How To Do Pilates Thigh Lifts Video

Work thigh muscles with Pilates Thigh Lifts. Learn how to do Thigh Lifts in an exercise routine with this Pilates video lesson.

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Lift one leg at time
Exhale while lowering legs
Keep knee at 90 degree angle

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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 Pilates Thigh Lifts. Now what we're going to be doing is we're going to be really stabilizing the core muscles as we move our legs. So come down on your mat into a supine position, and you want to lengthen out through the crown of your head. Pull your shoulder blades back and down, so you want to lengthen through your fingertips. Draw your navel in towards your spine so that the small of your back is pressing in towards the mat, and we're just going to lift up one leg at a time. And what you want to try to do is avoid moving the pelvic area, so this movement keeps you honest. So you're really having to concentrate which is one of our principles of Pilates in order to perform this movement. So keep your pelvis neutral, inhale as you lift, exhale as you lower. Inhale as you lift, exhale as you lower and as you're lifting one leg at a time, you want to make sure that your knee remains at 90 degrees and that the movement is right at the hip socket keeping your hips nice and controlled. And that is your Pilates Thigh Lifts. Now there are three things that you want to remember when you're performing this exercise. You want to make sure that your navel is pulled in towards your spine so that you're engaging your abdominal muscles. Number two, keep your knees at 90 degrees as you're lifting the leg up and down to keep your pelvis neutral, and then number three, make sure that you're breathing properly, inhale as you lift your leg, exhale as you lower your leg. And that is your Pilates Thigh Lifts.

How to Do Pilates Thigh Lifts Video

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