Pilates exercises for beginners

Are you a beginner and have you wondered about Pilates? There are many Pilates exercises, but do they all seem overwhelming and too difficult to master? Here we have prepared for you a series of basic Pilates exercises for beginners for your Pilates test session. Consider this an introduction to Pilates. The tips are easy to follow and can be done at home. You will need a good mat to lie on while you do your beginner Pilates exercises. Let’s start:

pelvic curl

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Make sure your feet, ankles, and knees are in a straight line, hip-width apart. Inhale to start. As you exhale, tilt your pelvis by contracting your abdominal muscles and pulling your navel in toward your spine before lifting your hips, curling toward the ceiling. The hips rise, then the lower spine, and finally the middle spine. You are now resting on your shoulder blades while maintaining a straight line from your hips to your shoulders. Inhale at this point. And as you exhale, use abdominal control to roll your spine toward the floor. Start with your upper back and work your way down, vertebra by vertebra, until your lower spine rests on the floor.

chest lift

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Make sure your legs are parallel, lined up so your hip, knee, and ankle are in one line and your toes point toward you. You are in a neutral spinal position with the natural curve of your lower spine creating a slight lift off the mat. Keep your shoulders down as you bring your hands behind your head with your fingertips touching. Your hands support the back of your head, your elbows remain open throughout the exercise. Inhale to start. As you exhale, bring your chin in toward your chest as you slowly push your navel in toward your spine, allowing your spine to lengthen and your upper back to lift off the mat. Inhale to lie back on the mat.

angel arms

Lie on your back with your knees bent, legs parallel, and feet flat on the floor. The arms are down at the sides. As you inhale and leaving your shoulders down and planted on the mat, swing your arms straight out to the sides and up (like wings). It’s important to engage your abs so your ribs stay connected and don’t lift up when you move your arms. As you exhale, move your arms out to the sides again as you lower them to your sides. Again, the shoulders are down, the ribcage is down, and the abs are engaged.

Back

Begin to sit upright on the hamstrings. Legs are parallel with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your thighs just above the back of your knee. It engages the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles so that the upper body is easily supported. The shoulders are dropped and the neck is relaxed. Inhale to start. On the exhale, begin to roll back from the sit bones as you push the abs deeper into the spine. Stop at the point just before your feet leave the ground. Remember to lift from the center of your abdominal muscles, with a corresponding lengthening curve of the spine as you move away from the sit bones. Keep your midline stable and your legs parallel with a straight alignment from toe to ankle, knee to hip. Inhale while in this round back position and then exhale as you begin to straighten up and out of the curve of your spine.