Lotus health and fitness: Pilates with the exercise band

Warm up and standing posture check

Start each session connecting with your breath. Inhale through the nose. Exhale through pursed lips. Imaging you are blowing out a candle. Focus on gently tightening around the waist and engaging the pelvic floor. The breath should be full and steady. Inhaling deep into the lower lobes of the lungs and fully exhaling. Try not to hold the breath when exercising.

Crown of the head is reaching towards the ceiling.

Open chest. Reach collarbones to the side of the room and gently engage between the shoulder blades.

Set the pelvis and spine in a neutral position. When standing the hip bones and pubic bone should be on the same vertical plane.

Stand with feet parallel or slightly wider.

It is important to maintain good form throughout the exercises. Rest when you need to and reset a strong position if you start to feel tired.

Roll down – to warm and mobilise the spine.

Inhale – prepare.

Exhale – roll down through the spine. Releasing one vertebra at a time. Support with the hands on the thighs if you need to.

Inhale – at the bottom.

Exhale – return to standing by restacking the spine, one vertebra at a time.

Squats

Inhale prepare

Exhale – Squat down without changing the position of the spine.

Inhale – stay

Exhale – return.

Repeat x 10. Return to standing and complete a second set with the exercise band.

Inhale –stay

Exhale – squat and raise the arms to shoulder height. Engage between the shoulder blades and draw the shoulders away from the ears throughout.

Inhale – stay

Exhale – return

Lying

Set neutral pelvis and spine positions. Hip bones and pubic bone should be on the same horizontal plane.

Connect with your breath. Focus on gently tightening around the waist and engaging the pelvic floor. The breath should be full and steady. Inhaling deep into the lower lobes of the lungs and fully exhaling. Try not to hold the breath when exercising.

Knee drops – focus on maintaining a neutral pelvis throughout this exercise.

Inhale – drop knee to the floor.

Exhale – return. Ensure you tighten around the waist as you return the knee to your start position.

Repeat x 5 each side.

Resistance can be added on the second set by tying the resistance band around the thigh (just above the knee). The abdominal muscles will need to work harder to maintain a neutral pelvis position.

Imprint – release

This position will engage the oblique muscles to provide additional support when the legs are raised from the floor.

Inhale – neutral

Exhale – slide tailbone along the mat, by gently tilting the pubic bone to the naval. Shorten the space between the ribs and the hips. Flatten the space between the pubic bone and naval and tighten around the waist.

Inhale – neutral

Exhale - Hold imprint and raise one leg from the floor to table-top position.

Inhale – stay

Exhale – extend leg forward.

Repeat 8 each leg.

A second set can be repeated with an exercise band around the foot to add lower body resistance. You will also feel an added challenge to maintain an imprinted position. Focus on keeping the space between the ribs and the hips short and maintaining the abdominal connection.

Ab Prep – This exercise forms the basis of lots of other exercises, so it’s always a nice starting point for your routine. Focus on maintaining a neutral pelvis throughout.

Maintain a neutral pelvis throughout.

Inhale – head nod. Drop the chin (a little) towards the chest.

Exhale – flex the upper body. Focus on sliding the ribs towards the hips.

Inhale – stay

Exhale – return.

Back stroke prep (with exercise band)

Maintain a neutral pelvis throughout the exercise. Gently send the pubic bone to the mat and lift the lower belly away from the mat.

Inhale – raise upper body from the mat. Lower ribs should stay in contact with the floor. Draw shoulders away from the ears and gently engage between the shoulder blades throughout.

Exhale – return

A second set can be performed with a exercise band. Take care not to over work the lower back.

Roll back with bicep curl

Inhale – prepare

Exhale – roll back into a seated imprint position.

Inhale – return maintaining an abdominal connection and ‘C’ shaped spine throughout.

Repeat x 10

A second set can be performed adding a bicep curl.

Inhale - hold roll back.

Inhale – bicep curl

Exhale – lower arms

Repeat x 5 and Inhale – return to start position

Hundred (with exercise band)

Place the exercise band around the calves. Imprint and carefully lift feet from the floor one at a time. Ensure you maintain an imprinted position throughout.

Take legs wider than hip width.

Exhale – flex upper body from the floor.

Inhale – 5 arm pulses.

Exhale – 5 arm pulses

Repeat for 100 pulses

Progression – lower legs on exhale, raise legs on inhale.

Adaptation - keep head on the floor and knees above the hips.

Side leg raises

Ensure pelvis and spine remains in a neutral position throughout. A resistance band can be added to increase the workload for the inner and outer thighs.

Inhale – raise leg Exhale – lower

Repeat x 5-10

Inhale raise the leg. Complete 8 circles in one direction and 8 in the opposite direction.

Repeat on the opposite side

Triceps Extension – Maintain a neutral pelvis and spine throughout the exercise.

Take exercise band in right hand. Left hand pushes against the middle of the band. Straighten arm and draw shoulders away from the ears. Laterally flex to the right.