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

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Star is a variation of the original Pilates reformer exercise of the same name. Practicing the Star on the mat is a great way to increase core stability and arm strength so that your balance and control are solid by the time you get to the reformer! This total body exercise specifically targets the muscles of the arms, the shoulder girdle stabilizers and the deep core musculature.

Pilates can and should be a marvelous cross-training discipline for Pilates yoga devotees, sports enthusiasts, or anyone trying to move through life with less back pain! A way to capitalize on the Pilates cross-training benefits is to incorporate more rotation in a Pilates workout or Pilates class. Rotation is an important spinal motion, as we use it to serve in tennis, pick up our kids, or swing a golf club. However, we’ve noticed that in a many a Pilates class or Pilates workout, rotation is notably absent. In a classical Pilates workout, there are only a few rotation exercises, as anyone who has taken a classical Pilates class knows. However, with the Half Roll Down with Obliques, we have an easy way to infuse more rotation into the Pilates yoga practice. Don’t forget that in our daily life, our bodies move in three dimensions, and thus we want to incorporate three dimensional movement like the Half Roll Down with Obliques into our Pilates class or Pilates workout as well as Pilates yoga cross-training.

Even if you are doing a Pilates workout on your own or if you are stuck in a large Pilates class, with little individual instruction, the important tip to remember is that it is only the rib cage rotating, not the lumbar spine (lower back). This will protect the lower back! (It is also a good Pilates technique to remember and implement for future Pilates yoga workouts as well as daily life in general!) If you would like to view how to incorporate this versatile exercise into a Pilates class, join us for Pilates online at www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com. We have a Pilates workout at every level, many of which feature the Half Roll Down with Obliques. Coming soon: a Pilates yoga fusion workout!!

Half Roll Down with Arms is an excellent way for a Pilates instructor to increase the intensity of Pilates plus challenge clients safely and effectively. That’s one of the things we at the Pilates Academy International do differently from some certification Pilates programs: we teach each aspiring Pilates instructor how to teach Pilates plus how to progress clients so that they get stronger safely. By adding the arm lift to the Half Roll Down, a Pilates instructor will increase the weight of the torso, challenging the abdominal connection. Other certification Pilates training programs teach the classical mat Pilates repertoire, but do not teach Pilates plus modifications, making it difficult for a Pilates instructor to teach a multi-level mat Pilates class. This ability to modify makes each of our Pilates instructors highly sought after for employment in Pilates gyms and Pilates studios worldwide.

What type of Pilates instructor do you want to be? Do you want to be an in-demand Pilates instructor that excels at client retention and delivers Pilates plus outstanding results? At the Pilates Academy International, we want our students to be happy that they selected our Pilates education program over other certification Pilates programs. When choosing a certification Pilates program to become a Pilates instructor, we know you have choices, so why not choose a program that teaches Pilates plus valuable client retention skills?

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Strengthen your core and get ready to bare that TWELVE pack with this Pilates workout featuring great Pilates exercises and giving you a taste of what you can do with Pilates online if you stick with Pilates on Fifth’s UltimatePilatesWorkouts.com. We all love to indulge in a full-length Pilates workout, but sometimes time is not on your side. With our Pilates online workouts, we feature Pilates workouts of all length featuring Pilates exercises geared to target a specific area. In addition to our Pilates workout for abs, we also have a workout featuring Pilates exercises just for the legs and butt, the core, and even a Pilates online workout just focusing on the arms and back. Our Pilates workouts online range in length from ten minutes to over 45 minutes, and our Pilates online sort feature allows you to select the Pilates workout of your choice based on length, level, and Pilates equipment featured. Additionally, if you want to know more about Pilates exercises, you can visit our training page and download a Pilates exercise file explaining specifically how to do that Pilates exercise correctly. We highly recommend the Pilates in Ten “Ab Attack and hope that you will visit our Pilates online site and try out a Pilates workout, and even learn something new about the Pilates exercises you already love.

