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Week 2 of March MATness

March MATness, Pilates in Your Life

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March 7, 2020

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The madness continues with Week 2 of March MATness! This week we’ll see our first twisting exercises with Corkscrew and Saw. We’ll also introduce some gentle extension, or back bending exercises, with Swan Dive and Double Leg Kicks.

We LOVE seeing your March MATness posts to Facebook and Instagram. Keep them coming all month long! Remember, to play along, post a picture or video of you doing that day’s exercises and tag Northwoods Pilates to be entered into our PRIZE drawings!

MARCH 8: SPINE STRETCH

  • Hashtag: #spinestretch
  • Repetitions: 5
  • Exercise: Inhale and sit tall with your legs hip-distance apart and both arms reaching up toward the ceiling. Exhale and round your spine forward so that your hands reach toward your shins/ankles/feet. The movement is a rounding of the spine and not simply a hinge at the hips to see how far you can reach.
  • Modifications: If it’s difficult to sit tall with both legs straight, feel free to bend the knees. If it’s difficult to reach both arms straight up toward the ceiling because of tight shoulders, feel free to take the arms further apart.

MARCH 9: OPEN LEG ROCKER

  • Hashtag: #openlegrocker #rockerwithopenlegs
  • Repetitions: 5-8
  • Exercise: Start balanced on your sitz bones with your spine in a C curve and your legs outstretched to 45 degrees with your hands behind your calves. Inhale to roll back to your shoulders and exhale to roll back up. Your legs will stay hip-distance apart the whole time.
  • Modifications: Altering your hand position will affect the difficulty of this exercise. Taking the hands lower behind the legs will be easier and taking them higher to the toes will be the most challenging. If you do not want to roll through your spine, you can do the “mini rocks” version of Open Leg Rocker where you start in the same position and then rock back 1 inch, catch your balance, and then rock back up.

MARCH 10: CORKSCREW

  • Hashtag: #corkscrew
  • Repetitions: 5 each direction
  • Exercise: There are two versions of corkscrew.
    • Hips down. In this first version, start lying back with your hands under your hips to make a little cushion. Both legs reach straight up to the ceiling, hugging together. Inhale and draw a small circle with both legs in one direction and then exhale and draw another small circle in the other direction.
    • Hips up. In this more advanced version, start lifted in a jackknife position. Roll down through one side of your spine, bringing your legs out to make a large circle before rolling back up through the other side of the spine. Switch directions and repeat.
  • Modifications: The hips-down version with smaller circles will be easier to start.

MARCH 11: SAW

  • Hashtag: #saw
  • Repetitions: 5 each direction
  • Exercise: Sit tall with legs wider than hip-distance apart, but still comfortable. Reach both arms out at your sides at shoulder height. Inhale and twist your arms so that one reaches toward the opposite foot and the other reaches behind you (like a windmill). Exhale and stack back tall with both arms outstretched. Repeat on the other side. Your goal is to keep your hips still during this movement so that the twisting is from your ribcage.
  • Modifications: If the backs of your legs are tight, you can bend your knees.

MARCH 12: SWAN DIVE

  • Hashtag: #swan #swandive
  • Repetitions: 6-8
  • Exercise:
    • Swan. Start lying on your stomach with your forehead reaching toward the floor, your elbows bent up toward the ceiling, and your hands under your shoulders. If it doesn’t cause tension in your low back, hug both legs together. Inhale and lift the head and chest into a gentle back bend. You can support the movement by pressing your hands into the floor, but most of the lifting should come from your upper back and core muscles. Exhale and lower back down.
    • Swan Dive. Swan dive starts the same as Swan except after lifting the spine up, you reach both arms out overhead sending your body into a rocking dive. You can also do a modified Swan Dive where the hands stay under your shoulders, and you push up with them each time and then let go to rock forward.
  • Modifications: Start with Swan and work on gentle extension before progressing to Swan Dive.

