Boomerang: the Pilates Mat Exercise you should return to Again and Again

I’m going to totally date myself here -  whenever I hear the word boomerang my brain automatically starts playing the Boomerang song from the soundtrack of the 1986 movie, Children of a Lesser God. Until today I didn’t even know that’s where the song came from but I do remember loving the movie way back when.

Yikes, I know! Do you have random word/song associations like I do? Is there an official name for that?

Anyhoo, that's not the boomerang (rang, rang) I want to discuss because we are after all here to discuss Pilates.

The WHAT of BOOMERANG

Maybe you're not familiar with the fact that there's a Pilates Mat exercise called Boomerang but it’s one of Joseph Pilates' original 34 Matwork exercises. Here it is from my copy of Return To Life Through Contrology, originally published in 1945. Boomerang is exercise #29 towards the very end of the flow.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Boomerang is an exercise that I put in my kitchen sink category, i.e. there's a little bit of a lot of stuff inside. Specifically though, Boomerang clearly is comprised of three previous Mat exercises sprinkled with a Reformer exercise garnish.

The three Mat exercises are:

• Rollover
• Teaser
• Spine Stretch

The Reformer garnish is;

• Rowing Series: when the arms sweeping from back to front and the crossed legs throughout the sequence  

One of the things I love about Pilates is the layered design of the method and Boomerang encapsulates that perfectly. In Mr Pilates’ original 34 exercises what comes before informs and supports what comes after. Genius!

To see the Boomerang in action make sure to watch the video at the top of the post

Let’s now be more specific with

The HOW of BOOMERANG

According to Mr. Pilates:

Pose 1

(a) Take position illustrated

(b) INHALE SLOWLY

(c) Sit up straight in right angle position

(d) Head up

(e) Abdomen "drawn" in

(f) Cross left leg over right leg

(g) Arms pressed against body

(h) Hands pointed forward and pressed against mat or floor

Pose 2

(a) EXHALE SLOWLY while

(b) "Rolling" backward as far as possible and while in this position

(c) Cross right leg over left leg and

Pose 3

(a) INHALE SLOWLY while

(b) "Rolling" forward and

(c) "Swing" arms backwards as far as possible

Pose 4

(a) EXHALE SLOWLY while bringing both

(b) Legs to mat or floor with

(c) Head touching knees with

(d) Arms (palms up) raised backward as far as possible and upward and

(e) Return to Pose 2 position

NOTE

Repeat the foregoing exercise six (6) times, first starting with right leg cross over left leg and then crossing left leg over right leg alternately.

CAUTIONS 

Pose 2 – Keep arms and shoulders pressed firmly against mat or floor. Reverse legs while in "overhead "position, when returning to Pose 3 position

Pose 2 - Try to touch head to knees. Keep on keep arms (palms up) stretched straight backward and upward as far as possible.

HOW to perform BOOMERANG - My Expanded Details:

Of course the way I teach and practice Boomerang is informed by not only my teacher training, things I've picked up in the 20+ years I've been teaching, but also, and very importantly, my body's current capabilities.

My Amendments and/or Additions:

Beginning position, aka Pose 1:

• Try to sit up as tall as possible - if this is a challenge feel free to modify by softening the knees knowing that some of the vigour of the exercise will be lost.
• As you begin to roll back see if you can lift the legs off the floor a fraction - this will strengthen the hip flexors and deep low belly muscles - I try to make that the initiation to move.

The Rollover Portion, aka Pose 2:

• Yay, since you're starting from sitting instead of lying down you’re gifted the assist of momentum to get your hips over your shoulders. However make sure to take up Mr. Pilates' Caution to keep your "arms and shoulders pressed firmly against mat or floor" to control that momentum.
• The switch of your legs changing which one is crossed on top can be: small and concise, mat width, or as wide as you are capable of. Make sure to mix it up to challenge yourself and keep the exercise fresh. You can also play with the tempo of the switch.

The Teaser, aka Pose 3:

• I was taught to reach the arms forward towards the feet in a more classical Teaser shape. This is way, way easier than slowing it down and swinging the arms back as per Mr. Pilates’ instructions. Give it a whirl and see what you think.

Lowering into Spine Stretch, aka Pose 4:

• As you lower the legs to the mat your goal is to maintain the shape of your body the whole way down (either arms reaching forward or swinging back). It takes a tremendous amount of Oppositional Energy to counter gravity pulling your legs down to the mat. Can you find the float?? That's the question. It takes a lot of deep, low abdominals to keep the legs drawing up towards your head as you come over into the Spine Stretch position. (I can't tell you how many times I've crashed down even while willing my legs to stay up). 
• Once you're over in your Spine Stretch (which is the same shape that you’d do in the Rowing Series on the Reformer) you must broaden your back so you can control the sweep of the arms around to the front. The shoulder blades have to continually adjust for this smooth movement to occur.
• It’s really hard to not feel compressed in this flexed shape so imagine someone is lifting your rib cage up off your pelvis and up to the ceiling. The lift of the arms should help but granted this bit is challenging especially if you have tight shoulders.

Note: 

Boomerang can be a four, or three breath exercise depending on your chosen tempo and your lung capacity. It's really challenging to fit all the choreography into only two full breaths. 

BOOMERANG, the WHY

If I had to choose one word I'd say synthesis! 

• Can you blend the three Mat exercises embedded in Boomerang smoothly together?
• Can you synthesise all those touchstone Pilates Principles? Boomerang is an especially great place to practice Flow.
• Boomerang gives you immediate feedback of where you need to focus your Pilates practice to fill in your movement gaps (to the best of your ability of course).
• Since Boomerang comes at the end of the exercise sequence fatigue can be an issue. Can you maintain good form through all your repetitions?
• Greater Strength & Greater Stretch? Say no more!! 

CONCLUSION

• Boomerang is one of Joseph Pilates' original 34 exercises. It comes towards the end at #29 making it one of the more advanced exercises.
• Boomerang is a "kitchen sink" exercise. Inside are, Rollover, Teaser, and Spine Stretch, with a bit of reformer Rowings tossed in for good measure.
• Boomerang is a great place to explore the Pilates Principles because it's physically challenging and there's some quasi complicated choreography with lots of moving parts.
• Boomerang shows up your weaknesses giving you direct feedback on which parts of your Pilates practice need a bit more focus.
• Jospeh Pilates created a wonderful movement method with multiple layers - there's always something more to learn and explore.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out my other posts on ROLLOVER, TEASER, & SPINE STRETCH, the three exercises embedded in Boomerang.

Want to be first in best dressed when new exercises are deeply dived? (forgive my grammar, lol) make sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter below.

Be Well and always remember to breathe and move and move and breathe!

xBec 

The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this blog are not intended to amount to advice and Rebecca Forde disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this post 

all photos by Moi’