Morning Lower Body Burn

Hi, I'm Tracey Mallett and today I'm going to do some standing inspired Pilates workout, because sometimes we haven't got time to get down on the floor. Just want some quick exercises that we can do to target the total body, but primarily we're going to be working on mostly of the lower body today. Okay, so let's start with some leg work. We're gonna warm up with a roll down and a roll up to start off with. Alright, so we're gonna start with your feet hip width apart, arms by the side of your body, take a deep breath in, inhale, exhale and roll down through the spine and then slowly roll all the way up.

And again, inhale, (exhaling) rolling down just to release the tension in the head, neck and shoulders and just release that spine. And then slowly roll all the way up. We're gonna reach over head, let's go up and over to the right side and then come back to the center, up and over to the opposite side. Next time we're going to go up and over, hold that position, and back a little bit more and hold it as you reach out through the fingertips. And then back to center.

We're gonna start with some leg work. So I want you start with your feet hip width apart and you're gonna put your hands on your hips. We're gonna come up into a slight releve here with the heels off the floor. What we're gonna do is just do a bend and extension. Bend and extension, now remember we're trying to keep the shoulders over the hips.

Don't come up into a high heel, the heels are just kind of hovering off of the floor. So engage the core, the core is stabilizing all the time. Four, and three and two, now we're gonna do a little triple pulse here so it goes boom, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, full extension and then slowly lower the heels. We're gonna turn around into first position. We're gonna come up onto a releve, squeeze the heels together.

Ready, down and up, now be careful that your knees are not spreading out to the side. You want your knees going over the first and second toe. So it's almost your knees are going to the corners of the room, they're not going that way, they're going that way, right. Good, let's do four more then. Keep squeezing the heels together.

Two more, inhale, now ready for your little pulses, we go eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, hold it there, squeeze but don't lower the heels and come back down. Now we're going to go into second position. Feet a little bit further then hip width apart. Ready now in this position we're gonna slowly keep the heels down for this one, alright. So we're gonna go down and up.

Down and up, down and up, good. Now all the time imagine your sliding down a wall, shoulders over your hips. I'm gonna keep saying that, shoulders over your hips because we all have a tendency to pitch the body forwards like this. Down and up, alright let's do four more, four, and three, keep pressing on your hips, two, now ready for little pulses, take it eight, seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, two, one, full extension. Now lift up, slight releve, ready.

We exhale down and up, if this gets too challenging just drop the heels again, two. Heels are just hovering, three, not too high, four, re-draw in the core, five, six, you got two more, seven, you ready to do our little pulses, go and eight, seven, and six, and five, four, and three, and two and one, now full extension, squeeze that, move in your heel, lower it down and bring your feet together. Hold this position, we're gonna lift your right leg up. In that position here, now we're gonna bend and extend. So we go bend, extend, bend.

Now if this is too challenging put your foot down on a toe. Ready, or if we can get into that challenge of what I'm doing but keep the hips level, so we're not hiking. You ready to add some little pulses here, go. Eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, two, one, extend and back. Switch to the other side so either here, right, or lift.

Ready, down and up. Keep the hands on the hips. That's it. And down, keep that knee tracking over that first and second toe. You ready to add some pulses and eight, seven, and six, and five, four, and three, and two, and one, now full extension, keep the hips level and lower the leg down.

And first position. Let's reach the right leg out, bend your knee so your in external rotation. Ready we're gonna repeat, single leg. Down and up, now look where that knee is going, it's going over the first and second toe to the corner of the room, right, not to the side. Are you breathing?

Now little pulses, take it eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, squeeze, and bring it down. Switch either there, or here. Ready, inhale, exhale, smile too, 'cause sometimes when you smile it makes everything makes it so much easier. I always say that but it's so true. (exhaling) Let's just do a couple more.

Are you ready to add those little pulses, go on, and eight, seven, and six, and five, four, and three, and two, and one, now squeeze, lengthen and bring it back together. Bring your legs to parallel, we're gonna turn around to the side so you can see me a little bit better. Reach the hands up, now we're slowly gonna take the hands and your foot together. So we're gonna exhale, we go (exhaling), inhale, (exhaling), so you're going to make a little pike, (exhaling), exhale (exhaling), pike, (rhythmic exhaling) last time, hold it here pulse, go. (rhythmic exhaling) The arms and legs are moving to each other and (exhaling) and three and two, and one, slowly come back up.

Ready for the other side? So remember that piking up and over, exhale, (rhythmic exhaling) breath guys and round, (rhythmic exhaling) ready and pules, go, (rhythmic exhaling) hold it there, and then lift and come down. I'm gonna turn back to the front. Hold it here. We're gonna go back into external rotation, reach the leg out to the side here.

We're gonna do some standing oblique work. So lifting your hands out, take the hands behind the head, your in that nice position here, hold it there, and we're gonna go into our side bend. So we go side bend with your left leg, side bend, side bend, and the leg lifts at the same time. Side bend, so you see I'm trying to get the top rib, or I should say the lowest rib to the hip. Four more, four, three, two, one, we'll hold it here and just the upper body.

