Pilates exercise to strengthen and tone your stomach and thighs

This blog is focusing on a popular mat based exercise called the side leg lift. There are three exercises within this series, each one just gets a little bit harder. This exercise is great to increase your core and thigh strength.

Level 1:

Lie on your side as if you are on a tight rope; nice and long, top leg is in line with the bottom leg. Make sure your core is switched on, lift up the pelvic floor muscles. Keep your top arm relaxed. Inhale to raise the top leg. As you exhale, begin to circle it. Keep inhaling and exhaling whilst doing this keeping nice and relaxed in your top shoulder. Then you go backwards with the circles. This can be done about five or six one way, and then five or six in the opposite direction, keeping the core switched on at all times. Repeat on both sides.

Level 2:

It is the same position, but this time place the hand on top of the top leg. Inhale to raise that top leg, and then you exhale and you begin to circle. This is harder as you have got no support from the arm this time. You do five or six circles one way, and then go five or six in the opposite direction, keeping the core switched on. Repeat on both sides.

Level 3:

This is the hardest level. Start with both legs lifted, exhale to lift these. Feel like your legs are lengthening away, so you’re not collapsing into your waistline. The top arm is then going to come on top of the legs; this is your starting position. Inhale to lift the top leg. As you exhale start to circle. This is much harder. Five or six one way, five or six the opposite direction. If you want a bit more of a challenge, raise the top arm and then circle the legs.

This was great, how do I find more exercises?

We have many different online classes for a variety of different injuries and activity levels. Take a look at our classes and book online here.