Pilates: One Leg Kick
Another great Pilates exercise, VideoJug presents a short video on the Pilates One Leg Kick. This not only strengthens your hamstring muscles, but it also improves your coordination!
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Step 1:
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To prepare
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Lie face down on your mat with your forehead resting against your hands and your legs and feet together.
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This is the starting position for the less challenging version of the exercise.
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Step 2:
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The exercise version one
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We'll begin fairly slowly and then pick up the pace.
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Inhale to prepare, exhale and squeezing the back of the leg bring one foot toward your backside, exhale again and pulse again with a flexed foot then inhale to bring the foot down.
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Exhale bring the other foot toward your backside, exhale again and flex and squeeze, inhale and take it down.
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Do this ten times in total, five with each leg.
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Step 3:
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The exercise version two
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Raise yourself up onto your elbows and lift your pelvis so that your upper body is in one straight line.
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Make sure you keep your shoulders down, neck in a neutral line and abdominals working throughout to prevent sinking into your lower back.
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The action of the legs is as before. Inhale to prepare, exhale point and squeeze, exhale flex and squeeze inhale and down, exhale change legs point and squeeze, exhale flex and squeeze, inhale down.
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Do this eight times in total, four times with each leg.
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When you finish, bring your upper body down to the mat and sit back onto your heels, rounding your back over to relax.
