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Week 3 of March MATness showcases the brilliance of Joseph Pilates’ work, with a focus on core strengthening, moving through our spines, and hip work.
Some of these exercises are more advanced – Neck Pull, Scissors, Bicycle, Jackknife, and Teaser – but every one can be modified or substituted with a variation that meets you where you are in your practice.
Please continue to share your March MATness posts to Facebook and Instagram. We’ll be drawing our second prize this week, a set of massage balls, and then we’ll jump right into another competition for a Northwoods Pilates t-shirt. Remember, to be entered to win, post a picture or video of you doing that day’s exercises and tag Northwoods Pilates.
MARCH 15: NECK PULL
- Hashtag: #neckpull
- Repetitions: 5
- Exercise: Sit tall with your legs hip-distance apart. If you have access to a strap, you can tuck your feet under it to provide you with an anchor. Reach your arms out in front of you and hinge your spine back as far as you can with your core muscles strong. When you cannot hinge further, articulate your spine down and attempt to roll the rest of the way to the mat until you’re lying flat with your arms back overhead. Inhale to curl your spine back forward just like a roll-up, and exhale the rest of the way forward.
- Modifications: If you don’t have a foot strap, you can do this exercise without it (more difficult), or you can tuck your feet under the edge of a couch, put on shoes, or rest something with a little heft to it on your feet. You can also hold something light in your hands to make this movement easier (e.g., playground ball, Magic Circle). To make the exercise more challenging, place both hands behind your head.
MARCH 16: SCISSORS AND BICYCLE
- Hashtag: #scissors #bicycle
- Repetitions: 3 each leg for Scissors; 3 each direction for Bicycle
- Exercise:
- Scissors. Start lying flat on your back. Lift the legs and hips as if you were doing a jackknife, and then bring both hands underneath your hips so that your hips are resting on your hands with your elbows bent and the upper half of the arms resting on the mat. Slowly, shift as much of your weight into your hands as possible without tipping over. With both legs reaching up to the ceiling/out toward 45 degrees, slowly lower one leg straight away on an inhale and then exhale and bring that leg back up as the other one lowers.
- Bicycle. After Scissors, keep the same position of the body and move the legs as if you were riding a giant bicycle. Reverse the legs as if you were riding the giant bicycle in reverse.
- Modifications: Scissors and Bicycle are both performed with the hips lifted in Joseph Pilates’ book. However, they can both be done with your hips down on the ground, or even with the hips resting on top of your hands to give a tiny lift. The leg movements are the same, but the upper half of the body stays flat on the mat. You could also try Scissors in your upper ab curl where each time you bring one leg up toward the ceiling, both hands grab the leg and pull it gently two times toward your chest. This will give you an added hamstring stretch.
MARCH 17: SHOULDER BRIDGE
- Hashtag: #shoulderbridge
- Repetitions: 3 each leg; two sets of kicks
- Exercise:
- Shoulder bridge. Start lying flat on your back with your knees bent so that both feet are planted on the mat, about hip-distance apart. You spine should start with a natural curve. Inhale and tuck your tail back to close the space under the low back as you start to lift your hips and spine up off the mat one vertebrae at a time. Exhale and lower back down starting at the top of the spine and releasing piece by piece until your hips rest on the mat again.
- Kicks Set 1. The first set of kicks is traditionally done while the hands are still under your hips so that your spine is in a bit of extension. Start with three kicks of the right leg up toward the ceiling. Point as you lift the leg, flex the foot to come down, and then switch to the left leg.
- Kicks Set 2. The second set of kicks is done is in your shoulder bridge, but without hands under the hips. Start with the left leg this time. Flex the foot to lift the leg and point the foot to come back down. Repeat on the right leg.
- Order. After bicycle, keep your hands under your hips and carefully bring the feet down to the mat. Start with your first set of kicks. Remove the hands from under your hips and do 4 repetitions of shoulder bridge. Follow with the second set of kicks.
