Callanetics Countdown anyone?

[bzar]

Originally Posted by Lannette

Have you done the new Countdown WOs? Lacey does these moves very slowly so you really feel them.

I don't honestly think about it too hard. I feel my whole lower body as described in Callan's quote but definitely feel my inner thighs simply by picturing myself being lifted by/held up by my inner thighs.

yes, and yes, except i do need to focus mentally on my inner thighs. i do lacey's workouts with a big nod to Callan's visual tips.

keeping in mind people's anatomical differences in the hip & groin area, i don't naturally feel it in my inner thighs right away.

Originally Posted by Judith L

I do this exercise and hip and lat stretches usually using my fluidity bar but the kitchen sink also works well. If the edges of the counter are too sharp, use a pot holder or towel to cushion your hands. I've been doing this for years and was amused to find that Finis Jhung has what he calls "Kitchen Sink" stretches in his Ballet Plus dvd.

i have a fluidity barre, but i mentioned the table in case people do not have a steady object to do the Facebook variation. i'm actually fine doing it as shown on my knees.

[Lannette]

Originally Posted by bzar

yes, and yes, except i do need to focus mentally on my inner thighs. i do lacey's workouts with a big nod to Callan's visual tips.

keeping in mind people's anatomical differences in the hip & groin area, i don't naturally feel it in my inner thighs right away.

i have a fluidity barre, but i mentioned the table in case people do not have a steady object to do the Facebook variation. i'm actually fine doing it as shown on my knees.

I didn't mean to be insensitive to anatomical differences. I'm sorry if it read that way.

Back when I did Callanetics weekly for years I never felt it in my inner thighs. I'm not honestly sure I knew I should. For some reason I am feeling a lot of the moves differently this time and am able to easily connect with muscles that were once elusive. No idea why.

[bzar]

Lannette - no offense taken. i'm a big Callanetics enthusiast. it was your praises about Lacey's workouts that influenced me to get these new offerings.

the thread about Paul Grilley (Anatomy for Yoga DVD lecture) is providing me with more insight into what works for different people. the hip/groin area is complex, apparently! i thought everyone's hip was the same.

anyhoo. the inner thighs contractions - i believe it's in the blue 10/10 book that she mentioned it, and at the time i read it (in the 80s when the book was published), i'd keep it in mind when doing the knee moves. and i just could not feel it unless i did way fewer reps, and slower.

[Elzabee5]

Hi, everyone,

This is an odd question, I think, but does anyone have trouble getting the most out of the two hips and behind exercises in Callanetics Pure and Level 2 of the Countdown?

I think of that as an odd question because these are the "hardest" exercises (besides the pelvic rotations, in my opinion) and every time I have done Callanetics regularly, I stop feeling any burn after only a few classes. I am on about class 10 this go around, I would say, and have not felt it since class 6 ot 7, say. I still feel my stomach working, and my legs from those exercises. But the hips and behind- not so much. This has been consistent every time I have done the Callanetics program regularly! I do not want to lose ground in this area!!

What am I doing wrong? I curl my pelvis and shift my leg over... I try to maintain the rotation of the leg forward as well. I do have the original Callanetics book and have read the descriptions of the exercises... but not sure what to do.

Has anyone had the same experience and (hopefully!) figured out a way to get the most out of these exercises, or know what I might be doing wrong that does not allow me to get the most out of them?

[Lannette]

Jeanine I love Grilley's Lecture DVD and books.

Elzabee5 I don't think it's an odd question at all. I'll share the stuff that's helped me and maybe it will help you.

First of all, I don't get a burn anymore. It's more of a very deep, to the Bone contraction. When I poke the working muscles while I'm doing the exercisethey are rock hard. It's so different than regular exercise. I was told, and it's proving true, that I shouldn't get terribly sore after a workout. That the soreness meant that I had been tensing muscles instead of relaxing. The idea is to relax everything except the working muscles and just allow the positioning to contract those muscles. Amazingly I can do the most intense session and I won't get sore in the typical way. What I get feels like Bone deep weariness.

If my working muscles aren't rock hard I check to see if my hip bones are stacked right over one another. Turning in my leg isn't enough I have to turn in my hip to get the hip bones stacked.

Next I check to be sure that my knee/leg isn't in front of my hip. It should be in line with the hip or slightly behind. When you pulse you don't pulse front and back, think back, back and make the pulses as tiny as you can, almost imperceptible.

I pull to Stretch/elongate my knee/leg away from my hip. This increases the muscle activation. Also I make sure that my knee is straight in the long leg position.

I check to make sure I have very little pressure on my hands and sit up a bit taller. While you're doing that be sure you aren't leaning forward or back too far. You'll know you're right when you feel things kick in.

In the floor version you can also move the front leg into a tighter bend instead of having it at right angles.

Check those things for now. I'll see if I can come upon any additional info.

[Elzabee5]

Thanks, Lannette! I will try these tips next time... hopefully one or a combination of them will do the trick

[Lannette]

You're welcome! Hope it helps.

[Elzabee5]

Lannette-

I had the chance to try out your suggestions- I had already been concentrating on keeping my leg back (pretzel) and straight (straight leg), but what made it click was your suggestion to *stack the hips* (in addition to rolling the hip forward and tilting the pelvis, which I was already doing). This made the exercise much harder and I could feel it all the way up into the back of my waist. MUCH better! I could feel everything "kick in" as you said.

Thank you so much!! Now I feel like I will not be wasting my time with the hips and behind! The rest of the program is difficult enough I want to get out of it all that I can

[Lannette]

So glad you were able to use a form tweak to turn up the muscle activation.

[PennyK]

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