Product Description
Studio: Koch International Release Date: 03/09/2004 Run time: 50 minutes

Liz Gillies Core Fitness - Progressive Pilates - Four 10-Minute Target-Tone Workouts

Liz Gillies Core Fitness – Progressive Pilates – Four 10-Minute Target-Tone Workouts is a post from: Pilates Routines

Description
Includes MTV Pilates Mix, MTV Pilates, MTV Yoga, MTV Power Yoga

MTV Fitness Four Pack

MTV Fitness Four Pack is a post from: Pilates Routines

The mind must be aware of the body and its functions and capabilities.  The body must be prepared for the mind’s work.  These four preparatory Pilates exercises will help prepare the body for more advanced workouts.

1.  Lie down.  Start by lying down with your face towards the ceiling.  Arms must be on your sides and extended.  Palms must face the mat.  Knees must be bent at an angle less than 45 degrees.  Feet must be flat on the floor.  Spine must be relaxed and properly extended.

2.  Relax.  Rest your head; loosen up your facial muscles and neck.  Extend your shoulders properly by extending them or letting them fall on the mat.  Allow your back to extend fully and flat on the mat.  Loosen up your stomach muscles.  Let your spine extend fully and stretch on the mat.  Ease up your waist, your thighs, legs, and feet.  Let go of all the tension inflicted on your bones and muscles.

3.  Visualize.  Imagine that your body is really relaxed.  The muscles in your forehead are all loosened up and fell on the sides.  Your cheekbones are eased and drooped.  Your jaws are loose and at ease.  Your shoulders are settled and eased.  Make your spine settle down on the mat to ease the tautness.  Slowly inhale and fill your ribcage on the back, the sides, and the front with air.  Imagine that your ribcage is expanding.  As your lungs are filled with air, each one of your vertebrae is easing up and extending to lengthen the whole spine.  Your visualization must be a perfectly aligned body.

4.  Materialize.  Make sure that your visualization of a perfectly aligned body can be recreated when you stand upright.  Your body must align steadily but relaxed and never taut.
Make 3 to 6 repetitions of the visualization step to be able to reproduce the body’s ideal position when standing upright.  The body must be able to make muscle memory of the ideal alignment of your body at all times.

Pilates is a fantastic exercise at any age.  Start with these simple routines as you workyour way to more challenging steps.  Pilates is not only fantastic physically but mentally as well.  From the most basic to the more advanced workouts, the mind is in a relaxed and uncluttered state.  The basics mentioned can always be used before an advanced routine to place the brain at a cool condition to prepare for the main routines.

Four Preparatory Pilates Exercises is a post from: Pilates Routines

These steps are not a tall order but it takes a small more concentration and discipline to perform.  Check out and perform the four intermediate Pilates routines:

1.  Supine twist.  Lie down on a supine position.  Extend your arms to your sides away from you.  The shoulders must be aligned with the length of your arms.  Palms must be facing down.  Raise your upper legs to form a 90-degree angle with the floor and bend your knees, so that they point towards the ceiling.  Inhale and then exhale to suck in your stomach.  Twist your waist to one side bringing your feet, legs and knees together.  Turn your head to the other side. Exhale as you slowly bring your feet, legs, knees, and head to align at the center.  Perform the same for the opposite side.  Perform 1 set of 3 to 6 repetitions.

2.  Roll up.  Lie down on a supine position.  Fully extend your legs and keep feet together.  Fully extend your arms above your shoulders.  Inhale and then exhale to suck in your stomach and then stretch your arms forward in front of you to slowly raise your shoulder and upper body.  Inhale and hold the position for three counts.  Exhale to suck in your stomach as you lift your spine off the floor, with the help of your fully extended arms raising you off the floor.  Continue lifting your upper body until you arms are parallel to your legs.  Do the reverse of the steps to go back to supine position.  Perform 1 set of 3 to 6 repetitions.

3.  Roll down.  Sit up straight with knees bent at a 90-degree angle and shoulder-width apart.  Secure your feet flat on the floor.  Hold the back of your thighs just below the knee with your hands.  Exhale to suck in your stomach and slowly lower your spine vertebra by vertebra.  Lower your self as far as you can go.  You will be limited in lying down fully supine with your hands holding your thighs.  Hold the position for three counts.  Exhale to suck in your stomach.  Perform the reverse of the steps.  Slowly raise your body back to the sit up straight position.

4.  Spine twist.  Sit up straight with legs parallel to each other and fully extended in front of you.  Squeeze your thighs together and point your toes towards the ceiling.  Extend your arms fully towards your sides with palms facing the floor.  Your arms must be aligned with your shoulder.  Inhale and then exhale to suck in your stomach.  Twist your body from the waist up and pull twice.  Exhale as you twist your body back towards the center.  Perform the same steps on the other side.

Remember to keep your mind focused and body is centered while performing these routines.  Relax your mind and free your thoughts from clutter.  Do not fret if you are not doing the steps correctly.  Your mind will serve as your body’s guide for a perfect alignment every time!

Four Intermediate Pilates Routines is a post from: Pilates Routines

Pilates is about mental and physical wellness.  The mind must be in synch with the body and vice versa.  It is very different from the traditional Western which is a physically exhausting concept of exercise.  More often than not, the Western tradition is all about sets and repetitions, which can be mindless at some point.  With Pilates, quality is the goal of the routine rather than quantity.  To start with here are four basic Pilates routines:

1.  Chest lift.  Lie down with your face up.  Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor.  Your spine must be aligned in a way that there is a space in between the ground and the middle part of your spine. Place your hands on the back of your head.  Slowly inhale and then gradually exhale to suck in your stomach while lifting your head and shoulders away from the floor.  Inhale as you hold the position.  Exhale as you slowly go back to the supine position. Perform 1 set of 3 to 6 repetitions.

2.  Pelvic lift.  Lie down with your face up.  Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor.  Your spine must be aligned in a way that there is a space in between the ground and the middle part of your spine. Place your hands on your sides with palms facing the floor.  Slowly inhale and then exhale as you lift your pelvis off the floor.  Inhale as you hold the position with your arms extended on your sides.  Slowly exhale as you go back to the supine position.  Perform 1 set of 3 to 6 repetitions.

3.  Leg lift.  Lie down on your side.  The arm on the floor should be extended with palms facing up.  Rest your head on your inner upper arms.  The free arm should have the upper arm on the side with elbows bent forming a 90-degree angle and the hand resting on the floor.  Chest, stomach, thighs, legs, and feet must form a straight line.  Toes must be pointing down.  Slowly exhale to suck in your stomach.  Lift both legs together off the floor.  Slowly inhale as you lower both legs down.  Perform 1 set of 3 to 6 repetitions.  Perform the same on the other side.

4.  Thigh lift.  Lie down facing the floor.  Place your hands on your forehead with palms facing down.  Extend your legs and keep your feet together.  Push your pelvis down on the floor to curve your spine.  Exhale to suck in your stomach and raise one leg off the floor.  Hold the position for six counts.  Slowly inhale as you lower your leg.  Perform the same on the other leg.  Perform 1 set of 3 to 6 repetitions.

These basic Pilates routines will help you become more familiar with the fitness program.  There are more routines available to try.  Go and perform those other workouts to make progress in Pilates!

Four Basic Pilates Routines is a post from: Pilates Routines