw bellybutton into the spine, relax shoulders and glide ribcage down toward hips, exhale as you slowly lift head, neck and upper back off the mat. Keep neck long and eyes gaze toward knees. Keep chin slightly tucked as though you are holding a small apple under your chin. Focus on lifting from your ribs. Pause at the top, keeping core engaged. | Keep the lift smaller and move more slowly. Focus on quality over quantity. |
| The 100 | 10 | Bring the legs to tabletop and curl the head, neck, and shoulders up, keeping the gaze toward the thighs and the ribs gently knitted together. Reach the arms long beside you and begin small, controlled pumps, as if you’re bouncing two light beach balls up and down. Inhale for five counts and exhale for five counts, keeping the breath steady and low so the ribs widen on the inhale and draw in on the exhale. Maintain a strong, stable centre, keeping the torso still while the arms create the rhythm. To progress, lengthen the legs to a straight position at a height where you can still keep the ribs connected and the lower back supported, continuing the same breath pattern and arm pumps. | Keep legs in tabletop |
| Leg Lift Supine | 8 | Lie on your back in an imprinted position, gently pressing the lower back into the mat and keeping the ribs knitted together. Arms extended by your side. Bring one leg into tabletop, moving from the hip as if the knee is frozen in place, and keep the pelvis steady as though it’s balancing a glass of water. Lower that leg back down with control, then repeat on the other side so each leg lifts to tabletop individually without the pelvis shifting. Once both sides feel stable, bring one leg to tabletop again and add a small toe tap, lowering the toes toward the mat while keeping the back imprinted and the pelvis completely still. Return to tabletop with the same slow, precise control, then switch legs, maintaining the imprint, the frozen‑knee feeling, and a steady breath throughout. | Can keep hands under pelvis for support |
| Single Leg Stretch | 8 | Bring the legs to tabletop and curl the head, neck, and shoulders up into a stable chest lift, keeping the ribs gently knitted together. Draw one knee in toward the chest as the other leg reaches long on a low diagonal, moving from the hip while keeping the pelvis steady. Place the outside hand on the ankle and the inside hand on the knee, keeping the elbows wide and the chest soft. Switch legs with control, maintaining the same height in the curl and keeping the pelvis still, as if it’s balancing a glass of water. Focus on length through the reaching leg and smooth, continuous breath as the legs change, keeping the movement sharp, precise, and centred. | Keep head down if needed |
| Double Leg Stretch | 8 | Start in a stable chest lift with the legs in tabletop, ribs gently knitted together and the pelvis steady. Hands rest lightly on the shins, elbows wide, keeping the chest soft. As you inhale, reach the arms overhead and the legs forward on a long diagonal, only as far as you can maintain the curl and keep the ribs connected. As you exhale, circle the arms around and draw the knees back in, keeping the movement smooth and controlled rather than fast. Focus on maintaining the same height in the chest lift, steady pelvis, and strong centre throughout, letting the arms and legs move while the torso stays still. | Arms can just go overhead and return, not the full sweep |
| Double Leg Lower | 6 | Start in a strong chest lift with the gaze toward the thighs and the ribs gently knitted together. Bring one leg to tabletop without letting the pelvis shift, then bring the second leg up to join it, keeping the curl steady. From there, extend both legs up toward the ceiling, lengthening through the hips while maintaining the height of the chest lift. On the exhale, lower both legs together in a small, controlled range, only as far as you can keep the ribs connected and the lower back stable. Inhale to return the legs back to vertical with the same slow, precise control. Keep the pelvis steady as if it’s balancing a glass of water, maintain length through the legs, and hold the curl consistently so the work stays centred and supported throughout. | Can put hands under pelvis for support, can have head down |
| Spine Stretch Forward | 6 | Start seated tall with the legs extended a little wider than the mat, feet flexed, and the sit bones grounded. Take an inhale to lengthen through the spine, lifting up through the crown of the head and gently knitting the ribs together. As you exhale, nod the chin and articulate the spine forward one vertebra at a time, reaching the arms past the feet while keeping the pelvis heavy and still, as if it’s anchored to the mat. Think of creating space between each vertebra rather than collapsing, keeping the abdominals engaged to support the curve. Inhale at the end of the reach, then exhale to restack the spine from the base upward, returning to a tall, neutral seated position with control. | Reduce forward reach and can keep hands on thighs for support |
Cool-Down
| Exercise | Reps | Cues | Modifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lateral Breathing Reset | 5 breaths | Hands rest on the sides of the rib cage to feel the movement. Inhale through the nose for 5 seconds, allowing the ribs to expand east to west and slightly into the back while keeping the belly drawn in. Exhale through the mouth for 5 seconds, feeling the ribs draw in and down as you reconnect to your centre, gently knitting the ribs together without gripping. | |
| Supine Spine Twist | 4 each side | Start lying on your back with the arms reaching wide, knees in tabletop, and the ribs gently knitted together. Take an inhale to prepare, keeping the pelvis heavy. As you exhale, let both knees rotate to one side as a single unit, keeping them level and moving from the waist while the opposite shoulder stays anchored to the mat. Inhale to hold the stretch, maintaining a long spine. Exhale to draw the legs back through centre using the obliques, keeping the pelvis steady and the movement smooth rather than swinging. Repeat to the other side | Keep knees closer to the chest and can keep feet on floor |
| Cat Cow | 6 | Start in a four point kneeling position with the hands under the shoulders, knees under the hips, and the spine in a long neutral position. Spread the fingers wide and press evenly through the hands, keeping the shoulders broad and the neck long. Take an inhale to lengthen through the crown of the head and tailbone. As you exhale, gently round the spine from tail to head, drawing the abdominals in and letting the head drop so the whole back curves in a smooth arch. Inhale to reverse the movement, lifting the tailbone and the chest as the spine extends, keeping the elbows soft and the shoulders wide. Move slowly and continuously between the two shapes, matching each phase to your breath and keeping the weight evenly distributed through the hands and knees. | Reduce range |
| Childs Pose | 5 breaths | ChiStart in a four point kneeling position then gently sink the hips back toward the heels, letting the knees open slightly and the big toes stay together. Walk the hands forward and allow the forehead to rest on the mat, softening through the shoulders and lengthening the spine. Keep the sit bones reaching back as the fingertips reach forward, creating a gentle stretch through the back and sides of the body. Let the ribs soften toward the thighs and allow the breath to expand into the back of the ribcage. | Use forearms on the floor |
| Standing Roll Down | 3 | Stand tall, feet hip‑distance apart, weight evenly grounded through all four corners of the feet, and the spine lengthened as if a string is lifting you from the crown of the head. Take an inhale to lengthen even more, gently knitting the ribs together. As you exhale, nod the chin and begin to articulate the spine forward one vertebra at a time, letting the head pour forward like a heavy weight and the arms hang . Keep the pelvis stacked over the heels and the knees soft but not bent, maintaining centred weight. Inhale at the bottom to widen the breath into the back of the ribcage. Exhale to restack the spine from the tailbone upward, rebuilding each vertebra until you return to that same tall, lifted posture with the head arriving last | Reduce depth |