Pilates on Fifth Video Podcast A free weekly Pilates online video program to train your core muscles!

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Pilates gym workouts merge with this variation on a classical Pilates exercise! Great for golfers, this Pilates exercise focuses on rotation of the rib cage on the pelvis, and any PIlates beginner should incorporate the Spine Twist into his/her Pilates workout. The addition of the mini body bar kicks this Pilates exercise up a notch by adding weight to the rotation, much like a golfer would experience when swinging a club. Pilates gym workouts should integrate weighted rotation into exercises carefully, as unsupported rotation can be a vulnerable position for the spine. A Pilates beginner should make sure they have mastered Pilates exercises such as Spine Twist and Saw before adding weight to rotation. When performing this Pilates exercise, concentrate on using your oblique abdominal muscles to rotate the spine and torso instead of the momentum swinging the arms creates. Using weight during rotation in Pilates gym workouts can be dangerous if you use momentum, but highly effective if you use the abdominal muscles to control the rotation of the spine. Every Pilates beginner is tempted (we know!) to attempt the harder version of an easy Pilates exercise before mastering the original version. Don’t let this be you! The Pilates technique is what makes Pilates workouts so effective, so take the time to master the original series before adding weight.

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Elbow Scoop Scissors is a variation of the original Pilates mat exercise “Scissors.” The elbow scoop position helps facilitate a deeper rib to hip connection while creating a safer position (strong posterior tilt) for those who wish to explore increased range of motion. Be careful not to sink into the shoulders and to maintain a lengthened spine in this position. You’ll tone and flatten the abdominal muscles and increase flexibility of the hamstrings.

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Elbow Plank with Scapula Isolations strengthens the stabilizers of the shoulder girdle to prepare the body for more difficult original Pilates mat and equipment exercises. If this is too difficult or you feel strain in the lower back, please perform the same exercise on all 4’s! This exercise strengthens the shoulder girdle and targets the deep core muscles as well.

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Side Lying Ovals is adapted from the original Pilates Cadillac exercise of the same name. ; The exercise strengthens the core by challenging stability in neutral against the oval shape drawn by the upper leg. Simultaneously, you’ll tone the inner and outer thighs!

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Happy Cat is an exercise emphasizing lateral flexion of the spine that helps warm up the spine for original Pilates mat work. Because the exercise is conducted on all 4’s, Happy Cat is accessible to most population types and facilitates increased flexibility of the spine without increasing any pressure on it. You’ll tone the abs as you gently warm up the spine.

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Rotation Prone is a variation of original Pilates exercises of the same name on the Pilates Barrels and Wunda Chair. ;Rotation Prone targets the Erector Spinae muscles and the Oblique abdominal muscles as you extend the spine from a prone position, then rotate each way.

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Treezer with Obliques is a variation of the original Pilates Reformer exercise “Tree” and the classical Pilates mat exercise “Teaser.” ; The exercise is performed somewhat like “the Teaser” but you only bring one leg up and rotate towards that leg, achieving a stretch through the obliques and the abductors of the extended legs (and the hamstrings, of course!)

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Watchdog on the Foam Roller is a variation of the exercise Watchdog which challenges core strength, balance and shoulder girdle stability. ; Core strength and control is a central tenet of classical Pilates, and the instability of the foam roller really challenges both!

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Rotation Supine on the Stability Ball is a variation of the original Pilates exercise on the barrels “Rotation Prone.” ; Using the stability ball adds the instability necessary to challenge the deep core stabilizes while allowing the rolling motion which makes this exercise possible!

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Back Rowing with the Exercise Band is a variation of the original Pilates Reformer exercise “Back Rowing.” By looping the exercise band around your feet, the exercise works the muscles of the body almost identically to the Pilates Reformer. The abdominal muscles will be strengthened, flexibility of the spine increased and muscles of the arms toned and tightened. Stay tuned for another “Back Rowing” coming soon!