In pilates, we often work toward “lengthening,” “opening,” and “creating space” in the body.
But what exactly does this mean and how is it achieved?
To enhance movement quality and avoid reinforcing dysfunction, it’s important to distinguish between two common but often misunderstood concepts: tension and tightness.
Functional Flexibility
The pilates method emphasizes control, precision, and efficient movement patterns.
Flexibility, in this context, is not about passive range of motion but about the capacity to move freely with optimal alignment, strength and control.
Flexibility limitations are often misattributed solely to muscle “tightness,” but more often, they are due to excessive or inappropriate tension.
Tension
This refers to neuromuscular holding patterns, often driven by poor movement strategies, compensation, or the body perceiving instability. For instance, you may grip in the hip flexor muscles not because they are tight, but because the abdominal muscles aren’t conditioned to coordinate with the movement of the spine and pelvis.
Tightness
This is more likely structural or myofascial in nature—true shortening or rigidity in the tissues that limits length and range of motion. An example might be a stooped upper back due to fascial restrictions in the chest and front of the hips.
Some common signs of tension overriding functional mobility include, shoulder elevation, gripping in the glutes or hip flexors, jaw tension and shallow breathing, locked elbows and wrists.
These are not just signs of muscle tightness—they are signs of inefficient neuromuscular coordination, or tension mismanagement.
The original pilates method has ingrained in it exercises the management of the balance between tension and tightness.
To decrease tension, we under train overactive muscles and establish functional activation of underactive muscles and use the breath to destress the mind and tense muscles.
To decrease tightness, we mobilize joints and restricted myofascial tissue with end of range movements, dynamic stretching and joint mobilisation.
It’s essential to customize a pilates program based on what your body actually needs, rather than just doing random stretches and hoping for the best outcome.
In pilates, we don’t just stretch—we educate the nervous system, restore balance to movement systems, and create intelligent flexibility.
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