Using the Legs in conjunction with Abs during Pilates work outs

Pilates is a mind body integration practice. For this reason, it is helpful to start the exercises with movements that seem small, but actually train the body to utilize deep muscles that are hard to reach any other way. These muscles, though, are essential to correctly doing Pilates movements. And they’re muscles you hear Studio Blue instructors referring to through classes and privates.

A set of muscles called the iliopsoas are some of the body’s deepest muscles. The psoas (pronounced zo-az) runs from the lumbar spine to the front of the pelvis, ending at the femur. When doing leg movements, like lifting the legs, it’s essential to employ these muscles, which work in conjunction to the abs, giving a full body workout.

Because the iliopsoas runs so deep, it can be difficult to feel it engage. It can be helpful, then to imagine a string running from the inner thigh to the spine as the pulley that lifts the leg. During a basic exercise called the “Knee Fold,” the core serves as the counter balance to the pull of the psoas muscles, and keeps the body from rocking side to side as the exercise moves from the left leg to the right.

While the “Knee Fold” appears to be a simple exercise, learning to do it correctly, helps the body learn to move the legs without moving the rest of the body. To complete it, lie on the back, knees and feet hip width apart, the spine in neutral position. Put the left hand on the left hip, just where the thighbone and pelvis meet. Place the right hand on the right knee, and folding or creasing right at the hip/pelvis intersection, pull the right knee up to table top, using the abdominals to keep the rest of the body motionless. Set the right leg back down—still engaging the core, and repeat on the left side.

Another movement that seems simply to be a relaxation exercise, the “Knee Stir” actually forces us to engage the Oblique muscles, which run along the body’s sides. Laying on the floor, bring the legs to “Table Top.” Place the right hand on the right knee, and slowly stir it without letting the rest of the body move at all. Repeat on the left side, and then try both legs, first going in the same direction, and then opposite directions.