Oh, Single Leg Circles.…seems deceivingly easy to do, but to the contrary it is one of the hardest exercise to execute well, and it is even more challenging to showcase the depth of the movement in the few minutes it takes to perform it. One of the perfect examples of learning how to stabilize the pelvis is by engaging the deep muscles of the pelvic floor, lower back, and abdominals while mobilizing the leg in the hip socket.
THE PILATES ONE-LEG CIRCLE:
Begin lying down on the Mat with the Right Leg Up to the Ceiling at a 90* from the Hip
- Inhale to take the right leg straight across the body, keeping both hips firmly on the mat. Activate the left side of the Abdominals to keep the left side of the back on the mat.
- Exhale and circle the leg around and back to 90*. Keep both hips and shoulders evenly weighted on the mat by keeping the left Obliques pulling up and in toward the spine and engaging the spine rotators on the right side of the back.Simple? The essence of the exercise is to teach Leg Mobility while maintaining Pelvic Stability. The goal is not to see who has the largest Leg Circle, (it is not a competition!) but who has the most stable pelvis. Ideally, there should be no movement in the core, or trunk, as our leg swings through space. We should also be thinking about engaging both the abdominals and the back muscles which helps to stabilize the back of the torso making it easier to swing the leg and keep the body still. This is the Pilates principle of Oppositional Support of one side of the body lengthening while the opposite side engages to create core stability in any movement.Learning to lengthen your leg away from your center to open the hip joint and keep your quadriceps out of the equation will help you gain the most benefits from this basic Pilates Mat exercise. So my wonderful members, try to find the healthy balance of engaging the abdominals, pelvic floor and low back simultaneously and you will improve torso stability which will aid in greater hip mobility. This will strengthen and maintain better posture while standing, walking, running, and all your other daily life activities!Try out our Mat Pilates group sessions which include the Single Leg Circles.
Class schedule can be found online at : www.thehundred.ae
