Balls, bands and weights add challenge, efficiency and fun to Pilates workouts. These small props provide an affordable alternative to equipment workouts. Equipment manufacturers, Pilates video producers and Pilates studio owners realize the benefits of these products, and thus offer free Pilates band, ball and weight workouts online. Though these free online products are an affordable option, learning the basic principles from a certified Pilates instructor is advisable.
Band Bend and Extend
This exercise comes from the Stott Pilates newsletter. It works the abdominal muscles and quadriceps. Lie supine and wrap the band around your feet. Hold each end with each hand and press your elbows into the mat. Begin with your knees bent. Slowly extend your legs against the bands resistance. Perform eight to 10 repetitions. The Stott Pilates newsletter features an exercise of the month. Many include bands, balls or weights. Click the "sign-up" button at the bottom of the page to receive the newsletter on a regular basis.
Kickback with Band
Pilates on Fifth is a Pilates studio in New York City. Studio owners Katherine and Kimberly Cor produce a monthly podcast, which is available by going to their website, or by subscribing through numerous RSS feeds. The kickback with band, explains Katherine Cor, works the hamstrings and gluteal, and simulates a similar exercise performed on the Pilates Reformer. Kneel, wrapping a resistance band around your right foot. Hold one end in each hand, and assume the all-fours position on your hands and knees. Begin by lifting your right knee from the floor, and extending the leg so that it straightens behind you. Perform eight to10 repetitions on each leg.
Pilates Weighted Abdominal Exercises
Pilates instructor Ana Caban produced an extensive series of Pilates videos for Gaiam Life. The Gaiam Life website offers a free demo of Caban's weighted abdominal series. The exercises use Gaiam's ergonomically designed light hand weights, but any type of weight will work for these exercises. Perform the routines from a supine position, with your legs extended and lifted from the floor. Hold one weight in each hand. Holding the arms by your side with your hands a few inches from the floor is the easier version. Add challenge by raising your arms above your head. Leg movements include raising and lowering the legs, scissoring--so that one leg reaches toward the ceiling while the other reaches toward the floor--and bending one knee while the other leg extends. Make sure that your back stays firm against the mat. Raise your legs if your back arches, or use a lighter set of weights.
Small Ball Exercises
Balanced Body, a manufacturer of Pilates equipment, offers a free series of Pilates podcasts for instructors, enthusiasts and rehabilitation specialists. California Pilates instructor Portia Page demonstrates a series of Pilates movements with the small exercise ball. She has her client perform the Pilates half roll-back, with the ball placed between the legs to engage the inner thighs. The client sits in an upright position with her knees bent, and rolls back until her lower back is on the mat. She then instructs her client to engage her core muscles and extend her spine to the upright position. Page then balanced spinal flexion with spinal extension. Her client lies on her stomach, with the ball under her ribcage, her elbows, and her forearms on the mat. She begins by rounding her back over the ball, then slowly extends her spine.
Shoulder Bridging on the Ball
TheraGear, a manufacturer of bands, balls and balance conditioning tools, offers two illustrated and detailed pages of Pilates exercises. Save the exercises to your personal workout page. The service is free and does not require any purchases from the website. The shoulder bridge, performed in a supine position with the feet on the stability ball, is an example. Lift each vertebra from the mat until your weight is on your shoulders and you have formed a bridge with your spine. Roll each vertebra into the mat to return to the starting position. Perform eight repetitions. The shoulder bridge strengthens the core, hamstrings and gluteal muscles.
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