- Modifications: If having the hands under your hips is too intense, you can do shoulder bridge without extension. Likewise, if adding the kicks is too much, either skip them completely, or come up into your bridge and (a) hold the position for a few extra seconds to gain strength; or (b) try marching by lifting alternate legs off of the ground for a quick second.
MARCH 18: SPINE TWIST
- Hashtag: #spinetwist
- Repetitions: 3 each direction
- Exercise: Sit tall with both legs in front of you, hugging together. Extend the arms out at your sides at shoulder height. Take an inhale to prepare. Exhale and twist through the ribcage twice in one direction. Inhale to return to center, and exhale to twist to the other side.
- Modifications: If it’s difficult to sit tall, try bending your knees.
MARCH 19: JACKKNIFE
- Hashtag: #jackknife
- Repetitions: 3-5
- Exercise: Start lying flat on your back with your arms pressing down into the mat beside your hips. Inhale and lift both legs, hugged together, back toward your head until your hips lift off the ground. Exhale and slowly lower the hips back down to the mat and then reach the legs away to 45 degrees.
- Modifications: If lifting the hips off the ground is difficult try (a) baby jackknife where you lift the hips one inch and then place them back down; or (b) hold onto something sturdy overhead – like the legs of a heavy chair – to give you more support. You can also try taking the arms out wider from your sides if your shoulders feel tight.
MARCH 20: SIDE LEG KICKS
- Hashtag: #sidelegkicks #sidekick
- Repetitions: 3-5 each leg
- Exercise: Lie on your side with both legs extended in front of your body at about 45 degrees. Depending on the comfort of your head/neck/shoulder, you can either bend the bottom elbow and support your head in your hand, or lie flat on your arm. Lift the top leg to hip height and sweep it forward with your foot flexed for two pulses and then back with the toes pointed for two pulses.
- Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your arm, you can rest your head on a pillow.
MARCH 21: TEASER
- Hashtag: #teaser
- Repetitions: 4-6, any variation
- Exercise: Start lying on your back with your legs at tabletop and one hand pressing into the back of each thigh. Inhale and tuck your chin forward as you start to straighten the legs and curl up until you’re balancing on your sitz bones. Exhale, bend the knees, and slowly roll back down.
- Modifications: There are many variations of teaser. The above version is a great place to start. To make it more difficult, try these variations.
- Same bent-leg version without holding on to the legs.
- Start from a completely flat lying-back position, and lift into your balanced position with straight legs.
- Start with both legs reaching toward the ceiling at 45 degrees and then come up into your teaser without dropping the legs.
Week 3 of March MATness showcases the brilliance of Joseph Pilates’ work, with a focus on core strengthening, moving through our spines, and hip work.
Some of these exercises are more advanced – Neck Pull, Scissors, Bicycle, Jackknife, and Teaser – but every one can be modified or substituted with a variation that meets you where you are in your practice.
Please continue to share your March MATness posts to Facebook and Instagram. We’ll be drawing our second prize this week, a set of massage balls, and then we’ll jump right into another competition for a Northwoods Pilates t-shirt. Remember, to be entered to win, post a picture or video of you doing that day’s exercises and tag Northwoods Pilates.
MARCH 15: NECK PULL
- Hashtag: #neckpull
- Repetitions: 5
- Exercise: Sit tall with your legs hip-distance apart. If you have access to a strap, you can tuck your feet under it to provide you with an anchor. Reach your arms out in front of you and hinge your spine back as far as you can with your core muscles strong. When you cannot hinge further, articulate your spine down and attempt to roll the rest of the way to the mat until you’re lying flat with your arms back overhead. Inhale to curl your spine back forward just like a roll-up, and exhale the rest of the way forward.
- Modifications: If you don’t have a foot strap, you can do this exercise without it (more difficult), or you can tuck your feet under the edge of a couch, put on shoes, or rest something with a little heft to it on your feet. You can also hold something light in your hands to make this movement easier (e.g., playground ball, Magic Circle). To make the exercise more challenging, place both hands behind your head.
