Pilates exercises: Part VIII

Leg exercises

To give more strength t your legs attach some galoshes on each ankle with an average weight of 0.200 lbs. if you wish, after a while you can increase the weight to 0.400 lbs.

Stand up with your feet together. Lean over a sweeper stick or the back of a chair with the right hand, stretching the arm and the left hand on the waist. Put the point of your left foot behind with a slight flexion of the right knee. Raise the left stretched leg forward as high as you can, for then getting it down until putting the point of the foot behind again fort he second movement. After raising the left leg forward 10 times, change it for the right leg and repeat the movement 10 times.

To raise the legs behind we have to make sure not to bend the thorax too forward, trying to keep the back straight. With this, the behind leg raising will not have much height, just enough to make the buttock work and stretch the muscles of the leg. Do it with both legs 10 times per each one.

Now lift up each leg forward but with the knee bent, as much as you can. Alternate right and left 10 times, leaning with a hand and the arm stretched over a walking stick, or chair back if this gives more stability to you.

Finally, sit down in a chair to raise both legs together and then get them down slowly. Repeat 10 times.

Sitting on the chair lift up each stretched leg alternating. First one, then the other, with slow movements, feeling your thighs and calves very tight.

Keep sitting down and lift up both legs to open and close them like a compass. Repeat 10 times.

This compass movement can be done lying on the floor. Take your legs up alternating them. Start having both feet on the floor with the knees bent. Then you can lie on the floor over your side, leaning over your forearm and elbow to raise legs in a lateral way.

If you want to do sit-ups, try not to get straight until sitting down, since you could damage your back. With just raising the neck and the high part of the back it is enough.