Pilates exercises for beginners

Are you a beginner and have you ever wondered about Pilates? There are many Pilates exercises, but do they all seem daunting 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 doing your Pilates exercises for beginners. Let’s start:

Pelvic curl

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your 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 activating your abdominal muscles and pulling your navel toward your spine before lifting your hips, curving toward the ceiling. The hips rise, then the lower spine, and finally the mid 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 the abdominal control to roll your spine toward the floor. Start at the upper back and work your way down, vertebra by vertebra, until the lower part of the spine rests on the floor.

Chest lift

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Make sure your legs are parallel, aligned so that your hip, knee, and ankle are in one line and your toes are pointing away from you. You are in a neutral spine position with the natural curve of the 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 to your chest as you slowly pull your navel 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, your legs parallel, and your feet flat on the floor. The arms are at the sides. As you inhale and leave your shoulders down and implanted on the mat, slide your arms straight out to the sides and up (like wings). It is important to activate the abs so that the ribs stay connected and do not jump when moving the arms. As you exhale, swing your arms out to the sides again while lowering them to the sides. Again, the shoulders are down, the rib cage is down, and the abs are active.

Back

Begin to sit upright on the bones of your seat. The legs are parallel with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your thighs just above the back of the knee. Engage your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles so your upper body is supported easily. The shoulders drop and the neck is relaxed. Inhale to start. On the exhale, begin rolling back from the seat bones as you bring your abs deeper into your spine. Stop at the point just before your feet lift off the floor. Remember to lift from the center of the abdominal muscles, with the corresponding elongation curve of the spine as you withdraw from the seat bones. Keep the midline of the body stable and the legs parallel with a straight alignment from toe to ankle, knee to hip. Inhale while in this rounded back position, and then exhale as you begin to straighten out of the curve of your spine.