MARCH 16: SCISSORS AND BICYCLE
- Hashtag: #scissors #bicycle
- Repetitions: 3 each leg for Scissors; 3 each direction for Bicycle
- Exercise:
- Scissors. Start lying flat on your back. Lift the legs and hips as if you were doing a jackknife, and then bring both hands underneath your hips so that your hips are resting on your hands with your elbows bent and the upper half of the arms resting on the mat. Slowly, shift as much of your weight into your hands as possible without tipping over. With both legs reaching up to the ceiling/out toward 45 degrees, slowly lower one leg straight away on an inhale and then exhale and bring that leg back up as the other one lowers.
- Bicycle. After Scissors, keep the same position of the body and move the legs as if you were riding a giant bicycle. Reverse the legs as if you were riding the giant bicycle in reverse.
- Modifications: Scissors and Bicycle are both performed with the hips lifted in Joseph Pilates’ book. However, they can both be done with your hips down on the ground, or even with the hips resting on top of your hands to give a tiny lift. The leg movements are the same, but the upper half of the body stays flat on the mat. You could also try Scissors in your upper ab curl where each time you bring one leg up toward the ceiling, both hands grab the leg and pull it gently two times toward your chest. This will give you an added hamstring stretch.
MARCH 17: SHOULDER BRIDGE
- Hashtag: #shoulderbridge
- Repetitions: 3 each leg; two sets of kicks
- Exercise:
- Shoulder bridge. Start lying flat on your back with your knees bent so that both feet are planted on the mat, about hip-distance apart. You spine should start with a natural curve. Inhale and tuck your tail back to close the space under the low back as you start to lift your hips and spine up off the mat one vertebrae at a time. Exhale and lower back down starting at the top of the spine and releasing piece by piece until your hips rest on the mat again.
- Kicks Set 1. The first set of kicks is traditionally done while the hands are still under your hips so that your spine is in a bit of extension. Start with three kicks of the right leg up toward the ceiling. Point as you lift the leg, flex the foot to come down, and then switch to the left leg.
- Kicks Set 2. The second set of kicks is done is in your shoulder bridge, but without hands under the hips. Start with the left leg this time. Flex the foot to lift the leg and point the foot to come back down. Repeat on the right leg.
- Order. After bicycle, keep your hands under your hips and carefully bring the feet down to the mat. Start with your first set of kicks. Remove the hands from under your hips and do 4 repetitions of shoulder bridge. Follow with the second set of kicks.
- Modifications: If having the hands under your hips is too intense, you can do shoulder bridge without extension. Likewise, if adding the kicks is too much, either skip them completely, or come up into your bridge and (a) hold the position for a few extra seconds to gain strength; or (b) try marching by lifting alternate legs off of the ground for a quick second.
MARCH 18: SPINE TWIST
- Hashtag: #spinetwist
- Repetitions: 3 each direction
- Exercise: Sit tall with both legs in front of you, hugging together. Extend the arms out at your sides at shoulder height. Take an inhale to prepare. Exhale and twist through the ribcage twice in one direction. Inhale to return to center, and exhale to twist to the other side.
- Modifications: If it’s difficult to sit tall, try bending your knees.
MARCH 19: JACKKNIFE
- Hashtag: #jackknife
- Repetitions: 3-5
- Exercise: Start lying flat on your back with your arms pressing down into the mat beside your hips. Inhale and lift both legs, hugged together, back toward your head until your hips lift off the ground. Exhale and slowly lower the hips back down to the mat and then reach the legs away to 45 degrees.
- Modifications: If lifting the hips off the ground is difficult try (a) baby jackknife where you lift the hips one inch and then place them back down; or (b) hold onto something sturdy overhead – like the legs of a heavy chair – to give you more support. You can also try taking the arms out wider from your sides if your shoulders feel tight.
