March MAT-ness: Bring the Flow to Your Total Gym
March brings a different kind of focus to the Pilates world: March MAT-ness. It’s a return to classical mat work, where the emphasis is on control, precision, and how well the body moves.
March MAT-ness is a tradition within the Pilates community that highlights the original mat exercises created by Joseph Pilates. Throughout the month, instructors and enthusiasts revisit the classical sequence, bring attention back to the fundamentals, and honor the discipline behind each movement.
Total Gym Meets Pilates Mat
If you have ever taken a Pilates class, the mat repertoire is no joke. The exercises may look simple, but these bodyweight movements demand strength, mobility, and body awareness when performed correctly. These same exercises can be performed on the Total Gym by utilizing the incline and strategic body positioning to either assist or resist the movement.
The best part about performing mat exercises on your Total Gym is that it does not require additional accessories or constant adjustments. The focus is on how you position your body on the glideboard and how you control each movement.
When using a low incline, the glideboard creates a unique training response. It can assist movement to help achieve proper alignment or increase resistance to challenge strength and control. Along with the incline, the way your body is positioned directly influences the intensity of each exercise. This allows the exercise to adapt to your body by making it appropriate for all levels to perform.
Small adjustments create meaningful changes!
Importance of Pilates Principles
The Pilates Principles, established by Joseph Pilates, are what is embedded into every movement to create the structure and intention behind the practice.
- Breath supports the movement and establishes rhythm
- Control ensures the body moves with intention, not momentum
- Centering initiates movement from the deep core
- Precision emphasizes quality and alignment
- Flow connects each exercise seamlessly
These principles are what make Pilates effective. They guide how the body moves, how muscles engage, and how each exercise is experienced. As you perform the exercises, focus on how your body centers, moves with control, and flows using the breath to support precise movement.
MAT-ness Flow
To close out the energy of the March Madness season, this Pilates routine guides your body through a continuous flow of classical mat exercises adapted for the Total Gym.
The goal is simple: perform classical Pilates mat exercises on the Total Gym with proper alignment, breath, and core control. By combining these principles with small adjustments on the glideboard, you can change the intensity of each movement and create a strong, effective MAT-ness flow.
Directions
- Perform the exercises in order for a continuous flow with minimal transitions
- Complete 10 slow, controlled repetitions per exercise
- Perform 1 set with a focus on quality
- Adjust the incline and body position as needed
Note: Pilates is a practice that requires repetition to fully understand how the principles work within each movement. Focus on moving with intention, maintaining core control throughout, and allowing your breath to guide the rhythm of every repetition.
Flow 1: Spine Prep
Positioning: Supine (lying face up on the glideboard)
- Seated Pelvic Rocks (C-curve to Flat Back)
Focus: Spinal articulation and core engagement
Tip: Use the glideboard to assist the pelvis as you transition between a C-curve and a flat back. In the C-curve, flex the spine by drawing the ribs toward the hips while maintaining core engagement and proper sequencing. This movement builds awareness of spinal flexion and extension.
- Seated Twist
Focus: Spinal rotation and posture
Tip: Sit tall on your sit bones with a long spine. Use your breath to rotate through the torso while keeping the pelvis stable and grounded. - Bridge Roll Up
Focus: Spinal articulation and posterior chain engagement
Tip: Use the glideboard to assist in rolling the spine up into a bridge and back down with control, focusing on segmental movement through the spine.
Positioning Options (applies to all exercises above):
- Easier: Face away from the vertical column (hips higher than feet)
- More Challenging: Face the vertical column (hips lower than feet requires greater flexibility and control)
Flow 2: Core Series
- Double Leg Stretch
Focus: Core strength and coordination
Tip: Start by breaking the movement into segments: upper body only, then lower body only. As strength and control improve, combine both movements while maintaining spinal positioning. - Bicycle
Focus: Core strength and spinal positioning
Tip: The incline supports a slightly lifted upper body position, helping reduce strain on the neck while engaging the core.
Positioning Options (applies to all exercises above):
- Easier: Face away from the vertical column (hips higher than feet for support)
- More Challenging: Face the vertical column (greater demand on core strength and flexibility; requires full engagement of the upper torso without neck strain)
Flow 3: Side-Lying Series
Perform all exercises on one side, then switch to repeat on other side
- Straight Leg Abduction
Focus: Hip stability and outer thigh strength
Tip: Maintain a lifted waistline and stacked hips as the top leg lifts and lowers with control. - Inner Thigh Taps
Focus: Inner thigh activation and pelvic stability
Tip: Keep the body aligned while isolating the inner thigh to control the movement.
Positioning Options (applies to all exercises above):
- Standard (Head toward tower): Upper body slightly elevated; increases resistance for the lower body as legs move below the hips
- More Challenging (Head away): Greater demand on core stability and upper body control
Flow 4: Prone Series (lying face down)
- Swimming
Focus: Posterior chain and core support
Tip: Use the glideboard as feedback. Draw the navel up toward the spine to avoid pressing into the glideboard and maintain core engagement throughout the movement. - Swan
Focus: Spinal extension and mobility
Tip: Lift through the chest while maintaining length through the spine. Avoid compressing the lower back.
Positioning Options (applies to all exercises above):
- Can be performed facing toward or away from the vertical column depending on spinal flexibility and comfort
Check out the video to learn how these Pilates mat exercises are performed on your Total Gym.
March MAT-ness brings the focus to moving with control, precision, and purpose for everyday life. Performing classical Pilates mat exercises on the Total Gym creates a practice that is both supportive and challenging. Carry these exercises into your workouts beyond March, make them a regular part of your practice, and feel stronger from the inside out.
Best,
Maria
Let’s Connect @groovysweat
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