Lower body at-home Pilates

Lower body Pilates– Part 1

1. Donkey Kick: x12 per side

• Find a 4-point kneeling position. Wrist stacked under shoulders, knees under hips
• Keep your knee locked in a 90-degree angle, squeeze the glute to lift the leg. Push your heel towards sky

Tip: Only lift your leg as high as you can without arching through the back.

2. Hamstring Curl: x10 per side

• Start with your leg long and in line with your spine, toes pointed
• Keep your leg up (at your level), flex your foot and bend at the knee to bring your heel to your glutes

Tip: Try to articulate the point and flex of the foot. Keep your body strong and core engaged.

3. Leg Lift: x10 per side

• Start with your leg long and in line with your spine, toes pointed
• With a long leg, lift and lower, tapping your toe towards the ground

Tip: Imagine someone is to pull your toes to straighten your leg, really reach your toes away.

4. Inner Thigh Lift (Adductor): x10

• Prop yourself up on your elbow with your top leg on the ground in front of your thigh. Bottom leg out long
• Keep hips pointing forward and stay nice and strong through the upper body (push the ground away)
• Lift long leg up and down. Movement will be small
• Swap sides

Tip: Try not to rock back on hips. Little lifts are effective, make sure you feel a squeeze. Think about lifting from the ankle - this should help keep your foot from angling in.

5. Inner Thigh Lift Pulses (Adductor): x15

• Prop yourself up on your elbow with your top leg on the ground in front of your thigh. Bottom leg out long
• Keep hips pointing forward and stay nice and strong through the upper body (push the ground away)
• Lift long leg up, start pulsing (quick little lifts) leg up in the end range. Movement will be very small
• Swap sides

Tip: Have your leg at the max height you can, and then try to lift a little more as you pulse.

6. Side Lying Leg Lift: x10

• Laying on your side, head resting on arm, bottom leg bent in a 90-degree angle
• Keeping hips facing forward, slowly lift and lower the top leg
• Swap sides

Tip: Try not to rock back on hips. Avoid crunching into the waist, lift your leg only as high as you maintain control and feel the squeeze. Limit momentum, move slowly.

Lower body Pilates– Part 2

1. Side Lying Rainbows: x5 (1 rep is front and back)

• Begin by laying on your side, head resting on arm, bottom leg bent in a 90-degree angle
• Keeping hips facing forward, slowly lift the top leg - start creating a semi-circle as you lift the leg forward and arc the leg back
• Swap sides

Tip: Try not to rock back on hips. Avoid crunching into the waist, lift your leg only as high as you maintain control and feel the squeeze. When arcing forward bring your leg in line with the bottom knee, when arcing back take it just behind the body.

2. Plank with Knee Tuck: x5 per leg

• Starting in a high plank position. Wrist stacked under shoulders
• Lift 1 leg off the ground, tuck it in towards your chest
• Extend leg back, hovering it off the ground. Repeat tuck in and out
• Swap sides

Tip: Try not to let your hips lift towards the sky.

3. Lunge to hinge: x12 per side

• Find a lunge position. Hover your bottom knee off of the ground. Arms reaching towards the sky
• Hinging at the hips, bring your torso over the front knee while straightening the back leg. Sweep arms behind your hips
• Sweep your arms back towards the sky and find a starting position
• Swap sides

Tip: Stay low in your lunge. The front leg will be working the hardest to stabilise the body.

4. Lunge pulse: x16 per side

• Find a lunge position. Hover bottom knee off of the ground. Arms reaching towards the sky
• Stay low and pulse up and down an inch
• Swap sides

Tip: Stay low in your lunge.

5. Scooter: x12 per side

• Start standing with a soft bend in your knees, hinging slightly at the hips to angle your torso over your knee
• Hover one foot off the ground, arms tucked towards the side
• Balancing on one leg, lengthen the hovered foot long behind you, keeping it close to the ground, while reaching hands overhead
• Bring everything back in to find your starting position, but keep toes hovered the whole time
• Swap sides

Tip: You can use a slider for the moving leg. The balancing leg will be working the hardest to stabilise the body.

Want more? Try this upper body home Pilates workout from Aleenta Health Club.