Pilates Exercises

Swan on ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie prone on top of a stability ball.

2. Place your feet on the ground to provide support and stabilization.

3. Hold your arms parallel to your body and then proceed to extend your back and raise your shoulders and arms above parallel.

4. Your shoulders will only move a couple of inches. Do not try to hyperextend your low back. This is a slow and controlled movement.

Navagation

Pilates Exercises

Pilates breath exercise

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Start by lying on your back and placing your feet on top of a ball.

2. Keep your arms at your sides and raise them off the ground.

3. Curl your shoulders up off the ground and hold.

4. Breath rhytmically with your legs. Breathe in when bring your legs in and breath out as you extend your legs. Your arms should move up and down repeatedly at more of a 2:1 ratio to your legs.

Swan2 on ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie prone on top of a stability ball.

2. Place your hands on the ground to provide support and stabilization.

3. Hold your legs parallel to your body and then proceed to extend your back and raise your legs above parallel.

4. Your legs will only move a couple of inches. Do not try to hyperextend your low back. This is a slow and controlled movement.

Swimming 2 on ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie prone on top of a stability ball.

2. Place your legs on the ground to provide support and stabilization.

3. Hold your arms parallel to your body and then proceed to raise your arms up and down.

4. Your arms will only move a couple of inches behind your head.

Plank hold with 1 leg raise on ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Start by forming a parallel plank position with both feet on the ground and your hands on top of the stability ball.

2. Holding this parallel position raise one leg off the ground maintaining the plank position.

3. Repeat with the other leg.

4. Remember to keep your abs tight and your hips level with the rest of your body.

Plank Hold with leg raise on stability ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Start by forming a parallel plank position with both feet on top of the stability ball and your hands on the ground.

2. Holding this parallel position raise one leg off the ball maintaining the plank position.

3. Repeat with the other leg.

4. Remember to keep your abs tight and your hips level with the rest of your body.

Rollover with stability ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie on your back and place a stability ball between your legs.

2. Keeping your legs straight raise them up holding the ball and bring the ball up to about head level.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Shoulder Bridge 2 to 1 leg

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie on back with both feet on top of the stability ball and back flat on the floor.

2. Press both feet into the ball so that your hips come up off the ground.

3. While maintaining stabilization pick one leg off the ball so that you are stabilizing with just one foot on the ball.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

Single Leg Kick on Stability Ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie face down on the stability ball placed under your hips. Use your hands to support you on top of the ball.

2. Keeping your legs parallel to the ground slowly curl one leg up towards the back of your leg.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

Spine Twist with Stability Ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Sit in an upright position on a stability ball with your feet flat on the floor.

2. Hold your arms out to the side and slowly rotate your shoulders and trunk to the left side and then back to the right.

3. Your trunk and shoulders should stay together as one unit. Repeat according to prescribed repetitions.

Pilates Saw on Stability Ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Sit on stability ball with your legs straight and your arms outstretched to the side.

2. Rotate and twist your trunk so that your right hand reaches and touches your left foot.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat to the other side.

Teaser with exercise ball

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie face up with legs extended and heels on Sissel Exercise ball. Inhale. Exhale, drawing bellybutton to spine and chin to chest.

2. At the same time, lift torso off floor until you are balanced on your sitting bones and arms are extended to ceiling.

3. Extend spine in neutral position. Inhale as you balance on sitting bones and exhale as you roll down to starting position.

Teaser on disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie on a balance disc with your legs straight and arms over your head.

2. Simultaneously raise your legs and arms towards the center of your body.

3. Once your arms have reached your legs then raise your arms above your head.

4. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Dbl Leg Stretch on balance disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Start by lying on your back with a balance disc under your hips and lower back.

2. Legs should be at 90 degrees at the hip. Lower your legs together and extend them out away from your body.

3. While extending your legs raise your arms up to your head and bring them back down to your waist.

4. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Dbl Leg Stretch 2 with balance disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Start by lying on your back with a balance disc under your shoulders and upper back

2. Legs should be at 90 degrees at the hip. Lower your legs together and extend them out away from your body.

3. While extending your legs raise your arms up to your head and bring them back down to your waist.

4. Return to the starting position and repeat.

1-Leg Circle on balance disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Start by lying on your back with a balance disc under your low back and raise one leg towards the ceiling.

2. Allow your leg to fall towards the side.

3. Once your leg reaches the side then bring it back up to the top and let your leg fall toward the other foot.

4. Bring your leg back up and finish by shifting the leg to the other side.

5. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Roll up with balance disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie on your back with a balance disc under your upper back.

2. Curl up one vertebrae at a time until you are in a full sit up position.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Alt. Toe Touch with balance disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Start by sitting on the ground with your legs extended in a V-formation.

2. Keeping your back flat twist and reach with your right hand toward your opposite foot.

3. Repeat with the other hand.

Unilateral Leg Raise on balance disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1) Lie back onto floor on top of a balance disc with both knees bent and feet flat. Place hands at sides.

2) Contract abdominal muscles continuously to stabilize trunk (or tuck stomach in by drawing naval in towards spine). Lower back should be in a neutral position.

3) Start position: Straighten both legs so that they are perpendicular to floor.

4) Slowly lower one leg to approximately 45°.

5) Return to start position and repeat.

Shoulder Bridge with Balance Disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie on back with both feet on the top of a balance disc and back flat on the floor.

2. Press both feet into the disc so that your hips come up off the ground.

3. While maintaining stabilization pick one leg off the disc so that you are stabilizing with just one foot on the disc.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

Single Leg Stretch on Balance Disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie on your back with a balance disc under your low back.

2. Slowly bring one leg up to your chest and grab your leg with both hands to pull your leg slightly farther towards your chest until a stretch is felt in your hip/glute.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

Spine Stretch with Balance Disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Sit on balance disc with your legs straight out in front of you.

2. Holding your arms out straight slowly bend forward towards your feet.

3. Bend forward one vertebrae at a time and work your way down the spine.

4. Return to the starting position by straightening one vertebrae at a time until you are sitting upright.

Side Kick with balance disc

Pilates

Instructions:

1. Lie on side with body aligned and SiFit under waist. Place top hand on hip. Inhale. With bottom leg slightly bent and resting on floor, exhale and extend top leg forward until knee and foot are aligned with hip.

2. Inhale as you bend top leg, then exhale as you extend it toward ceiling.

3. Maintain neutral posture as leg moves.

4. Perform the prescribed repetitions and repeat with the other side.