How to Do the Saw

Stretch the back and hamstrings with the Saw Pilates move. Learn how to do the Saw in an exercise routine with this Pilates video lesson.

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Sit up straight
Spread legs comfortably
Extend arms to sides
Inhale & twist

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Known as the trainers' trainer, Carol Ann has 19 years of professional fitness training experience, a Master's degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, and CEC provider status with AFAA and ACE. She holds current fitness certifications including Group X Instructor, Personal Trainer, Pilates, Yoga, Aqua Fitness, Kickboxing, and Lifestyle Fitness Coaching. Carol Ann has traveled nationally and internationally training fitness professionals, presenting certifications and workshops, and sharing her knowledge for specific training techniques and application. Along with various fitness training DVD's, she is the creator and star of the fitness DVD series called The Steel Physique System. She also is a freelance fitness expert writer for several publications. In 2008 she is launching Studio Group X, a premier state-of-the-art group exercise studio in North Tampa, FL. The focus is to engage her clients into leading healthy lifestyles for a lifetime through an educational and fun process.

CAROLANN: This Pilates exercise is called the Saw, and this exercise is really great for strengthening your oblique muscles along with your abdominal region and we're going to stretch the lower back muscles along with our hamstrings. So what you need to do is just sit up really nice and tall. Make sure you're right on those seats bones and you're going to spread you legs out as wide as what you feel comfortable. You want to pull your navel in towards your spine, sitting up nice and tall. You want to lengthen out through the crown of your head. Extend your arms to the sides and really reach through those fingertips. And to really think about engaging your legs, pull your toes back as far as you can. Bring the shoulder blades back and down. So we inhale as we twist to one side. Exhale, saw forward like you're sawing off your baby toe, and you want to look at the hand behind you. Then, as you come up, inhale, twist to the other side, exhale, down and come up and you want to articulate your spine, one vertebra at a time as you're coming up. So inhale as you twist, exhale as you come forward. Now another variation to this would be to saw three times. To one side, come up sit up nice and tall, and then to the other side, exhale three times and then sit up really nice and tall. Now as you're breathing, exhale forward, inhale back. Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale and then twist to the other side. So you can perform that exercise anywhere between eight to ten reps on each side. You're going to really feel your hamstrings and lower back lengthen. Now here are three things to remember when you're performing the saw. Make sure that you sit up really nice and tall, abdominals in. Number two, exhale as you saw forward, inhale as you sit up nice and tall, and three, make sure you keep it all nice and tight right here, navel to spine.

How to Do the Saw Video

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