Pilates is for everyone of all ages - yep that means you too boys! Pilates is a really great way to enhance your posture, tone up and work your core. Here are the top Pilates moves you need to try now!
Scissors - Great for deep core activation
This exercise is a good core workout, plus it works to strengthen the deep neck flexors to improve your posture!
Lie on your back and float your legs up to tabletop
Tap one toe to the ground, then lift it back up
Tap the other toe to the ground
For more of a challenge, tap the toe further away from you
2 x 12
2. Walking Plank - Great for improving your posture
Planks can get a bit static, so make yours a walking plank!
From your hands and knees, press up into a hover lifting your knees 1 inch up off the ground
Press the ground away and lift your head and neck away from the ground
Step your legs back to a plank one by one
Then step back to your hover. Resist the urge to hang your head, this is how you improve your head and neck posture!
Try 2 sets of 5 steps. You got this!
3. Ab Roll Up - A great ab workout
This one is tough!
Lie on your back with your arms out long and your legs stretched out
Float your hands up above your face
Use your abs to roll you all the way up to sitting
Try to keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears! You can do it!
Try 5 roll ups.
4. Book Openings - Relieves stiffness in the middle back
If you get tight in the thoracic spine (middle back) you’re not alone. Sitting all day at a computer creates so much stiffness in the middle back. The best remedy is a gentle rotation.
Lie on your side and glute your knees together
Put your hands on top of each other (like a crocodile mouth) and open one arm all the way out, then back in.
If you feel any pins and needles in your hands, bend your elbow and open with the elbow instead of a straight arm.
1 set of 8 on each side.
5. Pelvic Tilts - Great to release stiffness in the lower back
Lie on your back and plant your feet hip-width apart
Imagine you have flashlights on your pelvic bones and roll your pelvis forwards and backwards
You’ll feel your pelvis rolling which also mobilises the joints in your lumbar spine
2 x 5 slowly
Wanna try a Pilates class for Free? Check out my Youtube channel! It’s full of free classes covering everything from how to improve your posture to how to strengthen your glutes.