Exercise Deep Dive: Saw

Embodying Three Key Pilates Concepts through the Mat exercise SAW

We’ll look at the WHAT, HOW, & WHY of SAW

The Three Key Pilates Concepts of, OPPOSITIONAL ENERGY, ARM CONNECTION & COORDINATION, and INTENTIONAL BREATH easily found in Saw will show up clearly in the HOW & the WHY after we explore the WHAT, so let’s go!

WHAT

Saw is one of a Joseph Pilates’ original 34 exercises, it comes in at number eleven. If you were doing a Classical flow you would’ve just finished Corkscrew and after completing Saw you’d use one of my favourite transitions to swing around onto your belly for Swan.

But back to Saw: 

Saw is a seated exercise that combines the flexion of a Spine Stretch with the twisting action of a Spine Twist - it’s an exercise that moves through all three planes of motion: Sagittal, Transverse/Horizontal, and Coronal/Frontal, so therefore can feel a bit choreographically complicated. As in most Pilates exercises there’s a lot to think about but we can simplify it:

We find stabilisation from the hips down while moving from the waist up.

Note: it states clearly in the description of Pose 3 that your arm makes contact with your body and that there is then a sawing action. In the embedded video I do not emphasise this but offer it as a variation.

HOW

Saw starts from sitting, here’s the setup:

• Tall, vertical Spine.
• Legs wide apart (about a metre/yard), Not as wide as you could go if you’re super flexy, but maybe a big stretch if your adductors are tight.
• Arms wide in a T, shoulder height - I call them weathervane arms.
• Legs in neutral rotation, i.e. kneecaps facing the ceiling.
• Ankles in dorsiflexion, aka flexed feet.

Key Concept Takeaway #1

OPPOSITIONAL ENERGY

Saw is the perfect exercise to embody this concept. There’s something about sitting up and finding width and height through your limbs that brings this concept home. And if you don’t keep the width and height as you flex the spine while moving through the exercise, you will not get the full benefits Saw can offer.

After that little interruption let’s rejoin the HOW:

Inhale: Rotate your ribs to the right, twisting your spine, and bring your arms along for the ride.

Exhale: Roll your spine from your head to your tail over that long energised leg as you reach your left pinky finger towards (or past) your right pinky toe. Balance out the reach in one direction by anchoring the opposite hip down to the mat while as well as reaching and lengthening through the opposite leg. Your back arm will lift backwards and upwards - reach it away from you with the palm facing up.

Inhale: Roll back up from tail to head while trying to keep as much twist as possible in the spine (easier said than done!)

Exhale: rotate your ribs and spine back to face the front.

Reverse to the left and congratulations, you’ve finished one set! Repeat x 3

Note: once the choreography feels okay take out one of the breaths. Then flow would be: inhale to twist, exhale to roll over the leg and then… inhale to lift your spine, untwist and re-twist to the second side, fitting all that movement in before you exhale roll over the second leg. (yep - that’s a lot of moving on the inhale!)

Two Images for Saw (that might help)

1. I tell my clients to fill themselves up from the inside out and claim as much space as possible.
2. I also tell them to be a six legged starfish: they need to reach through their two arms, two legs, their head, AND their tail.

WHY

Why do we perform Saw? What are its benefits? So many reasons but here are just a few:  

As already mentioned Saw comes directly after Corkscrew and I see them as inversions of each other.

Huh?

Let me explain:

Generally in Corkscrew you’re twisting from your waist down while anchoring your body through the shoulder girdle and arms (in advanced versions the twist’s origin moves higher up to your chest). By the time you’re finished with four sets of Corkscrew your arms and shoulders are tired (sometimes my triceps are in spasm - just sayin’)

Joseph Pilates’ exercise method is full of moments of genius. Here it’s in his choice of exercise order. From lying down on your back during Corkscrew you flip up to sitting, the anchor moves from your upper body to your pelvis & legs, and instead of twisting the lower body you’re moving and twisting the torso, head and arms. In this way, in just two exercises, you’ve worked the body completely. Yep, genius!

Key Concepts Continued

I really think Saw is one of the exercises where it’s easy to embody our Pilates Concept Takeaway #1, Oppositional Energy, but what are the other two?

Key Concept Takeaway #2

Using, Organising, & Connecting THE ARMS

Remember the weathervane arms image up under Key Takeaway #1? Here’s the deal, in order for that weathervane to not topple off the roof it’s anchored. This strong connection means it’s able to freely move with the breeze.

Your arms are anchored into your back in much the same way; there’s connection first so that then you can find freedom throughout your movements.

Saw is a great exercise not only to feel the arms anchored to your tail through the muscles and fascia, but to experience the sliding of the shoulder blades around the ribs - what I call in the video their “dance”.

If Oppositional Energy is combined with the Connected Use of the Arms, the sensation of dancing shoulder blades becomes more readily available. If you keep reaching through your six limbs (2 arms, 2 legs, a head and a tail) when you roll the spine back up on your second inhale, you should be able to feel your shoulder blade gliding across the surface of your rib cage.

Images For Dancing Shoulder Blades during Saw:

1. Widen your arms and back as if you’re opening a pair of wings
2. Imagine reaching your hand into the lock on a door and that you have to lock it as you roll your spine over and unlock as you roll up.
3. Or, in the same vein, that someone’s lightly holding your wrist while your arm spins inward and outward through the rolling/unrolling of the spine.

One of the mains purposes of the using the arms this way is to achieve a deeper, juicier twist, which brings me to

Key Concept Takeaway #3

Breath Support

As in each and every Pilates exercise, when you practice Saw the breath informs the movement and the movement informs the breath!!

Your job during Saw is to fully exhale as you twist and roll the spine over the leg. Not only does this allow a deeper twist but if you fully empty the lungs you change the pressure inside your body. When you release that pressure built up during your exhale, your lungs automatically fill up and that buoyancy literally lifts your spine and floats you back up to your vertical seated stance. Here’s a geeky dive on breathing mechanics if you’re interested. 

Joseph Pilates on Breath

JP had a lot to say about the breath and here’s just one fabulously applicable quote:

“To breathe correctly you must first completely exhale and inhale, always trying very hard to “squeeze” every atom of impure air from your lungs”

 Say no more! Goooo Saw!

In Conclusion

Pilates Saw and it’s Three Key Concept Takeaways:

Saw is a seated twisting exercise.

In Joseph Pilates’ original 34 exercises it’s #11, after Corkscrew and before Swan (and IMHO is an inverse of the former).

Three Concepts you can explore in Saw are:

1. Oppositional Energy
2. Arm Connection and Coordination through the movement of the shoulder blade and connection to the tail.
3. Intentional and Full Use of the Breath

These are just some of the many, many reasons Saw is such a fabulous Pilates exercise and why it should be a part of your Pilates practice.

For more video tutorials and my musings check out my other Exercise Deep Dive posts, a few anre linked towards the beginning of this post.

Thanks for reading.

Be Well, 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