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Pilates beginner? No problem! This efficient Pilates workout will have you feeling those muscles you sit on all day long in just ten minutes! Women especially always ask for more thigh and hip toning exercises in their Pilates gym workouts, and this video packs all the great butt exercises into a workout you can do on the go!

Any Pilates beginner will appreciate the simplicity of the exercises included in this Pilates workout – no fancy choreography here! Structured more like a Pilates gym workout, this video leaves out the complex exercises and focus on delivering targeted work for the gluteal muscles and the upper hamstrings. Your lovely backside will be lifted for days! But because this is a Pilates workout, of course, you will tone the abdominal muscles, strengthen the core and increase flexibility.

The biggest complaint we get from many a Pilates beginner is “Pilates classes only work the abs!” True, Pilates classes tend to focus on the abdominals and the core more than anything, but every Pilates workout can and should contain exercises for the lovely derriere! If you’re new to Pilates, make sure you check out our podcasts on Shoulder Bridge, Heel Squeeze and Swan Dive as these are some of the Pilates exercises featured in this workout that will help sculpt a beautiful backside! And every Pilates gym goer wants a beautiful backside, right?

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The use of a Pilates Exercise Band in your mat Pilates class can not only add variety, but also introduce Pilates reformer exercises that can be done in a Pilates mat class. A Pilates instructor can introduce reformer Pilates into his/her mat Pilates class without having to invest in a costly Pilates machine. In our Pilates in Ten: Arms video, we use the Pilates Exercise Band to simulate many Pilates Reformer Class moves to create long, lean and sculpted arms. By hooking the Pilates exercise band on your feet or behind your back, you can simulate the tension that a Pilates machine would create, and do many reformer Pilates moves.

At our Pilates training program, The Pilates Academy International, when we teach a person to become a Pilates instructor, we include in our Pilates training how to use Pilates props such as the Pilates Exercise Band. Thus any Pilates instructor from our Pilates training program knows how to create Pilates reformer exercises using the Pilates Exercise band, bringing reformer Pilates to any Pilates mat class that they teach. For clients and Pilates fans who want to use a Pilates machine like the Pilates reformer but aren’t able to, the reformer Pilates exercises using the Pilates exercise band enable them to tone their legs, butt and arms even more than they would in a traditional Pilates mat class. If you are a Pilates instructor or a Pilates enthusiast and would like more ways to incorporate the Pilates exercise band into your mat Pilates class, visit www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com and select “Stretch Band” from the Workout Library.

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While we hope you enjoy the Pilates exercises we bring you weekly, we want to be sure that Pilates beginners and advanced Pilates practitioners alike know as much as possible about their abdominal muscles! Knowing more about these important muscles that support the spine and low back can help you perform Pilates exercises more effectively and get the most out of your Pilates workout.

All true Pilates exercises should engage all 4 layers of the abdominal muscles as much as possible. The key to core strength and thus the most effective Pilates workout is engaging the deepest layer of the abdominal muscles, the transversus abdominus, at all times. Even advanced Pilates practitioners will not see the results they could if they neglect the deepest abdominal muscle! So if you are a Pilates beginner, it is best to set yourself up with excellent Pilates exercise habits now so that you can enjoy efficient and effective Pilates workouts.

Pilates yoga enthusiasts can use this knowledge to make simple exercises much more difficult. For instance, Pilates beginners who feel that the Pilates exercises they do are too easy, but the more advanced Pilates exercises are too hard, can focus on drawing their belly buttons to their spines and narrowing their waists as much as possible while executing their Pilates workout. Pilates yoga practitioners can apply this knowledge to yoga exercises, Pilates exercises and all workouts for that matter! The more you practice engaging all four layers of the abdominal muscles in your Pilates workout as well as all your workouts, the more it will become a habit – a good habit! Your Pilates yoga workouts will be more efficient and effective!

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When can we Pilate again? When can we Pilate again?”A client of ours at our NYC Pilates studio, Pilates on Fifth, shared this amusing story with us the other day. Apparently, her three year old watched her doing a Pilates DVD and developed a love for one of the favorite Pilates mat exercises, Rolling Like a Ball. Anyone who’s seen this trademark Pilates move, even a Pilates beginner, would know why a three year old would gravitate to it, but many may not know its benefits, or the benefits of Pilates in general.

