Pilates Fitness Training Ring

DOUBLE LEG STRETCH

• Lie on your back with a small folded towel under your head.
• Place the balls of the feet in the top of the ring and hold the opposite side with your palms facing towards you.
• Straighten out the legs to stretch the hamstrings.
• Keep your tailbone on the floor.
• After a few seconds, gently squeeze the thigh muscles to increase the stretch. 
• Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds.

SINGLE LEG STRETCH

• Lie on your back with a small folded towel under your head.
• Place the ball of one foot in the ring, holding the opposite side of the ring with your palms facing towards you.
• Straighten out the leg to stretch the hamstring.
• Straighten out the other leg along the floor.
• To increase the stretch in the ring leg, squeeze the thigh muscle. 
• Hold for at least 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side.

GLUTE BRIDGE WITH RING OVER KNEES

1. Lie on your back with a small folded towel under your head, heels towards your buttocks and the ring placed on top of your knees. Exhale, push your knees out against the ring and draw your hip bones towards your rib cage.

2. Your lower back should flatten down before it peels off the floor. When you have rolled up to between your shoulder blades, pause and inhale. Keep drawing your hip bones towards the rib cage as you exhale and peel the spine back down to the floor one bone at a time. Repeat until fatigue.

3. Variation: At the top of the bridge add in a curl up, lifting your head and shoulders off the floor and reaching your hands along the sides of your thighs.

(To work the inner rather than the outer thighs, place the ring between the knees and squeeze as you bridge.)

CURL UPS WITH RING

1. Lie on your back, heels towards your buttocks, the ring placed between your knees and fingertips to your temples with the elbows wide.

2. Exhale, squeeze on the ring and slide your ribs down towards your hip bones, lifting your head and shoulders off the mat. Your eyeline should be between your knees. Inhale and slowly lower the head and shoulders back down to the mat. Repeat to fatigue.

(To work the outer rather than the inner thighs, place the ring over the knees and push out against it as you curl up.)

ROLLBACK WITH RING

1. Sit up tall with your legs lengthened out in front of you, holding the ring in front like a steering wheel. Pull your shoulders back and down, away from your neck. Have a small folded towel behind you for your head to rest on later.

2. Exhale, draw your hip bones away from your thigh bones as you round the lower back and start to lower the spine down to the floor bone by bone.

3. Roll back until your head reaches the folded towel, your arms should be facing straight up towards the ceiling. Inhale and roll back up to sitting. If you get stuck at any stage, drop the arms with the ring a little lower.

(To work the shoulders rather than the pectorals, place the backs of the hands inside the ring and push out.)

REVERSE CLAM WITH RING

1. Lie on your side with the lower arm extended away in line with the body and a small folded towel between your arm and head, top hand resting on your hip. Knees are bent with the ring between them and your heels in line with your buttocks. Engage your deep abdominals and lift the lower waist away from the floor.

2. Exhale and squeeze the knees together. Do not allow the hips to roll forward and keep the side of the feet connected. Inhale and return to the start position.

3. Variation: As before, but the feet stay elevated just off of the floor throughout.

SINGLE LEG EXTENSION

1. Lie on your back with a small folded towel under your head, ring held above your chest like a steering wheel and legs in tabletop.

2. Exhale and extend one leg away from you, lowering the heel towards the floor. Make sure that the other leg does not move towards your chest as the working leg lengthens away. At the same time reach backwards with the arms, making sure that you maintain neutral spine throughout. Inhale as you return the leg to tabletop and the ring straight above the chest at the same time. Repeat, alternating legs each time, until fatigue, resetting if there is any discomfort in the lower back.

(To work the shoulders rather than the pectorals, place the backs of the hands inside the ring and push out.)

DOUBLE LEG EXTENSION

1. Lie on your back with a small folded towel under your head, the ring held above your chest like steering wheel and your legs in tabletop.

2. Exhale and squeeze the knees together as you lengthen both legs away from you. Simultaneously reach backwards with the arms, making sure there is no loss of neutral spine. Inhale as you return the legs to tabletop and the ring back over the chest. Repeat until fatigue, resetting if there is any discomfort in the lower back.

(To work the shoulders rather than the pectorals, place the backs of the hands inside the ring and push out.)

ROLLBACK AND TWIST WITH RING

1. Sit up tall with the ring between your knees. Your arms are out to your sides and slightly ahead of your shoulders, as if you were about to hug a giant tree. Exhale, squeeze on the ring and hinge back from the hips with the chest proud. Do not allow the lower back to round.

2. As you hinge back, turn the chest to one side, your arms following the movement. Hold this position as you inhale. Exhale and sit back up as you turn the chest back in line with the knees. Repeat until fatigue alternating the direction of the twist each time.

(To work the outer rather than the inner thighs, put your legs inside the ring level with your knees and push out against it through the exercise.)