MARCH 13: SINGLE LEG KICKS

  • Hashtag: #singlelegkick #onelegkick
  • Repetitions: 8 each leg
  • Exercise: Start in a modified half-plank. Your weight will be on your forearms, and hips will be trying to stay connected to the floor. Pull the belly up toward your spine. Note: your belly may still be touching the floor even if you are pulling it up, and that is just fine. Try not to crunch the shoulders up by the ears. On an inhale, bend one leg at the knee to kick your foot toward your bottom two times. Exhale and repeat on the other leg. Try very hard not to let the upper half of your body wobble as you do the kicks.
  • Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your stomach, you can put a pad under your hips. To make the exercise more challenging, you can add footwork to the kicks. Flex the foot on the first kick. Point the toes on the second kick. Point the toes to bring the leg back down to its starting position.

MARCH 14: DOUBLE LEG KICKS

  • Hashtag: #doublelegkick
  • Repetitions: 3 each direction
  • Exercise: Start lying flat on your stomach with your head turned to one side so that one cheek is resting on the mat. Both hands will rest – one on top of the other – on your low back, and both legs will hug together. Take an inhale to prepare. Exhale and kick both legs, bending at the knees, three times toward your bottom. Inhale and bring your feet down to the mat, head and chest lift up and forward, and arms reach long down by your hips.
  • Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your stomach, you can put a pad under your hips. To make the exercise more challenging, you can hook your thumbs together as you lift the head and chest to get a deeper chest and shoulder stretch.

The madness continues with Week 2 of March MATness! This week we’ll see our first twisting exercises with Corkscrew and Saw. We’ll also introduce some gentle extension, or back bending exercises, with Swan Dive and Double Leg Kicks.

We LOVE seeing your March MATness posts to Facebook and Instagram. Keep them coming all month long! Remember, to play along, post a picture or video of you doing that day’s exercises and tag Northwoods Pilates to be entered into our PRIZE drawings!

MARCH 8: SPINE STRETCH

  • Hashtag: #spinestretch
  • Repetitions: 5
  • Exercise: Inhale and sit tall with your legs hip-distance apart and both arms reaching up toward the ceiling. Exhale and round your spine forward so that your hands reach toward your shins/ankles/feet. The movement is a rounding of the spine and not simply a hinge at the hips to see how far you can reach.
  • Modifications: If it’s difficult to sit tall with both legs straight, feel free to bend the knees. If it’s difficult to reach both arms straight up toward the ceiling because of tight shoulders, feel free to take the arms further apart.

MARCH 9: OPEN LEG ROCKER

  • Hashtag: #openlegrocker #rockerwithopenlegs
  • Repetitions: 5-8
  • Exercise: Start balanced on your sitz bones with your spine in a C curve and your legs outstretched to 45 degrees with your hands behind your calves. Inhale to roll back to your shoulders and exhale to roll back up. Your legs will stay hip-distance apart the whole time.
  • Modifications: Altering your hand position will affect the difficulty of this exercise. Taking the hands lower behind the legs will be easier and taking them higher to the toes will be the most challenging. If you do not want to roll through your spine, you can do the “mini rocks” version of Open Leg Rocker where you start in the same position and then rock back 1 inch, catch your balance, and then rock back up.

MARCH 10: CORKSCREW

  • Hashtag: #corkscrew
  • Repetitions: 5 each direction
  • Exercise: There are two versions of corkscrew.
    • Hips down. In this first version, start lying back with your hands under your hips to make a little cushion. Both legs reach straight up to the ceiling, hugging together. Inhale and draw a small circle with both legs in one direction and then exhale and draw another small circle in the other direction.
    • Hips up. In this more advanced version, start lifted in a jackknife position. Roll down through one side of your spine, bringing your legs out to make a large circle before rolling back up through the other side of the spine. Switch directions and repeat.
  • Modifications: The hips-down version with smaller circles will be easier to start.