MARCH 20: SIDE LEG KICKS
- Hashtag: #sidelegkicks #sidekick
- Repetitions: 3-5 each leg
- Exercise: Lie on your side with both legs extended in front of your body at about 45 degrees. Depending on the comfort of your head/neck/shoulder, you can either bend the bottom elbow and support your head in your hand, or lie flat on your arm. Lift the top leg to hip height and sweep it forward with your foot flexed for two pulses and then back with the toes pointed for two pulses.
- Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your arm, you can rest your head on a pillow.
MARCH 21: TEASER
- Hashtag: #teaser
- Repetitions: 4-6, any variation
- Exercise: Start lying on your back with your legs at tabletop and one hand pressing into the back of each thigh. Inhale and tuck your chin forward as you start to straighten the legs and curl up until you’re balancing on your sitz bones. Exhale, bend the knees, and slowly roll back down.
- Modifications: There are many variations of teaser. The above version is a great place to start. To make it more difficult, try these variations.
- Same bent-leg version without holding on to the legs.
- Start from a completely flat lying-back position, and lift into your balanced position with straight legs.
- Start with both legs reaching toward the ceiling at 45 degrees and then come up into your teaser without dropping the legs.
Week 3 of March MATness showcases the brilliance of Joseph Pilates’ work, with a focus on core strengthening, moving through our spines, and hip work.
Some of these exercises are more advanced – Neck Pull, Scissors, Bicycle, Jackknife, and Teaser – but every one can be modified or substituted with a variation that meets you where you are in your practice.
Please continue to share your March MATness posts to Facebook and Instagram. We’ll be drawing our second prize this week, a set of massage balls, and then we’ll jump right into another competition for a Northwoods Pilates t-shirt. Remember, to be entered to win, post a picture or video of you doing that day’s exercises and tag Northwoods Pilates.
MARCH 15: NECK PULL
- Hashtag: #neckpull
- Repetitions: 5
- Exercise: Sit tall with your legs hip-distance apart. If you have access to a strap, you can tuck your feet under it to provide you with an anchor. Reach your arms out in front of you and hinge your spine back as far as you can with your core muscles strong. When you cannot hinge further, articulate your spine down and attempt to roll the rest of the way to the mat until you’re lying flat with your arms back overhead. Inhale to curl your spine back forward just like a roll-up, and exhale the rest of the way forward.
- Modifications: If you don’t have a foot strap, you can do this exercise without it (more difficult), or you can tuck your feet under the edge of a couch, put on shoes, or rest something with a little heft to it on your feet. You can also hold something light in your hands to make this movement easier (e.g., playground ball, Magic Circle). To make the exercise more challenging, place both hands behind your head.
MARCH 16: SCISSORS AND BICYCLE
- Hashtag: #scissors #bicycle
- Repetitions: 3 each leg for Scissors; 3 each direction for Bicycle
- Exercise:
- Scissors. Start lying flat on your back. Lift the legs and hips as if you were doing a jackknife, and then bring both hands underneath your hips so that your hips are resting on your hands with your elbows bent and the upper half of the arms resting on the mat. Slowly, shift as much of your weight into your hands as possible without tipping over. With both legs reaching up to the ceiling/out toward 45 degrees, slowly lower one leg straight away on an inhale and then exhale and bring that leg back up as the other one lowers.
- Bicycle. After Scissors, keep the same position of the body and move the legs as if you were riding a giant bicycle. Reverse the legs as if you were riding the giant bicycle in reverse.
- Modifications: Scissors and Bicycle are both performed with the hips lifted in Joseph Pilates’ book. However, they can both be done with your hips down on the ground, or even with the hips resting on top of your hands to give a tiny lift. The leg movements are the same, but the upper half of the body stays flat on the mat. You could also try Scissors in your upper ab curl where each time you bring one leg up toward the ceiling, both hands grab the leg and pull it gently two times toward your chest. This will give you an added hamstring stretch.
