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Pilates Exercise Dive: Neck Pull

exercises matwork philosophy pilates

Oh Neck Pull, how I struggle…

Neck Pull, #15 in Joseph Pilates’ original 34 matwork exercises is what I like to call a ‘kitchen sink’ exercise.

What I mean is that it's an amalgamation of a little bit of a lot of exercises combined into one:

You have:

  • some Roll Up
  • a bit of Spine Stretch
  • a sprinkling of Side Leg Kicks/Kneeling Side Leg Kicks
  • and maybe even some Thigh Stretch

 

(before I forget, the Neck Pull is way easier if you have a mat strap around your ankles. However, not having one is not a deal breaker! Instead we get 'added opportunities' to find both the connection through the backs of our legs to the mat, and serious decompression in our hip sockets! -And that's my Pollyanna spin, right there!)

 

Let’s backtrack a bit and describe the exercise

First, here’s a picture from my edition of Return To Life that includes photos and instructions for Mr. Pilates’ original 34 matwork exercises

 JP describes how to moves through the poses but I teach it a bit differently.

What? I know, sacrilege!

Ahem, I teach it the way I learned it... After you roll up sequentially, instead of staying round you sit up tall and attempt to return to your mat with a long, straight, lengthened, decompressed spine.

Ooh, sounds juicy, right?

 

Here are the steps to perform an amazing Neck Pull:

  • Begin on your back with your straight legs down on the mat, hip joint width apart.
  • Stack your hands behind the centre of your skull, lightly connecting into the base (the bottom edge) with your thumbs. (*modification* start with the hands straight down on the mat by your hips with the palms facing upwards)
  • Lift the elbows lightly off the mat, bring them into your peripheral vision, and begin to roll up. Make sure as you nod your head not to over-flex your neck - keep lightly pressing your skull back into your hands and use your trunk strength to roll up. (if you’re using the arm modification, bring them behind your head when you can, usually just after the ‘icky bit’ part of your rolling up)
  • At the end of the roll gently bring your chin to your chest and narrow the elbows like horse blinders. (please note that I said GENTLY - you’re looking for a slight stretch in your upper thoracic spine at the very end, try not to crank on your neck and keep your belly lifted in and up to support your spine)
  • Unroll the spine from the bottom to the top until you’re sitting up straight. (*modification* tight hammies? soften your knees)
  • Gently (there’s that word again) traction your spine by lifting the skull up to the ceiling - remember, you’re holding on to your head and you’re connected into the base of your skull with your thumbs and heels of hands. (make sure not to flatten your neck as you lift)
  • Take your lifted spine & tall floaty head and start leaning back hinging at your hips. Keep your long, straight, tall, lengthened, & decompressed spine for as long as possible. (draw your belly in, up, and back and feel as though your side waists are getting longer and longer as you descend)
  • As soon, I mean, as soon as you even get the hint of loosing your length (and pooching your guts), scoop your belly in, up, and back even more and roll the rest of the way down.

 

Alrighty, that’s the HOW of the exercise.

Did you see all of the other Pilates exercises tucked inside as you read?

 

Let’s talk about the WHY of the exercise and I mean why it’s a great one to have in your Pilates repertoire, not the why-do-we-have-to-do-it-because-it’s-so-hard kindov’ why.

Check out what I’ve put in All CAPS for some of the skills & principles NECK PULL offers us.

INTEGRATION: 

As already mentioned (or harped on about if you prefer) the Neck Pull integrates things learned elsewhere in the Pilates Method.

For Example, Can You Find?

The smoothness and ARTICULATION from the Roll Up

The LIFTED curve of the Spine Stretch (or Open Leg Rocker, or Tree, or…)

The DIFFERENTIATION of the pelvis & leg from Single Leg Circle or the more remedial Knee Floats.

How to hold onto your head by:

  1. SUPPORTING & cradling the skull in flexion. (as you do in the last two exercises in the stomach series - Double Leg Lower Lift & Criss Cross)
  2. LENGTHENING, tractioning, and DECOMPRESSING the spine as you would in the Side Leg Kick series or when you lower out of a Shoulder Bridge.

 

COORDINATION:

The timing of this exercise, i.e. getting everything to arrive when and when it’s supposed to, means that there’s a whole lot of coordinated PRECISION going on.

Because it does have bits and bobs from other exercises, one of the challenges of the Neck Pull is to find the FLUIDITY inside of it.

 

Finally, if you don’t FOCUS & BREATHE, then you probably won’t be doing your optimal Neck Pull.

 

Things, Images, & Ideas To Help:

  1. Really commit to the reach of the legs against the lift of the spine on both the way up and down.
  2. Keep checking in with the neck, it’s really easy to do too much Turtle Head (shoving it forward) as you roll up and we already talked about not over-flexing the neck and compressing those cervical bones.
  3. On the roll up? Always my Double Wave image. Think of the crest lifting up and over. The back wave starts at the tailbone and the front wave starts at the pubic bone.
  4. On the way back down thinking of sliding the spine up on a high diagonal, almost as if your mat was tilted up behind you on a 45 degree angle.
  5. Imagine the head is on a conveyor belt so that as you get lower the chin glides in towards you, this helps you stay out of your lower back.
  6. Another of my favourite images? Your pelvis is the driver and everyone else (especially the shoulders) has to keep all of their limbs in the vehicle. Now this image makes total sense to me and my weirdo brain but if it doesn’t work for you just let it go.

Here are a few graphics to help:

For points #1, #2, & #5

 

For Points #1 & #4 

 

For Point #3

photo by Matthew Hume

 

For Point #6 and okay, because I really just love this photo...

photo by Dan Gold 

 

Even though this is a challenging exercise (I mean did you check out my stern face in those two photos, lol) you can use the concept of the “Dreaded Exercise” to move forward in your Pilates practice.

What skills do you already possess from your Roll Up, Spine Stretch, and/or Side Leg Kick Series and how can you apply them to your Neck Pull?

As always, I love to point out that the Pilates exercises continually circle back and support each other and that’s why we call it The Pilates Method!

 

Wishing you the best.

Be Well, xBec

I always like to end with a quote from the man himself: Joseph Hubertus Pilates:

 

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  

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