MARCH 11: SAW

  • Hashtag: #saw
  • Repetitions: 5 each direction
  • Exercise: Sit tall with legs wider than hip-distance apart, but still comfortable. Reach both arms out at your sides at shoulder height. Inhale and twist your arms so that one reaches toward the opposite foot and the other reaches behind you (like a windmill). Exhale and stack back tall with both arms outstretched. Repeat on the other side. Your goal is to keep your hips still during this movement so that the twisting is from your ribcage.
  • Modifications: If the backs of your legs are tight, you can bend your knees.

MARCH 12: SWAN DIVE

  • Hashtag: #swan #swandive
  • Repetitions: 6-8
  • Exercise:
    • Swan. Start lying on your stomach with your forehead reaching toward the floor, your elbows bent up toward the ceiling, and your hands under your shoulders. If it doesn’t cause tension in your low back, hug both legs together. Inhale and lift the head and chest into a gentle back bend. You can support the movement by pressing your hands into the floor, but most of the lifting should come from your upper back and core muscles. Exhale and lower back down.
    • Swan Dive. Swan dive starts the same as Swan except after lifting the spine up, you reach both arms out overhead sending your body into a rocking dive. You can also do a modified Swan Dive where the hands stay under your shoulders, and you push up with them each time and then let go to rock forward.
  • Modifications: Start with Swan and work on gentle extension before progressing to Swan Dive.

MARCH 13: SINGLE LEG KICKS

  • Hashtag: #singlelegkick #onelegkick
  • Repetitions: 8 each leg
  • Exercise: Start in a modified half-plank. Your weight will be on your forearms, and hips will be trying to stay connected to the floor. Pull the belly up toward your spine. Note: your belly may still be touching the floor even if you are pulling it up, and that is just fine. Try not to crunch the shoulders up by the ears. On an inhale, bend one leg at the knee to kick your foot toward your bottom two times. Exhale and repeat on the other leg. Try very hard not to let the upper half of your body wobble as you do the kicks.
  • Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your stomach, you can put a pad under your hips. To make the exercise more challenging, you can add footwork to the kicks. Flex the foot on the first kick. Point the toes on the second kick. Point the toes to bring the leg back down to its starting position.

MARCH 14: DOUBLE LEG KICKS

  • Hashtag: #doublelegkick
  • Repetitions: 3 each direction
  • Exercise: Start lying flat on your stomach with your head turned to one side so that one cheek is resting on the mat. Both hands will rest – one on top of the other – on your low back, and both legs will hug together. Take an inhale to prepare. Exhale and kick both legs, bending at the knees, three times toward your bottom. Inhale and bring your feet down to the mat, head and chest lift up and forward, and arms reach long down by your hips.
  • Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your stomach, you can put a pad under your hips. To make the exercise more challenging, you can hook your thumbs together as you lift the head and chest to get a deeper chest and shoulder stretch.

The madness continues with Week 2 of March MATness! This week we’ll see our first twisting exercises with Corkscrew and Saw. We’ll also introduce some gentle extension, or back bending exercises, with Swan Dive and Double Leg Kicks.

We LOVE seeing your March MATness posts to Facebook and Instagram. Keep them coming all month long! Remember, to play along, post a picture or video of you doing that day’s exercises and tag Northwoods Pilates to be entered into our PRIZE drawings!

MARCH 8: SPINE STRETCH

  • Hashtag: #spinestretch
  • Repetitions: 5
  • Exercise: Inhale and sit tall with your legs hip-distance apart and both arms reaching up toward the ceiling. Exhale and round your spine forward so that your hands reach toward your shins/ankles/feet. The movement is a rounding of the spine and not simply a hinge at the hips to see how far you can reach.
  • Modifications: If it’s difficult to sit tall with both legs straight, feel free to bend the knees. If it’s difficult to reach both arms straight up toward the ceiling because of tight shoulders, feel free to take the arms further apart.

