Video:Pilates Bridge Ball Exercise

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Transcript:Pilates Bridge Ball Exercise

Hi. I am Lesley Powell, the director of Movements Afoot, a Pilates wellness studio in mid-Manhattan. This is Mandy Chan, one of my Pilates teachers at our studio. She will be demonstrating the bridge ball exercise.

Pilates Supplies

We are going to use a 65 cm ball and a wall to press our feet against. Since most people just want one ball at home, I find the 65 cm ball more versatile. Sitting at the computer on a ball is a great way to keep our backs free from the compression of poor sitting.

Improving Leg Strength

We are going to do a great exercise: the bridge. This exercise improves your leg strength on the balls. Especially with our culture so much in flexion with our sitting in front of computers and TVs, driving in cars and lack of walking, we are losing important strength in our hips for standings and spine. Improving our extensor strength will change our posture to stand taller.

Lie With Ankles on the Ball

To start, lie on your back with your ankles on the ball. This exercise is very important to have the legs initiate the movement of the bridge around the buttock cheeks is your gluteal folds. The muscles around this fold and the side of the hips are our goal to activate. Squeezing the buttocks together kicks important muscles that help us stand better.

Maintain Good Balance

The great thing about this exercise is it teaches you balance. When legs are working unevenly, the ball will wiggle. Your reflexes come into play and your body responds to find better patterns. I have had clients who were so weak, that they could barely bridge up. The ball gives such information that they made incredible progress in their practice.

The Exercise

1. Lightly press your heels down into the ball without moving the pelvis.
2. Imagine there is strings on your sitz bones. Pull the strings shorter to straighten and lift the legs in a bridge. Keep your legs parallel.
3. Your upper ribcage spine remains on the floor.
4. Without lowering the pelvis, bend the knees and pull the ball towards you. Your knees are pointing to the ceiling.
5. Straighten your legs.
6. Repeat bending the knees 2x.
7. Are you breathing?
8. With the spine as one piece, control lowering down with your legs. Imagine the strings on your sitz bones lengthening you longer towards the ball.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at About.com. 4.Without lowering the pelvis, bend the knees and pull the ball towards you. Your knees are pointing to the ceiling. 5.Straighten your legs. 6.Repeat bending the knees 2x. 7.Are you breathing? 8.With the spine as one piece, control lowering down with your legs. Imagine the strings on your sitz bones lengthening you longer towards the ball. Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the web at about.com.