The Pilates exercise method does not build big, bulky muscles, but when performed correctly, the exercises strengthen and tone the body. Pilates participants enhance their strength through mat work, equipment and small prop exercises. Instructors advise their students to use control, engage their core muscles and avoid momentum when performing the movements. Many people find that adhering to these guidelines makes Pilates an effective muscle-strengthening workout, even when using a minimal amount of resistance.
Hot Potato with Band
The Pilates hot potato exercise strengthens the outer thigh and gluteal muscles. Since it is not a weight-bearing exercise, some participants quickly develop the muscular endurance to perform many repetitions. Adding an elastic resistance band adds challenge and makes it more effective as a strengthening exercise.
Lie on one side, and rest your head on the bottom arm or hand. Place a resistance band around your ankles. Extend your legs, so that your knees, hips and shoulders are on one straight line. Keep your knees facing directly ahead. Lift your top leg, and tap it to the floor in front of your bottom leg. Lift it again, and tap it directly behind your bottom leg. Use your core muscles to stabilize your pelvis. Perform 10 repetitions on each side.
The Teaser
Many of the abdominal exercises in the Pilates series, such as the classic, "Pilates Hundred" exercise, develop abdominal muscular endurance. The teaser is a true abdominal strength exercise. When you perform it correctly, you'll find it impossible to do more than eight repetitions. Lie face up, with your legs together and extended and your arms reaching above your head. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, simultaneously lift your upper torso and legs from the floor. Balance on your sit bones, which are the bones in your buttocks. Reach your toes toward the ceiling, and your hands toward your feet. Inhale and return to the starting position.
Pilates Side Bend
The Pilates Side Bend strengthens the external obliques, which are the muscles that support your waist, as well as your arms and shoulders. Begin in a seated position, with your right knee bent with the heel placed toward the center of your body. Extend your right arm and place the hand on the floor, next to your right hip. Bend your left knee, and place your left foot on the floor in front of your right ankle. Extend your left arm with the palm facing the ceiling, and rest the back of your left hand on your left knee. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and lift your hips toward the ceiling, simultaneously straightening both legs. Extend your left arm so that it is next to your left ear. Bend at the waist, so that your body forms an arch or a banana shape. Perform six repetitions on each side.
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