The Pilates B Line and the Core

One Pilates concept you don’t hear too much about is called the B-Line.

Everyone who knows anything about Pilates knows how important Pilates considers your abdomen and lower back — the Core or Powerhouse.

However, what’s not so often explained is the B-Line. This is a horizontal line just below the tops of your hip bones, two or three inches below your navel or belly button.

Use the B-Line to attain abdominal control. You’ll want to acquire the habit of pulling your stomach in behind the B-Line.

Situps and crunches tend to strengthen your abdominal muscles when they’re contracted, because you’re bent forward. However, that means that when you’re standing up, your abs are longer and weaker.

Most people perform curls, crunches and situps incorrectly because they lead with their heads and shoulders. Instead, draw your ribs toward your hips and scoop your abdominals. Don’t let your shoulder blades rest back on the ground until you’re finished.

One of the principles of Pilates is control. Too many people have developed their main muscles, but smaller inner muscles are poorly developed, partly due to poor posture. This leads to imbalance because when some of your muscles don’t have the strength to perform as they should, other muscles have to take over (to keep you from falling over), but then you’re still out of alignment.

When all your muscles are developed and working together in coordinated alignment, your movements are more precise and flowing. When people have stiff, jerky movements it is a sign they are not in control.

This is most true at extremes. When you punch or kick, extending your arms and legs far from your body, there’s a snapping of your elbow or knee joint. It indicates you’re not in as complete control of your muscles as you think, and can result in joint pain when repeated too much.

Obviously this applies to gung fu, karate, thai kickboxing and other martial arts.

When your muscles are too tight, your movements are stiff and short. To have a good flow of movement, you’ll often need to loosen up stiff muscles and strengthen muscles that are not strong enough, meaning you’re not used to using them.

Flexibility per se is not the goal. Too much flexibility leads to loss of control of your muscles. Yet too little flexibility leads to stiffness that restricts your movement. Both conditions can lead to injury.

In every movement, one set of muscles contracts and one lengthens. Often, common exercises and workouts strengthen the prime movers but neglect their counterparts. Plus, our daily routines develop us some ways but not in others. And certain sports do the same, such as golf and tennis.

Pilates aims to develop your body in a balance, bilateral way, with movement in all possible directions.

About the Author

Richard Stooker has a long-time interest in health, diet and fitness subjects, including Pilates accessories, and Pilates yoga

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