Pilates Exercise: Double Leg Stretch

The Double Leg Stretch is a great abdominal workout. It strengthens the powerhouse while focusing on stretching and breathing. The Double Leg Stretch exercise demands upper body strength and endurance. You must focus on your breathing throughout the entire exercise without dropping your upper body to the ground.

What You’ll Need: A Pilates mat or a cushioned place to lie on the floor.

Level: Beginner.

Emphasis: Strength.

Time Required: 5 minutes.

Here’s How:

1. Lying flat on the mat, bring both knees into your chest, holding on to your ankles.

2. Inhale. Extend both arms and legs straight out at opposite 45-degree angles.

3. Stretch your arms out to the side, making a circle and exhale. Reach for your ankles as you pull your knees back into your chest.

4. Repeat 5-10 times.

Tip: Draw your stomach in to your spine. Try to stretch your sitting bones away from your powerhouse to lengthen your entire body. Keep your feet above your hip bones to avoid arching your back.

Modification: If you have knee pain, place your hands under your knees. For back pain, bring your legs higher. For shoulder pain, do not make circles with the arms, simply raise and lower them down to grab your ankles.

Advanced Challenge: When beginning the leg extension, touch the toes to the mat while the legs are still bent for deeper abdominal work.

Transition: Raise the right leg straight up in the air and hold on to your ankle with both hands to prepare for the Single Straight Leg.

View the video below for a visual demonstration.

Pilates Exercise: Single Leg Stretch

The Single Leg Stretch is a classical Pilates exercise for strengthening and toning the abdominal muscles. It trains the abdominals to initiate movement, and to support and stabilize the trunk as the arms and legs are in motion.

What You’ll Need: A Pilates mat or a cushioned place to lie on the floor.

Level: Beginner.

Emphasis: Strength.

Time Required: 5 minutes.

Here’s How:

1. Lying flat on the floor, bring your head up and your chin to your chest. Bend your right leg into your chest, placing your right hand on your right ankle, and your left hand on your right knee.

2. Lift the left leg a few inches of the mat.

3. Switch legs, pulling your left knee into your chest and stretching your right leg straight in front of you, keeping it off the mat.

4. Repeat 10 times for 5 sets.

Tip: Keep the hip and shoulders square, with a flat back and hips, knees, and feet in alignment.

Modification: If you have knee pain, place your hands under your knees. For back pain, bring your legs higher.

Advanced Challenge: Try to touch the mat with your toes when extending the leg for deeper abdominal work.

Transition: Bring both knees into your chest to prepare for the Double Leg Stretch.

View the video below for a visual demonstration.

Pilates Exercise: Rolling Like A Ball

Rolling Like a Ball is an original Pilates exercise which requires core strength to move your body smoothly, like a ball rolling back and forth. The flow of movement develops abdominal strength as well as control and balance. This rolling exercise also stimulates the spine and tunes you into the inner flow of movement and breath in the body.

What You’ll Need: A Pilates mat or a cushioned place to lie on the floor.

Level: Beginner.

Emphasis: Control.

Time Required: 5 minutes.

Here’s How:

1. From a seated position, bring your knees close to your chest.

2. Holding onto your ankles, bring your head down to your knees. Stay in a tight ball by keeping your feet close to your buttocks and the stomach pulled in.

3. Inhale. Roll back to your shoulders and exhale. Roll back up to sitting, holding the position on the up. Balance on your sitting bones for two counts.

4. Repeat 6 times.

Tip: Keep your head close to or between your knees.

Modification: If you have knee pain, try it with your knees bent, holding on to the backs of your thighs.

Advanced Challenge: Place your right hand on the left ankle and the left hand on the right wrist. Hold your feet close to your buttocks.

Transition: In a sitting position, place your right hand on your right ankle and your left hand on your right knee. Then lower your torso down to the mat while keeping your knee close to your chest for the Single Leg Stretch.

View the video below for a visual demonstration.

Pilates Exercise: Single Leg Circles

Single leg circles are one of the best Pilates exercises for testing your core strength. The abdominal muscles must work hard to keep the shoulders and pelvis stable despite the movement of the leg in the hip socket. The single leg circle also tones and stretches the thighs.

What You’ll Need: A Pilates mat or a cushioned place to lie on the floor.

Level: Beginner.

Emphasis: Mobility.

Time Required: 5 minutes.

