The Pilates swimming exercise strengthens the muscles on the back of your body including the butt, thighs and your back muscles. Keep your head and your neck working as extensions of your spine and don’t break the line at the neck. Shoulders are relaxed throughout and abdominals engaged and lifted off the mat.

Instructions:

1. Lie flat on your belly with your arms stretched out in front of you and legs outstretched behind you. Squeeze your inner thighs and heels together. If this position feels too compressive on your lower back, allow your legs to open slightly but still keep them turned out, with your heels dropped toward each other and your knees facing away from each other.
2. Breathing continuously: Pull your navel up and off the mat and raise your head off the mat slightly as you simultaneously lift your right arm and your left leg off the mat. Squeeze your butt and try to keep pressing your pubic bone down the mat.
3. Switch arms and legs and begin an even rhythm of swimming, alternating arms and legs. Think of reaching your arms and legs long away from yourself, extending your body as much as possible.
4. Swim continuously for a total of 24 total beats (6 full breaths). Try to complete 4 swimming beats on the exhale and 4 beats on the inhale.
5. Finish by pressing back to rest position, sitting on your heels to release your back.

This is a powerful duo in targeting your lower abs which results in the flatter tummy everyone desires.

The Chest Lift creates a deep curve of the abdominals down toward the mat. It is done very slowly with the breath and no momentum is used.

The Single Leg Stretch teaches you to move from the centre. It trains the abdominals to initiate movement, and to support and stabilize the trunk as the arms and legs are in motion. Especially helpful in targeting the lower abs, good coordination is achieved as well.

When you build abdominal strength and understand the lengthening move of the Pilates Chest Lift, you will have a good foundation for working with many of the forward flexion Pilates exercises like the Single Leg Stretch and The Hundred.

Instructions:

1. Lie on the back with both feet flat on the floor and knees bent. Adjust shoulder blades so that they are lying flat on the floor. Inhale to prepare. On the exhale, draw the navel in toward your spine and lift your head, shoulders and feet off the floor.
2. Place the right hand on right ankle, left hand on right knee, and keep the elbows lifted on the inhale.
3. Exhale and extend the left leg straight in front of left hip, as close to the floor as possible without letting the back arch away from the floor or the hips sway away from centre.
4. Inhale and switch legs, but be sure to keep your belly scooped inward as you do this.
5. Clasp left hand on left ankle and right hand on left knee as you make the switch.
6. Repeat 10 times.

This exercise aims to tone leg muscles and provides a great workout for the core muscles and the entire lower body. It looks simple but should be executed with control and awareness. It can be made more challenging by incorporating small weighted Pilates balls, which will work to tone the shoulders as well.

Instructions:

• Stand up straight with the feet about hip-width apart and the toes pointing forward. Tighten the abdominal and buttocks muscles. Stretch the arms out to the side, shoulder height with the palms facing down.
• Bend the knees and come into a squat. Stick the hips back as if you are about to sit on a chair.
• Press your heels into the floor, stand back up and lift your right leg up. The toes should be facing forward. Do not turn the leg out or in.
• Lower the right leg slowly and with control so that the toes touch first and the heel last. Make sure you do not just drop the leg back down.
• Squat down again and this time, lift the left leg as you stand back up.
• Go back and forth for 8 to 12 repetitions. Do this with control.
• To make this exercise more challenging, hold a weighted Pilates ball in your hand. As you lift the right leg, lift your right arm up to shoulder height, palm facing down as you hold the ball. Squat and lower both arms down. Pass the ball to your left hand. As you stand up and lift the left leg, lift your left arm up shoulder height.

The Pilates lunge is a favoured exercise to strengthen the quadriceps muscles, gluteal muscles and hamstrings muscles. It also aids in hip stabilization and knee strengthening. Moreover, this routine also helps you gain a better sense of balance and an increased awareness of your body.

Instructions:

1. Start in a position where your right heel touches the inside of the left foot, your right knee should be looking to the right.
2. Take the right leg out diagonally in a wide stance and lower the hips to come into a lunge position. This will bring the bent leg into a 90-degree angle. Allow the back leg to stretch out with your foot and heel on the floor.
3. Bring both arms to stretch above you next to your ears. The body now is in one straight diagonal line from the fingers down to the heel of the back leg.
4. Hold this position for 5 counts then push up from your right bent leg and take the leg diagonally behind you, do a curtsey taking the body down.
5. Push up and come to standing third dance position. Repeat 3 times with each leg.
6. Do not allow the knee to go beyond the toes; keep the knee in line with the ankle when in a lunge position.