The benefits of Pilates, or, more specifically, the benefits of the Pilates mat exercise Rolling Like a Ball are many. First of all, you are contracting the full range of your abdominal muscles to hold the C-curve shape of the spine, and, on top of that, using your abdominal muscles to control speed and accuracy as you roll. A Pilates beginner might find this a little tricky at first, even more so than the three year old who likes to “Pilate!” But Rolling Like a Ball, practiced along with many other Pilates mat exercises will both tone your abdominal muscles as well as increase the flexibility of your spine. Joseph Pilates believed that a flexible spine was key to a healthy life and longevity. He also believed that the benefits of Pilates also included never being injured and never needing aspirin!

Even if you are a Pilates beginner and taking a Pilates class or trying a Pilates DVD for the first time, you will surely do Rolling Like a Ball. Simply remember to pull your abs in tight as you roll, without using momentum, and you are sure to experience the many benefits of Pilates. Whether you “Pilate” or do Pilates mat exercises, your abs will surely thank you. For more information on the benefits of Pilates or for a full library of Pilates mat exercises, visit our NYC Pilates studio, Pilates on Fifth, or log on to our Pilates online website, www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com.

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Some people think that Pilates is only about the abs, but any good Pilates instructor will tell you that the way to get a trademark Pilates body is not only by doing Pilates exercises for the abs, but also by doing Pilates exercises for the legs & butt, like the Side Leg Lift Series. In fact, the Side Leg Lift Series is a key Pilates exercise featured in Pilates for golf, done with or without the enhancement of a Pilates ring.

Let’s talk about getting that fabulous Pilates body first. How does the Side Leg Lift Series do this? Used with or without the Pilates ring, this Pilates exercise targets the glutes, which helps give the derriere that lift that we all see and envy in the Pilates body of many a Pilates instructor. Saddlebags be gone! But don’t forget that to get a true Pilates body you must also add cardiovascular exercise to your Pilates workout regime in order to burn fat.

Now let’s move on to Pilates for golf. It may seem surprising that such a seemingly simple Pilates exercise can pack so much bang for the buck, but it does. Because the Side Leg Lift Series targets the glute medius in particular, it is especially vital in a Pilates for golf program because it strengthens the hip joint against the repetitive motion of the golf swing and the pressure it places on the hip (particularly of the opposing side). By using a Pilates ring when performing this Pilates exercise, a Pilates instructor can increase the resistance, and thus make the Side Leg Lift Series and even more effective part of a Pilates for golf program, giving even golfers a great Pilates body.

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A precursor to the true Pilates exercise Leg Pull Front, the Long Plank Series is a great addition to any Pilates workout as it targets the body part most often overlooked in Pilates exercises – arms! Yes, Joseph Pilates himself had great arms, but most of the Pilates exercises that strengthen and tone the arms are Advanced Pilates exercises and too challenging for the Pilates beginner. Because the true Pilates exercise Leg Pull Front involves a lot of coordination, the Long Plank Series breaks down the movement into simple, strengthening moves to make your Pilates workout effective – without frills!

The Long Plank Series is for Pilates beginners and advanced Pilates practitioners alike. Pilates exercises in the long plank position help strengthen the scapula stabilizers, the core and the arms. Also, make sure you energize your legs throughout your Pilates workout to make sure the legs don’t get left out of any exercises! When performing this exercise for the first time, however, the most important thing for the Pilates beginner to remember is to keep the torso and spine in neutral while lifting the legs. More advanced Pilates practitioners can challenge themselves by seeing how high they can lift the leg without changing the shape of the spine. Just remember the goal is not the height, but the stability of the torso and spine!

Joseph Pilates always said Pilates exercises are about quality not quantity: so make these count! Before you attempt the true Pilates exercise Leg Pull Front, make sure you practice the Long Plank Series so that your quality is the best it can be.

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