Working It – Lying Down
Written By NaviPay Blog Contributor:
Suzanne Davis
Coastal Business Evolution, LLC
We’re all pretty tired of quarantine and would probably like to just lie down, take a nap and forget about it all, but we want to be fit when we emerge. So why not try out some great side lying Pilates moves? All you need is you and your mat.
We asked Kelsey Gephart, M.S., CPT, NPCP and Club Pilates Master trainer, what’s so great about side lying exercises?
Other than lying down (which is obviously the best part), side-lying exercises activate and let you work a wide variety of tiny, very important muscles. Some of these muscles include those of the pelvic floor, the external oblique abdominal muscles and the lateral most muscles of the hips. Feel your core tighten and your butt lift!
Let’s Get Down to the Nitty-Gritty and Talk About Proper Form:
- In side-lying exercise, sequences maintain a deep connection to the bottom side oblique, by lightly contracting the rib-cage to lift the side body. Make sure the top hip is pushing slightly away from you so that they are truly stacked!
- The top shoulder will want to hike up to the ear, so engaging the muscles under the arm will be helpful to pull it down. Use the top shoulder hand by pressing it into the floor!
- Maintain a lift of the pelvic floor to keep the hips still. Imagine pulling your belly button not only to the spine but up to the nose! Slightly reach your tailbone towards your heels.
- Resist your own body weight; this can be as tough as you make it! If you want a little more though, add a resistance band around the thighs and feel the BURN!
Follow along with the video here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_frvV7Aw-I/?igshid=befq3v2nz55n for proper form cues and sequencing!