The Pilates Stomach Series is a great 5 minute workout that will energize you when in a pinch. It includes 5 exercises that will flow together while maintaining your upper body curl to create a full body exercise that strengthens and builds flexibility. In this article, I will break down the first of the series named Single Leg Stretch. Single Leg Stretch initially may be a challenge with the coordination; however, it will be extremely rewarding if you find the juiciness of the exercise. Not only will coordination be improved, but it will also strengthen the abs, hips, gluts, shoulders, and arms while improving flexibility in the abs, hips, knees, and low back.

Single Leg Stretch is a great full body exercise offering a balance between strength and flexibility. However, students perform this exercise avoiding weaknesses that need to be strengthened and/or tightness that need to be stretched. Usually students don’t even realize that they are missing the juiciest part of the exercise. The first area that students avoid is pulling the leg into the shoulder. They will lightly place their hands on the leg and barely pull the knee into the shoulder. They look to find speed in the exercise without addressing the juiciness of the exercise.

One of the keys is pulling the knee tight into the shoulder and foot into the booty while extending the opposite leg. This creates oppositional energy or a flow of energy in two opposing directions. On a physical level, this creates strength and flexibility in both hips at the same time. The leg that is pulled into the shoulder releases the hip as well as the knee. Make sure to not aggravate the knee if you have problems, but continue to stretch the knee at your comfort. If you avoid pulling the knee into the shoulder, you will keep the hip engaged creating more tension in the hip. This can contribute to tightness in the front of your body and hips. This can pull the upper body forward, and may cause tightness in the chest, shoulders, and over round the upper back. The forward pull can start to limit movement and affect the spine.

On a psychological level, the pooling of energy in the abs creates a protection from vulnerability. Judith Lasater, Ph.D , says “We want to control our feelings, so we make our bellies hard, trying to keep it together.” However, this control can lead to a hardening of the mind. You avoid the ability to be open to the possibilities of your own mind and intuition. Various practices, such as yoga and Tai Chi, view the belly as the center of energy and consciousness. Break down the layers and find the energy flow through to build a connection to the real inner you. That’s when you find the real juiciness of Pilates.

Another area students avoid is the shoulders and arms. Some Pilates classes will incorporate weights to add the arm toning aspect. Yet, the juiciness of the exercise will create the arm toning you need. In Single Leg Stretch, arm engagement is just as important as the ab work. Not only do the arms pull the leg into the shoulder, they also help open and strengthen the chest and shoulders. The juiciness of the arms creates strength in the chest, arms, and shoulders while opening the chest and releasing tension in the upper back.

Analysis
Before mastering Single Leg Stretch, you need to check in with your current ab and hip strength and flexibility. Are your shoulders rounded forwarded? Is your chest closed and do you avoid breathing into your upper chest? Do you struggle to hold your leg up in Single Leg Circle? Are your hips tight? Do your hips pop when performing Single Leg Circle? Do your bottom ribs pop off the mat when reaching your hands over your head? Once you know the strength and flexibility of your abs and hips, you can focus on improving them in Single Leg Stretch. You just may find the juiciness of Pilates.

Master Single Leg Stretch to improve coordination, strengthen the abs, hips, gluts, shoulders, and arms, and improve flexibility in the abs, hips, knees, and low back.

Tags: how to do Pilates, Pilates, Pilates Stomach series, Single Leg Stretch

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 8:09 am and is filed under My Inner Rockstar, Pilates Exercises. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.