Single leg stretch

 With the Torso locked in place and the limbs moving freely, the single leg stretch will strengthen the abdominals and the buttocks as well as improve coordination.

Check list:

Imagine yourself looking down on yourself from the ceiling. Keep your alignment perfect, your box square and your legs in line.

Do not rock your body from side to side when switching legs.

Pay attention to hand placement, which keeps your legs well aligned.

Squeeze your buttocks each time the leg stretches out.

Lift your head and shoulders off the mat.

Hug one knee in and extend the other leg out to 45 degree.

Joseph H. Pilates, the founder of the Pilates exercise method, was born in Germany. As a child he was frail, living with asthma in addition to other childhood conditions. To build his body and grow stronger, he took up several different sports, eventually becoming an accomplished athlete. As a nurse in Great Britain during World War I, he designed exercise methods and equipment for immobilized patients and soldiers.

In addition to his equipment, Pilates developed a series of mat exercises that focus on the torso. He based these on various exercise methods from around the world, among them the mind-body formats of yoga and Chinese martial arts.

Joseph Pilates believed that our physical and mental health is intertwined. He designed his exercise program around principles that support this philosophy, including concentration, precision, control, breathing, and flowing movements.

There are two ways to exercise in Pilates. Today, most people focus on the mat exercises, which require only a floor mat and training. These exercises are designed so that your body uses its own weight as resistance. The other method of Pilates uses a variety of machines to tone and strengthen the body, again using the principle of resistance.