Hey Reader,

This new exercise science study came out recently, and I think it is both interesting and relevant!

So, I'm going to tell you about it.

In the study, they took a group of people with non-specific low back back pain and split them into two groups.

One group got a Pilates exercise regimen that included the cue to engage the core while doing the exercises.

The other group got the same regimen, but they got the cue to keep the abdominals relaxed while doing the exercises.

After the study was over, they were interviewed about their current level of pain and disability. And here's the part that's super interesting:

The group that was given the cue to keep their abdominals relaxed ended up with slightly better outcomes than the group that were cued to keep the abdominals engaged!

Now, this is just one small study done on a group of 152 people. The point is not that everyone needs to immediately and completely change the way they teach if they're cueing abdominal engagement. There is SO MUCH that we really don't understand about the human body! We're all just trying to do the best we can with the information that's available to us.

But this new data is supported by other studies that have shown that the idea that we should be pre-engaging muscles, or actively trying to squeeze specific muscles during exercise, doesn't actually provide much benefit. And it could potentially be hindering us by creating excessive tension in our bodies.

I was talking about this recently in the context of why we should rethink saying "squeeze your butt" so regularly!

This type of cueing, internal cueing and engagement cueing, is really common. This is definitely the kind of cueing I received early in my aerial training, and this is how I was taught to teach as I went through my Pilates instructor training.

But if you stop to think about the way the we evolved to move, it doesn't actually make a whole lot of sense. We're not supposed to be mentally controlling the engagement of individual muscles in our bodies. Our bodies are supposed to respond to the demands of the movements we make, and get more effective and efficient as we repeat movements regularly.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't be thinking about how your body is moving, or paying attention to what it feels like, or making adjustments when things aren't working well.

It means that when we allow our bodies to find a more effective way to organize and move, they're going to do what they evolved to do. And overusing our brains may be getting in the way.

I understand that these ideas may be very contrary to previous training that you've had. I certainly would have given myself the side-eye had 8 years ago me been reading this email. But as I've continued my education, opened myself up to new ideas, and seen those ideas being effective both in my personal practice and my work with students and clients, I've really changed the way I approach teaching concepts like "engagement" and "alignment".

And I enjoy both teaching this way AND moving this way so much more!

If you're interested in learning more and experiencing learning and moving with these ideas, I've got two great opportunities for you:

On Wednesday April 22nd, I'm teaching my next online class Breath, Core, and Pelvic floor, where I'll be teaching the way I approach core engagement currently.

I'll take you through the exercises I use to teach people how these systems organize and work together to create the deepest layer of support for the movement of the rest of the body, and we'll talk about how to apply it to aerial work.

Yes, you get the recording if you can't make it live!

​Sign up here!​

At the ELEVATE Aerial Teacher Training that I'm offering with Emily Scherb, this is a topic that we'll be getting way into. In fact, the whole first and second day of the training will be exploring these topics in depth.

So if you're interested in learning how to incorporate these ideas into your teaching, and start to be see the difference in how bodies respond to these different types of cues, this is the course to sign up for.

And we're extending Early Bird pricing for this training through the end of April! All you need is your deposit to lock in that price.

​Check out ELEVATE here!​

If you've got thoughts and feelings about this topic, or questions about either course, I'd love to hear them! Email me back and let's chat.

Love,

Lauren