Strengthen and mobilise throughout the body with our top to toe Pilates class

The class works through exercise sequences in standing, onto our fronts, side lying, onto our backs and into sitting. The class includes exercises to strengthen and challenge our muscles so please always work to a level that you feel safe and comfortable to do.

This class includes:

• Standing ‘Y’ stretch with heel raises
• Cleopatra with arm circles
• Hip twist with arm opening
• Squats with bottom kicks
• Standing abdominal twist
• Side bend
• roll downs
• hamstring curls and donkey kicks
• swan dive
• cobra stretch
• side kick
• toe tap forwards and back
• sitting – tricep dips
• roll backs
• hip twist with arm opening
• one leg stretch and lower with abdo prep
• rotation stretch
• glute and hamstring stretches
• sitting mermaid stretch

The class begins in standing and warms up into our arms and legs with a ‘Y’ stretch with heel raises. We then work into our upper body with a cleopatra movement with arm circles. We then work on our leg stretch and control with a standing hip twist with arm opening and squats with bottom kicks. Continuing in standing we mobilise our spines with a side bend and roll downs.

Moving down onto our fronts we work into our legs with some hamstring curls and donkey kicks. Then work our upper body a swan dive, adding an extra challenge to the movement with arm reaches. We then move onto our sides and challenge our core and glute muscles with a side kick and toe taps forwards and back.

Coming up into sitting we then strengthen into our arms with some triceps dips and work our abdominal and core muscles strength with some roll backs. We then roll back onto the mat onto our backs. On our backs on the mat we work on our core control further with a combined hip twist with arm openings and bring in some abdominal strength with a one leg stretch with abdominal prep.

We then cool down with a rotation stretch, glute and hamstring stretches. Finishing in sitting with a mermaid stretch.