Video:How to Do a Side Kick Up and Down in Pilates

Transcript:How to Do a Side Kick Up and Down in Pilates

Hi! This is Katrina Hawley for About.com. Today, we're going to learn how to the side kick, up and down, in Pilates. For this exercise, it's important to have a mat. This will protect your bottom hip from soreness or bruising. You also want to protect your neck with your arm or a small pillow.

How to Do a Side Kick Up and Down in Pilates

To do this exercise, first, you'll lie on your side. And this is an active position, so you're going to lie with one arm under your head and you'll stretch long, with your legs long beneath you. Your waist is lifted and your abdominals are engaged. We'll start in a parallel position. Exhale as you lift your leg up, inhale as you lower it back down. Exhale up, inhale down.

Variations and Modifications for a Side Kick Up and Down

To vary this, you can also rotate that top leg outward. You'll exhale this, your kick will go a little higher. Exhale as you kick your leg up, inhale as you lower it back down.

You can also vary this by turning your leg inward, pointing your tow towards the ground with the flex foot, inhale as you kick your leg up, exhale as you bring your leg down.

One last variation is the passé, where you will first bend your leg and bring it into the air, and then reach your leg down. Exhale as you bend your leg, kick it up into the air, inhale, reach it back down.

Be sure that when you're lying on your side, make sure your hips are stacked one on top of the other. You don't want to roll back or forward. If you roll back or forward, then you'll be using your quadriceps, and not your abductors and adductors.

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