Pure Power Pilates & Fitness

Swan on the Ladder Barrel. Full body extension - something our bodies need every day.

Hip Circles (a.k.a. The Hip Twist with Stretched Arms)

Two versions. First the original version. Second, a modified option if you have tight shoulders or difficulty keeping you upper back engaged. The Corkscrew is a great place to start if Hip Circles are new to you. Once you are solid with Corkscrew it’s time to up the challenge with Hip Circles!

Teaser

Trying to coordinate reaches in opposite directions in order to deepen into my abs (all of them!) to move fluidly.

Side Kicks

The crux of Pilates is learning to move from you center. In others words, controlling the movement of your body from your 360 core, which includes a lot of different muscles. Here, the challenge is moving your leg through a full range of motion while controlling the remainder of the body. Can you see the hardest part for me?

The Jack Knife

This is a fun exercise because of the changing rhythm. Smooth and flowing with SNAP to jack knife your legs straight up. No easy task because it’s another gravity defying move. The hardest part for me is staying engaged in my upper back muscles to help support me. The handles are definitely giving me the resistance to help in this version.

The Spine Twist

Of course the goal here is spinal rotation AND less obvious, pelvic stability. Why is easier to recognize the moving parts rather than the still parts?? But, you can’t control the rotation without the strong, stable parts. So, focus on abs pulling the in and staying as tall as possible so you can keep improving rotation around that strong center.

Neck Pull.

This is an exercise that makes me really appreciate a real Pilates mat. The strap makes all the difference. (Did you think, yeah, it makes it so much easier?!) Ok, in a way yes, but the strap allows me to access a deeper reach - engagement of more muscles leading to a lengthening of my spine that I might not otherwise get. Soooo, there embrace the strap - some days. Of course, on other days I do it without the strap. Because ultimately, I want that to happen within me and without the strap!