Increase Your Flexibility with Pilates

48402-10-2022, 09:51

When you think of Pilates, you probably think of a series of challenging body-strengthening exercises. Although these are part of this form of exercise, there’s more to it than that. It also incorporates stretching and flexibility training that can help you to increase your range of motion. If you want to improve your flexibility with Pilates, the following article will give you some useful tips on how to do so.

Table of contents

Increase Your Range of Motion with Pilates ExercisesRecommended Pilates Stretching ExercisesHow to Incorporate Pilates into a Flexibility Routine

Increase Your Range of Motion with Pilates Exercises

There are two types of stretching you can do with Pilates. The first type is a static stretch, which is when you hold the stretch in one position for around 30 seconds. The other type is called a dynamic stretch which is when you move your muscles through their full range of motion. Here are some recommended static stretching exercises:

- Supine Leg Stretch: Lie on your back with your legs extended and your knees slightly bent. Hold your right leg with your hands and slowly bring it towards your chest. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat with the left leg.

- Wall-assisted Hamstring Stretch: Stand with your back against a wall and your feet about 6 inches from the wall. Bend one leg and place your hands on your knee. With the other leg, place it on the wall behind you. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat with the other leg.

- Wall-assisted Quad Stretch: Stand with your back against a wall with your feet about 6 inches from the wall. Bend one leg and place your hands on your knee. With the other leg, place it on the wall behind you. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat with the other leg.

- Wall-assisted Back Stretch: Stand with your back against a wall with your feet about 6 inches from the wall. Bend one leg and place your hands on your knee. With the other leg, place it on the wall behind you. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat with the other leg. Here are some recommended dynamic stretching exercises you can do with Pilates:

- High knees: While in a standing position, jump and bring your knees up to your chest as high as you can. Once you’re back in the starting position, jump again and continue to bring your knees up as high as you can.

- Leg swings: While in a standing position, swing one leg forward and then backwards. Next, swing the other leg forward and then backward. Continue this for about 30 seconds.

- Wall bounces: Stand with your back against a wall, place your hands in front of you and raise your arms to chest level. Jump and bring your arms above your head as high as you can while keeping them in front of you. Jump back to the starting position and continue to jump back and forth for 30 seconds.

- Shoulder shrugs: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Raise your shoulders so that your hands are touching your shoulders, and hold for 30 seconds.

Recommended Pilates Stretching Exercises

There are a number of stretching exercises you can do with Pilates to help increase your flexibility. Here are some recommended stretching exercises you can do with Pilates. Lower Body Stretch: Lie on your back, bend your knees, and lift your hips off the ground so that only your heels are on the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Hamstring Stretch: Stand on one foot while balancing on the other foot. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Wall-assisted Back Stretch: Stand with your back against a wall, bend your knees slightly, and place your hands behind your head. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Wall-assisted Quad Stretch: Stand with your back against a wall, place one foot in front of you and the other foot behind you. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Wall-assisted Hamstring Stretch: Stand with your back against a wall, bend your knees slightly, and place your hands on your knees. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

How to Incorporate Pilates into a Flexibility Routine

Flexibility exercises should be done at the beginning of your fitness routine, before you do any other types of exercises. It’s best to do them before you perform other types of exercises such as weight training because your muscles are warm and more flexible before you start working out. If you want to increase your flexibility with Pilates, it’s important to include these recommended exercises in your routine. You can follow these guidelines to help you create the perfect flexibility routine.

Bottom line

Flexibility is an important part of any fitness routine. Fortunately, it’s easy to add to your routine with Pilates. You can try these recommended exercises and exercises and you’ll be amazed at the improvements you see. When you increase your flexibility, you’ll be able to move more easily, have better posture, and reduce your risk of injury.