Couch potatoes, please: You can become healthy while lying down. Better yet, lying down Pilates targets muscles that are often ignored in typical training routines.
“During a lot of exercises, we tend to forget to activate the side body muscles,” says fitness coach. Laura Wilson I said it in the post. “We often feel too comfortable with the feeling of burning head-on and leaving other areas unutilized.”
Wilson, founder and CEO of Nature Pilates – Brands loved by celebrities like Naomi Campbell and Sylvester Stallone are breaking the easiest exercises to get the best results with minimal effort.
Side Wreath Series: Sculpture and Reinforcement
Wilson said that one of the most effective Pilates workouts for targeting multiple muscle groups at once is the Side Series, especially when performed in Resistance Bands.
“Lying down mainly works on your thighs, but the abs and back muscles also work to stabilize your abs,” she explained. “This is an incredible series to gently strengthen the core of people experiencing back pain from other exercises.”
The Side Wreath Series includes several moves, including leg lifts, clams, circles, and bike kicks. All of these involve important muscle groups due to burns throughout the body.
Ready to try leg lifts? Start by looping the resistance band around both ankles. Lie on your right side with your spine straight, your hips stacked on your legs stacked on, and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
From there, slowly lift your upper leg, wrapping it around your core and leaving your knees bent, causing tension in the resistance band. Lower your legs a few inches and then raise them again. Repeat the movement several times, then switch to the left side and do the same.
For more severe burns, Wilson suggests adding ankle weight for extra resistance. This move can be made on a training mat or a Pilates reformer. It has a large bed-like frame and a machine with a sliding platform, springs, pulleys and straps, designed to increase strength, flexibility and posture.
Hip joint expansion: low effort, high impact
If you’re looking for another low-effort move to stuff a punch, Wilson, who just opened a new studio on the Upper East Side, recommends hip extensions.
“Tabled hip extensions primarily allow the glute and hamstrings to work, but the abs, back and arms also stabilize the body,” she explained.
To try it out at home, start with shoulders directly in your hand, knees directly on your hips, and back straight on your spine, starting with all fours.
Once you have the core in place, squeeze the left groot and lift your left leg to keep a 90-degree bend in your knee. Your left thigh should be almost parallel to the ground. Slowly lower your hips to the right side and repeat several times before switching to the right side.
To increase strength, Wilson suggests using a “booty band” with a mat or resistance strap if you are using a reformer’s machine. If you really want to feel burned, add weight to your ankle to enhance your movement.
You can also try out variations, such as extending the legs sideways, and opening the legs sideways, as Wilson shows below.
Both the lying series and hip extensions focus on streamlined simplicity.
“Fitness professionals often try to choreograph their workouts more, but that focuses on the main goal,” Wilson said.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheels. We’re just trying to be efficient.”
At Natural Pilates, Wilson offers a simplified version of the classic style, focusing on the right shapes and techniques to make it more accessible to all fitness levels.
“Classic Pilates methods can be overly complex and cause practitioners to lose focus. Our goal is to break down these complexities and create an accessible and comfortable environment. That’s it,” Wilson said.
Natural Pilates offers reformer classes and private sessions at four California locations and two New York sites. Isn’t it a gym? Wilson’s online platform, Natural Pilates TV, offers access to over 250 mats and reformer training suitable for all fitness levels.