Here’s How:

1. Lying flat on your back with your arms by your sides.

2. Reach one leg up to the ceiling, while the other leg reaches straight down the centerline of your body on the mat.

3. Slightly rotate the leg, reaching for the ceiling out from the hip. Begin to make circles, first crossing your body with your leg.

4. Start and stop the circle at your nose — the center of your body — and work within the frame of your body (the box).

5. Repeat five times, then reverse the circles five times.

Tip: initiate the movement from your hip and keep your leg loose. The energy of the circle is on the way up.

Modification: If you feel any strain in the back of your knee, keep it slightly bent.

Advanced Challenge: You can make bigger circles as long as the hips our steady.

View the video below for a visual demonstration.

Pilates Exercise: The Roll Up

The Pilates roll-up exercise works your abdominals and improves flexibility of your spine. It also stretches out your lower back and flattens your stomach.

This is a floor or mat exercise and involves rolling up your upper body while extending your arms.

What You’ll Need: A Pilates mat or a cushioned place to lie on the floor.

Level: Beginner.

Time Required: 5 minutes.

Here’s How:

1. Lie on your back with your arms and legs flat on the floor. Lift your arms back above your head so that you are stretching long. Take a few deep breaths to make sure you are breathing fully, lying straight and relaxing your muscles.

2. Breath in as you start to lift your arms toward the ceiling and slowly start rolling or peeling your upper body off the floor from your head down.

3. Breath out slowly as you curl forward, keeping your head tucked and pressing your belly-button tightly against your spine to engage your abdominals.

4. Stretch your arms and torso forward over your legs creating a C shape with your body, pushing all the air out of your lungs and feeling the stretch in your back and legs. Keep your abdominal muscles tight.

5. Inhale again as you begin to roll back, vertebra by vertebra onto the floor. Make sure you engage your abdominals again as you roll down with strength from your core.

6. Finish in the starting position with your spine flat on the floor and your arms outstretched and reaching long.

7. Pause for a moment and then repeat five to ten times. Stay focused on your breathing and keeping a smooth, continuous motion.

Tips: Keep the movement fluid and constant. Work with your abdominal muscles. Don’t straighten your spine while rolling. If you feel any stress or discomfort, hold on to your thighs until you are stronger.

Modification: Slightly bend your knees with the feet on the floor, and keep your arms by your side if you cannot roll up smoothly.

Transition: Lie flat on the mat and go into the Single Leg Circles.

View the video below for a visual demonstration.

Pilates Exercise: The Hundred

The hundred is a classic pilates exercise so named because it takes a count of 100 to complete. This exercise strengthens core abdominal muscles and expands the chest and ribcage.

The hundred is a mat exercise often used as a dynamic warm-up for the abdominals and lungs. It requires that you coordinate your breathing while raising your legs to a vertical position and waving or pulsing your arms up and down in small motions.

What You’ll Need: A Pilates mat or a cushioned place to lie on the floor.

Level: Beginner.

Emphasis: Strength.

Time Required: 5 minutes.

Here’s how:

1. Start by lying on the floor with knees bent as if you were doing sit-ups and have your arms resting palm down at your side.

2. Squeeze your abdominal muscles so that your head, neck, and shoulders raise off the floor. Keep your abdominals squeezed tightly throughout the whole exercise. Stretch your arms forward toward your toes and start pulsing them up and down a distance of about 15cm. Stay is this position for a count of 20.

3. Slowly lift your legs to a 90 degree angle with your body. Continue the pumping for a further count of 20.

4. Slowly extend your legs straight up to the ceiling and keep pumping for 20 counts.

5. Begin to lower your legs at a 45 degree diagonal to your torso and keep pumping for 20 counts.

6. Keep your legs straight and lower them as close to the ground as possible without lifting your spine off the floor and keep pumping for 20 counts.

7. Lower your head to the floor. Release your arms, bend your knees, and place your feet back on the floor.

Tip: Draw your stomach into your spine. Use the energy of the arms and hips reaching in opposition to take pressure out of the quadriceps muscles (thighs).

Modification: For lower back pain, keep the legs slightly bent or legs bent at a 90-degree angle. For neck pain, keep the head on the mat or use a cushion.

Advanced Challenge: As your abdominal muscles grow stronger, try to lower your legs as you keep them straight. You may also add more repetitions up to 200.

Transition: Bend your knees to your chest. Then lie flat on your back with your legs straight on the ground for the Roll Up.

See the video below for a visual demonstration.