MARCH 17: SHOULDER BRIDGE
- Hashtag: #shoulderbridge
- Repetitions: 3 each leg; two sets of kicks
- Exercise:
- Shoulder bridge. Start lying flat on your back with your knees bent so that both feet are planted on the mat, about hip-distance apart. You spine should start with a natural curve. Inhale and tuck your tail back to close the space under the low back as you start to lift your hips and spine up off the mat one vertebrae at a time. Exhale and lower back down starting at the top of the spine and releasing piece by piece until your hips rest on the mat again.
- Kicks Set 1. The first set of kicks is traditionally done while the hands are still under your hips so that your spine is in a bit of extension. Start with three kicks of the right leg up toward the ceiling. Point as you lift the leg, flex the foot to come down, and then switch to the left leg.
- Kicks Set 2. The second set of kicks is done is in your shoulder bridge, but without hands under the hips. Start with the left leg this time. Flex the foot to lift the leg and point the foot to come back down. Repeat on the right leg.
- Order. After bicycle, keep your hands under your hips and carefully bring the feet down to the mat. Start with your first set of kicks. Remove the hands from under your hips and do 4 repetitions of shoulder bridge. Follow with the second set of kicks.
- Modifications: If having the hands under your hips is too intense, you can do shoulder bridge without extension. Likewise, if adding the kicks is too much, either skip them completely, or come up into your bridge and (a) hold the position for a few extra seconds to gain strength; or (b) try marching by lifting alternate legs off of the ground for a quick second.
MARCH 18: SPINE TWIST
- Hashtag: #spinetwist
- Repetitions: 3 each direction
- Exercise: Sit tall with both legs in front of you, hugging together. Extend the arms out at your sides at shoulder height. Take an inhale to prepare. Exhale and twist through the ribcage twice in one direction. Inhale to return to center, and exhale to twist to the other side.
- Modifications: If it’s difficult to sit tall, try bending your knees.
MARCH 19: JACKKNIFE
- Hashtag: #jackknife
- Repetitions: 3-5
- Exercise: Start lying flat on your back with your arms pressing down into the mat beside your hips. Inhale and lift both legs, hugged together, back toward your head until your hips lift off the ground. Exhale and slowly lower the hips back down to the mat and then reach the legs away to 45 degrees.
- Modifications: If lifting the hips off the ground is difficult try (a) baby jackknife where you lift the hips one inch and then place them back down; or (b) hold onto something sturdy overhead – like the legs of a heavy chair – to give you more support. You can also try taking the arms out wider from your sides if your shoulders feel tight.
MARCH 20: SIDE LEG KICKS
- Hashtag: #sidelegkicks #sidekick
- Repetitions: 3-5 each leg
- Exercise: Lie on your side with both legs extended in front of your body at about 45 degrees. Depending on the comfort of your head/neck/shoulder, you can either bend the bottom elbow and support your head in your hand, or lie flat on your arm. Lift the top leg to hip height and sweep it forward with your foot flexed for two pulses and then back with the toes pointed for two pulses.
- Modifications: If it’s uncomfortable lying on your arm, you can rest your head on a pillow.
MARCH 21: TEASER
- Hashtag: #teaser
- Repetitions: 4-6, any variation
- Exercise: Start lying on your back with your legs at tabletop and one hand pressing into the back of each thigh. Inhale and tuck your chin forward as you start to straighten the legs and curl up until you’re balancing on your sitz bones. Exhale, bend the knees, and slowly roll back down.
- Modifications: There are many variations of teaser. The above version is a great place to start. To make it more difficult, try these variations.
- Same bent-leg version without holding on to the legs.
- Start from a completely flat lying-back position, and lift into your balanced position with straight legs.
- Start with both legs reaching toward the ceiling at 45 degrees and then come up into your teaser without dropping the legs.
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