Pilates exercises: Part VI

Arm exercises (part III)

- Stand up straight with your arms touching the thighs. Raise your arms slowly to the front until above your head; once here, stretch them as growing up. After getting both arms down from the sides until the level of the shoulders, bend your elbows to form a right angle (90°) with them. Squeeze the cuff links like they were very heavy to give more strength to your biceps. Elevate your arms and descend them in right angle. Repeat 10 times.

- Stay standup straight. With your right arm draw an imaginary circle in the air by the side, staring from the back and closing the circle by the front. Do the same with the left arm. This exercise works out both arms and shoulders synchronizing with breathing. Repeat 10 times for each arm

- Standing up holding one cuff link on each arm very close to each thigh. Bend the elbows until both forearms get together with the arms. Slowly open the flexion of the elbows and get the forearms to their original position. It is important to imagine we are carrying something very heavy and squeeze tightly the cuff links to strengthen arms and forearms. Repeat 10 movements.

- Standing up with your arms on each side holding a cuff link each one, raise the arms until the level of your shoulders forming with them a right angle (bend elbow). Keeping that flexion at that level take your arms to the front until the cuff links hit each other in front of your eyes. The important of this movement is to make the cuff links have contact and making the forearms get together with the elbows. After opening both arms to the initial position of right angle, close the forearms by the front. Complete the movements until 10.