These exercises involve concentration and the coordination of breath and movement, which helps to balance the mind and body.
Pilates is excellent for someone who wants to tone their stomach and abs because it works to make the entire body lean. And as I've said numerous times on this site, you cannot have leaner, toner abs until you work on making your entire body lean.
There's no such thing as spot toning. You have to work everything so Pilates is ideal for helping your whole body become leaner so you can get the stomach and abs you've been desiring.
Now you can purchase several different Pilates exercise programs that focus solely on the abs. I bought Pilates Abs Workout with Ana Caban. I like it because the exercise routine is not very long (25 minutes) and it's not too difficult to do.
The nice thing about the video is that there are two levels. You can follow Ana for more advanced moves and there's another girl you can follow if you want to take it easy at first and do the beginner moves. Another plus for Pilates is that if you perform the exercises regularly you'll see fast results.
Unlike many fitness programs, Pilates exercises are not based on the principle "more is better". Instead it focuses on limited repetitions of each exercise and quality of each movement.
So instead of doing 50 leg raises, you may only do 10 to 12. A smaller number of reps are important because you don't tire as easily and you can focus on the quality of every move instead of just trying to finish.
Here are some good Pilates exercises to do if you're just focusing on your abs. All of these moves are from Ana Caban's DVD I mentioned above.
Note: Before beginning any type of exercise routine, you should always consult a physician
The Roll Up:
The roll up is one of the classic Pilates Mat exercises. Roll Up is a great challenge for the abdominal muscles, and is well known as a foundation exercise for the Pilates flat abs effect.
It has been said that one Pilates roll up is equal to six regular sit ups, and is much better than crunches for creating a flat stomach. If you are new to Pilates, or you have neck or upper back pain, you may want to begin developing your strength with Wall Roll Down and Supported Roll Back.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 min.
Here's How:
- Lie on the floor with your legs straight. Let your belly drop down toward the floor and make sure your shoulders are relaxed and away from your ears. Take a few deep sequential breaths to make sure that you are in good alignment and breathing fully.
When you are ready, leave your scapula anchored in your back and the ribs down, as you bring your arms straight up over your head so that your finger tips are pointing to the wall behind you. This will be your beginning position - Inhale: Leave your scapula engaged in your back as you bring your arms up over head. As your arms pass your ears let the chin drop and head and upper spine join the motion to curve up.
- Exhale: Continue in one smooth motion to roll your body in an "up and over" motion toward your toes. Deepen the curve of the abdominals as you exhale; and finally, keeping the head tucked, the abdominals deep and the back rounded, reach for your toes
Ideally the legs are kept straight throughout this exercise, with energy reaching out through the heels. However, a modification would be to allow the legs to bend a bit, especially as you come up and reach toward the toes. - Inhale: Bring the breath fully into the pelvis and back as you pull the lower abs in, reach the tail bone under and begin to unfurl, vertebrae by vertebrae, back down to the floor.
The inhale initiates this motion until you are about half way down. *Be sure to keep the legs on the floor and don't let them fly up as you roll down. Check that your shoulders are relaxed and not creeping up - Exhale: Continue to set one vertebrae after another down on the floor.
Keep your upper body curve as you go down slowly and sequentially. The arms are still outstretched and following the natural motion of the shoulders as you roll down. Once your shoulders come to the floor, the arms go with the head you continue to roll down to the mat. - Do Up to Six Repetitions: The roll up is one continuous controlled flowing motion, up and down. Try to synchronize with the breath. If you do this exercise with full attention, six repetitions will be sufficient.
Single Straight Legged Stretch:
Single straight legs is an intermediate Pilates mat exercise that challenges abdominal endurance and stretches the backs of the legs. This is a different exercise than Single Leg Stretch.
Modifications for this exercise include leaving the head down, bending the knees slightly, and increasing or decreasing the distance between the legs.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 min.
Here's How:
- Begin by lying flat on the mat but with your legs extended toward the ceiling. Legs and heels are together in Pilates stance, rotated slightly outward from the hips.
- Lengthen your spine, pull in your abdominals, and curl your chin and upper body up off the mat. The tips of the shoulder blades touch the mat.
You will maintain this upper body lift throughout the exercise. It is supported by the abdominals, not by straining the back or neck. Chest lift is a good building-block exercise for this move. - Grasp your right ankle, or below the knee if you have tight hamstrings. Stretch your left leg out at a 45 degree angle.
You can adjust the angle of the outstretched leg to make the exercise more or less difficult. The lower the leg, the harder the abdominals have to work to maintain alignment. - Inhale: Gently pull your right leg toward you. Pulse the leg toward you twice, increasing your stretch.
Switch legs quickly. - Exhale: Pull your left leg toward you. Pulse the leg toward you twice, increasing your stretch.
Switch legs quickly - Repeat 6-10 times.If you begin to feel strain in your neck, it is time to rest and then begin again
Tips:
- Modify by keeping your head down and/or bending the knees slightly.
- If you choose to increase difficulty by lowering the outstretched leg, you must be able to use your abdominals to keep your lower back from popping up off the mat.
- Try to get a nice smooth rhythm going with the breath and the switching of the legs.
- In a deep scoop like this one, you will want to breathe deeply into your back and sides.
- The exercise, swimming, will provide a good counter stretch for single straight leg stretch.
- What You Need:
An Exercise Mat
Double Straight Legged Stretch:
1. Lie on your back with your legs straight.
2. Slowly raise your head and neck off the mat as if you're starting a basic crunch. Place your hands behind your head.
3. Bend both legs in and raise them off the floor then straighten and point them in the air at 11 o'clock. Keep your head and neck off the floor.
4. Slowly move both legs down (keeping them together and as straight as you can) until they are about a foot from the floor.
5. Now raise them back up and begin again.
6. Repeat this 10 times.
One Leg Circles:
1. Lie on your back with arms at your sides. Pulling in your abs, extend the left leg toward the ceiling, and point your toe. Now rotate your foot slightly inward.
2. Rotate leg clockwise. Breathe in as you round your leg down without touching the floor. Exhale as you rotate your leg up to 12 o'clock.
3. Repeat this 5 times and switch legs.
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