MARCH 9: OPEN LEG ROCKER

  • Hashtag: #openlegrocker #rockerwithopenlegs
  • Repetitions: 5-8
  • Exercise: Start balanced on your sitz bones with your spine in a C curve and your legs outstretched to 45 degrees with your hands behind your calves. Inhale to roll back to your shoulders and exhale to roll back up. Your legs will stay hip-distance apart the whole time.
  • Modifications: Altering your hand position will affect the difficulty of this exercise. Taking the hands lower behind the legs will be easier and taking them higher to the toes will be the most challenging. If you do not want to roll through your spine, you can do the “mini rocks” version of Open Leg Rocker where you start in the same position and then rock back 1 inch, catch your balance, and then rock back up.

MARCH 10: CORKSCREW

  • Hashtag: #corkscrew
  • Repetitions: 5 each direction
  • Exercise: There are two versions of corkscrew.
    • Hips down. In this first version, start lying back with your hands under your hips to make a little cushion. Both legs reach straight up to the ceiling, hugging together. Inhale and draw a small circle with both legs in one direction and then exhale and draw another small circle in the other direction.
    • Hips up. In this more advanced version, start lifted in a jackknife position. Roll down through one side of your spine, bringing your legs out to make a large circle before rolling back up through the other side of the spine. Switch directions and repeat.
  • Modifications: The hips-down version with smaller circles will be easier to start.

MARCH 11: SAW

  • Hashtag: #saw
  • Repetitions: 5 each direction
  • Exercise: Sit tall with legs wider than hip-distance apart, but still comfortable. Reach both arms out at your sides at shoulder height. Inhale and twist your arms so that one reaches toward the opposite foot and the other reaches behind you (like a windmill). Exhale and stack back tall with both arms outstretched. Repeat on the other side. Your goal is to keep your hips still during this movement so that the twisting is from your ribcage.
  • Modifications: If the backs of your legs are tight, you can bend your knees.

MARCH 12: SWAN DIVE

  • Hashtag: #swan #swandive
  • Repetitions: 6-8
  • Exercise:
    • Swan. Start lying on your stomach with your forehead reaching toward the floor, your elbows bent up toward the ceiling, and your hands under your shoulders. If it doesn’t cause tension in your low back, hug both legs together. Inhale and lift the head and chest into a gentle back bend. You can support the movement by pressing your hands into the floor, but most of the lifting should come from your upper back and core muscles. Exhale and lower back down.
    • Swan Dive. Swan dive starts the same as Swan except after lifting the spine up, you reach both arms out overhead sending your body into a rocking dive. You can also do a modified Swan Dive where the hands stay under your shoulders, and you push up with them each time and then let go to rock forward.
  • Modifications: Start with Swan and work on gentle extension before progressing to Swan Dive.

MARCH 13: SINGLE LEG KICKS

  • Hashtag: #singlelegkick #onelegkick
  • Repetitions: 8 each leg
  • Exercise: Start in a modified half-plank. Your weight will be on your forearms, and hips will be trying to stay connected to the floor. Pull the belly up toward your spine. Note: your belly may still be touching the floor even if you are pulling it up, and that is just fine. Try not to crunch the shoulders up by the ears. On an inhale, bend one leg at the knee to kick your foot toward your bottom two times. Exhale and repeat on the other leg. Try very hard not to let the upper half of your body wobble as you do the kicks.
  • Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your stomach, you can put a pad under your hips. To make the exercise more challenging, you can add footwork to the kicks. Flex the foot on the first kick. Point the toes on the second kick. Point the toes to bring the leg back down to its starting position.

MARCH 14: DOUBLE LEG KICKS

  • Hashtag: #doublelegkick
  • Repetitions: 3 each direction
  • Exercise: Start lying flat on your stomach with your head turned to one side so that one cheek is resting on the mat. Both hands will rest – one on top of the other – on your low back, and both legs will hug together. Take an inhale to prepare. Exhale and kick both legs, bending at the knees, three times toward your bottom. Inhale and bring your feet down to the mat, head and chest lift up and forward, and arms reach long down by your hips.
  • Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your stomach, you can put a pad under your hips. To make the exercise more challenging, you can hook your thumbs together as you lift the head and chest to get a deeper chest and shoulder stretch.

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Stay 
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Hey there!
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