Squat
If you have ever squatted down to pick up a child or something off the floor and had a hard time standing back up, you need to practice this exercise and work those muscles.
Beginning with your feet shoulder width apart, place your hands on your hips, lift your chest and draw your shoulders down your back, pull your navel inward to engage your core muscles. Inhale as you lower your hips down. Now exhale as you stand back up. Push your heels into the floor as you straighten.
Photo of Squat
☺Take it to the Next Level: Holding dumbbells in both hands, try to get the back knee low to the ground without sacrificing form.
Photo of Squat with Dumbbells
Caution! Always keep the knees behind the toes, chest lifted. Try to look slightly upward instead of down to the ground.
Lunge
Excellent for stretching the muscles in the calves and ankles, lunges are a great way to prepare your muscles for long walks or runs.
Standing with your feet together, place your hands on your hips, lift your chest and draw your shoulders down your back, pull your navel inward to engage core muscles. Inhale, step with your right foot forward and lower your left knee towards the ground, as you exhale step back with your right foot to a standing position. Hold your shoulders squarely on top of your pelvic area. Repeat on the left side, lowering your right knee to the ground and then stepping back with your left foot.
Photo of Lunge
☺Take it to the Next Level: Holding dumbbells, try to get the back knee as low to the ground without sacrificing proper form.
Photo of Lunge with Dumbbells
Caution! Always keep the knees behind the toes, chest lifted. Look straight ahead instead of down to the ground.
Shoulder Bridge
Lying supine on a mat, bend your knees and place your feet hips width apart, arms extended by your sides, palms facing downward, elbows extended with your shoulder blades reaching down your back. Draw your navel inward towards your spine and press your lower back down towards the mat keeping your chin level. Inhale, lift your hips away from the mat by rolling up one vertebrae at a time, exhale return your hips to the mat again rolling one vertebrae at a time.
Photo of Shoulder Bridge
☺Take it to the Next Level: Try doing a single leg shoulder bridge keeping the knees and thighs together without sacrificing proper form.
Photo of single leg shoulder bridge
Caution! Always keep the knees and ankles hips width apart. Look straight up to the ceiling keeping chin level. Remember to keep the navel drawn inward towards the spine.
Donkey Kicks
Beginning in quadruped, your knees directly below your hips and your hands directly below your shoulders, navel drawn inward towards your spine and your shoulders reaching down your back, inhale, lift your right heel towards the ceiling with your knee remaining bent. Exhale, lower your knee back to the mat. Repeat on the left side.
Photo of Donkey Kick
☺Take it to the Next Level: Use a dumbbell behind the knee and try to lift the leg as high as without a dumbbell while maintaining proper form.
Photo of Donkey Kick with Dumbbell
Caution! Always keep the pelvic area stable as the leg lifts and lowers. Never allow the pelvis to rock forward and back
Side Lying Leg Lifts
Lying on your right side with forearm on the mat, shoulders drawn away from your ears with your elbow directly below your shoulder, inhale, lift your right leg up with ankle flexed. Exhale, lower your leg back to the mat with your ankle extended. Repeat eight times then switch to the left side.
Photo of Side Lying leg lift
☺Take it to the Next Level: Use an ankle weight and lift leg as high as without an ankle weight while maintaining proper form.
Photo of Leg Lift with Ankle weight
Caution! Always maintain navel to spine, spine long and lengthened, and shoulders away from ears. Reach the leg as long as you can keeping the knee extended.
Pilates Hip Circles
Lying supine on a mat, with your chin level, shoulder blades reaching down your back, arms extended by your side, palms facing down, navel drawn inward towards your spine, raise your right leg, with toes pointing towards the ceiling. Inhale, circle your leg to the right, then forward then across to the left and back to the starting position. Repeat eight times then switch to the left leg.
Photo of leg pilates hip circle
☺Take it to the Next Level: Use an ankle weight and lift leg as high as without an ankle weight while maintaining proper form.
Photo of leg pilates hip circle with ankle weight
Caution! Always maintain navel to spine, spine long and lengthened, and shoulders away from ears. Reach the leg as long as you can keeping the knee extended and the pelvis level on the mat.
Pilates Long Levers
Lying supine on a mat, with chin level, shoulder blades reaching down your back, arms extended by your side with palms facing down, navel drawn inward towards your spine, bring your legs to table top (knees bent at 90 degrees directly above the hips) ankles extended and your toes pointed. Inhale, lower your toes to the mat, exhale bring your knees back to the starting position. Repeat eight times.
Photo of leg pilates long levers bent knees
☺Take it to the Next Level: Try extending the knees and lowering the entire legs to the mat maintaining proper form especially low back on the mat throughout the range of motion.
Photo of leg pilates long levers straight knees.
Pilates Single Leg Stretch
Lying supine on a mat with your legs extended on the mat, draw your navel inward towards your spine and press your lower back down towards the mat. Keep the spine long, your chin level, shoulder blades on the mat, back of your ribcage on the mat, and low back on the mat, arms extended with palms down by your sides. Inhale, draw right knee towards your body while extending your left leg with toes reaching away from your body, exhale draw your left knee towards your body, your right leg extending with your toes reaching away from your body. Repeat eight times.
Photo Pilates Single Leg Stretch
☺Take it to the Next Level: Roll the upper body off the mat. Keep looking down towards the navel with shoulder blades reaching down
Photo of with upper body rolled off the mat
Caution! Always keep the navel drawn inward towards the spine, low back on the mat.
Pilates Double Leg Stretch
Lying supine on a mat, draw your navel inward towards your spine, press your low back down towards the mat with your legs in tabletop. Keep the spine long, your chin level, shoulder blades on the mat, back of the ribcage on the mat, and low back on the mat, your arms bent with palms facing your ears. Inhale, extend your arms overhead and your legs forward. Exhale, returning to start position. Repeat eight times.
Photo of Pilates Double Leg Stretch
☺Take it to the Next Level: Roll the upper body off the mat. Keep looking down towards the navel with shoulder blades reaching down your back.
Photo of upper body rolled off the mat.
Caution! Always keep the navel drawn inward towards the spine, low back on the mat. Never allow the low back to arch away from the mat. If the shoulders are an issue, do not fully extend the arms overhead.
Pilates Bicycle
Lying supine on a mat, draw your navel inward towards your spine, press your low back down towards the mat with your legs in tabletop. Keep the spine long, your chin level, shoulder blades on the mat, back of the ribcage on the mat, and low back on the mat, your fingertips behind your ears. Inhale, roll your torso up drawing your right knee towards your body and extending your left leg away while rotating your spine bringing your left shoulder towards your right knee. Remain rolled up and switch sides bringing your left knee towards your body, your right leg extended and right shoulder towards your left knee. Repeat eight times.
Photo of Pilates Bicycle
☺Take it to the Next Level: Use an ankle weight while performing this exercise without sacrificing proper form.
Photo of Pilates bicycle with ankle weights
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