Pilates Exercises to Get You Back to the Beach

For many of us, summer means plenty of time at the beach and a ton of athletic beach activities. But if you spent your winter languishing on the sofa, and your routine was more snack cakes than Swan Dives, you may need a refresher course in fun and play.

This series of Pilates exercises can help get you ready for your next beach volleyball game or your next paddleboard outing. And let's face it, there may be a few of us who need a little extra help getting that packed cooler from the parking lot to its necessary place under the beach umbrella.

Paddleboard

Swan: Strengthen your back and hip extensors, and stabilize your core to achieve better balance on the board.

Side Kick Kneeling: Strengthen the torso and glutes for a strong, solid stance, and improve balance and coordination.

Frisbee Toss

Criss-Cross: Strengthen obliques and facilitate rotation for catching those errant flying disks.

Saw: Strengthen your abdominals, obliques, and back extensors, plus, increase spinal rotation. If that frisbee flies overhead, you'll be sure to catch it on the way down.

Swimming

Swimming: Hey, what else? Strengthen back extensors and increase spinal extension to help you make waves in the water.

Push Up: Strengthen your chest and triceps, and stabilize your trunk for upper body strength and stamina. Win that pier-to-pier challenge even in choppy water.

Wave Jumping

Single Leg Circles: Stabilize your pelvis and mobilize your hip joint to take on waves tall and small.

Leg Pull Back: Strengthen your glutes and hamstrings to get lift and stability.

Beach Volleyball

Side Bend: Build abdominal strength and stabilize your shoulders. You'll gain the power you need to spike that net ball.

Shoulder Bridge: Strengthen your hamstrings and glutes while increasing the flexibility of the front of the leg; the stronger your glutes and legs the deeper you can squat, jump, and dive.

Walking in the Sand

Side Kicks Series: Work everything you need to enjoy your walk on the beach with ease: stabilize your powerhouse and strengthen glutes, hips, abdominals, and back extensors.

Carrying a Cooler

For those of us who get winded carrying a heavy cooler the length of a football field.

The Hundred: Increase breath control while building strong abs and a stable core.

Leg Pull Front: Strengthen hip extensors and shoulder girdle, stabilize trunk and pelvis. When that cooler is full of necessary supplies, you need all the core strength you can muster.