Top Tips for Mastering the Roll Up on the Mat

The Roll Up is a Pilates classic. It looks simple, but doing it well takes real precision. When done with control, it strengthens your centre, opens your spine, and teaches you how to move with intention. When done without connection, it often ends in frustration, jerky movements, or a big heave of momentum.

Here are our top tips to help you get it right.

1. Hug Your Legs Together

Before you even start moving, glue your legs together from inner thigh to ankle. This isn’t just about keeping them neat — it’s what connects your legs into your centre. When your legs are hugging, your abdominals can fire properly.

2. Connect Arms to Back with a Pole

If your arms tend to take over, practice holding a light pole (or even a broomstick). This helps you feel how the arms link into your back, rather than tugging from the shoulders. The Roll Up should come from your centre, not your biceps.

3. Peel, Don’t Yank

Make sure it’s a Roll Up, not a throw up. Don’t heave yourself forward — instead, stay long and round as you peel your spine away from the mat. And remember: your round shape starts deep in your centre, not by collapsing your shoulders forward.

4. Modify to Build Strength

• Bring the mat to you: Place a small pillow or folded towel under your lower back. This reduces the range of motion and makes the exercise more accessible while still teaching spinal articulation.

• Squeeze a ball between your ankles: This fires up your inner thighs and deepens your centre connection, helping you stay grounded and avoid “throwing” yourself up.

• Start at the top: Sit tall with your knees bent, feet pressing firmly into the mat. Roll halfway back, keeping your spine round and your feet grounded. See how far you can go while staying connected.

5. Control the Way Down

Don’t flop! Hug your legs together, stay connected through your arms and back, and roll down with the same care you rolled up. The descent is half the exercise.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

🚫 Feet flying up — if your legs lift, you’ve lost your connection. Hug them together and press them heavy into the mat.

🚫 Throwing yourself forward — momentum takes over when the centre switches off. Slow down, stay long, and peel instead of heave.

🚫 Collapsing shoulders — rounding starts at your centre, not by hunching forward. Keep your chest wide as you roll.

Final Thought

The Roll Up isn’t about touching your toes — it’s about staying connected from legs to centre to spine. Hug your legs, connect your arms to your back, and stay long and round throughout. Done this way, it becomes one of the most powerful mat exercises you can practice.

At EQ Pilates, we break down movements like the Roll Up so you feel supported, challenged, and in control. If you’d like to work on your mat technique, our Mat classes are a great place to start.