The Mind-Core Challenge FOR A FREE PILATES SESSION!
- Tracy Coe
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Core-Up? or Push-Up?
Words Can Change the Physical
Years ago, we wrote a blog about how words matter. Just like words can affect us mentally and emotionally (good and bad), a change in wording can also revolutionize a whole exercise!
At CoeDynamics Pilates, this is where just part of the fun comes in—engaging a client’s mind to lead to amazing changes in the body!
Taking Liberty in Renaming
The standard push-up is an exercise that possibly originated with the ancient Greeks thousands of years ago. The main muscles it benefits are the chest and the arms. When conducted with proper form, maintaining the natural curves of the spine from head to tailbone, there is a good amount of core and leg strength involved, too (see pics below).
However, keeping proper form during the exercise is rare. Improper form can result in injuries from over-utilizing the muscles of the chest and upper trapezius (see pics below). These are muscles that are already typically overused and tight in most Americans, often leading to neck, shoulder, back, hip, and even knee injuries. In addition, and unfortunately, many other muscles that could use strengthening (neck extensors, upper and lower front, back and side CORE muscles, gluteus and hamstrings) are far left-behind!
The Pilates Core-Up Challenge
What if, instead of performing a push-up, you were challenged to perform a CORE-UP! Not just in form, but also in motion?
Are you “Up” for the Challenge? – FREE Private Pilates!
(details on Free Pilates below)
Allow me to guide you:
Start with creating alignment in the form of a straight-arm plank.
Starting from the head to the tailbone, your spinal curves should maintain anatomical position.
The head should not drop below the shoulders, but instead engage neck extensors, have the neck muscles draw up towards the sky, and hold up the head weight.
Chest and arm muscles should NOT be performing the majority of the work, but should be balanced with mid-back and side trunk muscles.
With hands on the floor under shoulders and arms straight, visualize hands pulling backwards and elbows sliding up the back of the arm to the armpit (while elbows are pointed to the back) and collar bone spread open to maintain rear shoulder engagement.
No sinking or over-raised hips!
To engage the upper/lower front/back core to support the trunk weight of the body. Keep the solar plexus pulling straight to the back (keep your inner contents contained), and visualize the front hip bones being squeezed together with a tight belt.
No noodle legs, please!
With the balls of the feet on the floor and ankles in flexion, firmly press the balls of the feet as if you are trying to “push” the floor down. This should begin to activate hamstrings and inner thighs, if the foot weight is primarily kept between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ball of the foot (aka meta-tarsals). Once activated, be conscious of keeping these muscles engaged.
Now, for the Pilates Core-Up Motion!
The set-up, if you haven’t noticed, is an exercise in itself.
Exhale (keep exhaling until you need to inhale and do so through the nose).
Begin to let the elbows bend backwards, at the same time, RESIST gravity from pulling you down, by deepening the engagement of your form muscles. Bend the elbows as far as you can maintain form.
To straighten the arms rather than “pushing up” with the arms, utilize your Powerhouse Core connection to pull your body up away from the floor and visualize the elbows drawing up the back of the arms until they are straight, and keep the balls of the feet firmly pressed down to the floor.
Congratulations – Enter to Win!
Congratulations! Whether you completed one or several of the Pilates Core-Ups, you just experienced how the power of the mind can bring power to the body!
Enter to Win!
Once you take a break or even get some practice, you can enter to win a FREE Pilates Private Session with CoeDynamics (in-studio or online).
Simply video yourself, post it on IG or FB, and tag @coedynamicsfunctionalhealth by February 22nd, 2026
We will select the top 2 based upon the above program (and I have an eye for form, just ask any of CoeDynamics Pilates clients!)
The 2 winners will then be selected by votes from our IG and FB audience, and announced on February 26th, 2026
May the best form win!
Photo Credits:
Tracy Coe, cPT-PMA, c-QRA, c-EMF Functional Health & Nutrition Practitioner CoeDynamics
424.903.3104
Since 2002, Tracy Coe has been guiding people from all walks of life to look and feel GREAT, through her education and practice as a PMA- certified Pilates Teacher and as a certified-QRA, EMF Functional Health and Nutrition Practitioner. Tracy applies her continuous education and 21 years of clientele practice to support the individual, family and community. Tracy’s practice offers education and guidance in fitness programming, a nutrient dense diet, safe cleansing, toxicity prevention and creating EMF energetic harmony of your surrounding environments. In effect, allowing the body and mind to restore balance for health prevention, physical transformation, addressing specific short / long term health issues and offer vibrant living.
For more information email pilates@coe-dynamics.com or call 424.903.3104
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Health statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The health information and products on this site is for education purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. It is solely informational in nature Tracy Coe and CoeDynamics assumes no responsibility in treatment or cure of any disease or illness. The information provided verbally, written, electronically is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician. Please consult your health care practitioner before engaging in any treatments or nutritional product mentioned or suggested in these messages.
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