(rhythmic exhaling) four more, and four, and three, and two, and now we're gonna lift the knee. And lift, and two, three, gonna keep that balance, (rhythmic exhaling) last time, and bring it down. Let's switch to the other side, leg goes out, just a quick pointer heel underneath the pubic bone and try to stay on the position so your not jotting your hip out. So lift up, that leg is straight, you ready, so your gonna lift up and over, go. And lift, focusing right here on the oblique.

(rhythmic exhaling) Four more (rhythmic exhaling) last time, now just the upper body, over, think of lifting over, so you're going up and over, over, over, four more, and four, and three, and two, are you ready to add the knee with it, go, knee, (exhaling), breath, (rhythmic exhaling), four, and three, and two, and one. Out into a wide second position, reach the hands out, get into that second position, do little pulses, palms flat, and now hold it here nice and still and hold, now we're gonna rotate to the right side. So we go one, two, center, one, two, now breath, (exhaling) center, (exhaling), center, now rotate, one, two extend, one, two extend. (exhaling) and lift, (exhaling) add the arms, we go one, two and reach, one, two and reach, one, two and reach, one, two and reach. We're gonna hold it here in that beautiful position as we reach forwards into that spine extension there, I'm gonna hold it there, in that beautiful extension because we wanna work that mid upper back and then we're gonna go into that little hitch the ride.

We're gonna hitch a ride, the train is gone so we've lost that ride, so let's find the next ride. We're gonna hitch back and now you're leading with the thumbs, now watching not hyperextending through the mid upper back, I'm gonna come to the side so you can see me, hopefully I'm drawing in those abdominals and I'm working through the mid upper back. Lead, let's do eight more, eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one, and hold it there, and then slowly release and bring it back to center. From here we're gonna slowly roll down as we go forwards into that plank position. So I'm going to turn to the side so you can seem me a little bit better.

Into this position here, we're gonna walk out into your plank position, and hold it here. Your abs are contracted, your hands underneath your shoulders, we're just gonna exhale down (exhaling) inhale, lift up, exhale down, inhale up, exhale down, inhale up, exhale down, four more, (rhythmic exhaling) hold it there, lift your leg up, into your arabesque, and then come back down. Switch legs, lifting up, back into your plank, lifting up, so your hips are parallel, so it's not about height, keep your hips parallel, you're switching legs, exhale up, inhale down, exhale up, inhale down, one more, exhale up, inhale down and hold it there, turn towards the front as you go into your side plank. Reach up and over, hold it there, cross the leg in front, bend your knees, come down, lift up and over, bend your knees, lift up and over, two more, one more, back to plank. Turn to the other side, hold it there and lift up and over.

Take the front leg, cross it in front, we go down, reach over, down, reach over, two more, down, reach over, last time, down, reach, back to plank, into your pyramid and flex the feet, enjoy that stretch. Slowly walk your feet to your hands. Roll yourself all the way up. Turn back to the center, we're gonna be in your parallel position, reaching the hands out. Now from here we're gonna rotate.

We're gonna reach down towards your baby toe, reach back to center and come back. We're gonna rotate, reach, lift, and center. One, now rotate, lift, that nice stretch, and center, rotate, down, reach, back to center. Now you're gonna put your arms out like this, come up into your V position, we're gonna press down, and back up again, depressing your scapula as you pull down, and up again, two more, (exhaling) and up, last time, and up, and come all the way around to the side and bring your legs together. From here we're just gonna take a nice roll down.

We're gonna roll all the way down through the spine and slowly roll all the way up. One last exercise to finish to work the glutes and the hamstrings, okay. I'm gonna go on a diagonal so you can see me. And we're just gonna pitch the body forwards and bend the knee, alright. So it's kinda gonna be like a scooter.

So we're gonna go back and in, back and in, back, now we're gonna add the arms, we're gonna go reach, pull in, now where the work is happening is on your supporting side 'cause that's stabilizing you, and allowing you to move freely, supported as you move the back leg. Let's just do a few more. Hold, pitch your body forwards, lift that leg up, and let's see if we can lift it in that position, so you're in your T position here, pitching your body forwards and resisting your quad as you push away, and you're elongating through the crown of your head, hold it here. Let's do eight more, that makes it about 16 reps, right. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, step back, come down, little bit further into that lunge and rotate towards your knee.

Come back to the center, legs together, articulate all the way up, and let's go to the other side. Hands on hip, bend your knees, pitch your body forwards, on a tap, so we're gonna go back, and in, back, and in, so remember just pitch your body forwards, let's add the arms, one, (exhaling), your body is slightly pitched forwards this time. Good, (exhaling), really pull in those abs as you reach out, four more, four, and three, two more, two, now one more, hold it here. Take your hands forwards, push away on your quads, push out, depress, and lift, find that stable base and lift it up. If you have a wall close by you can always put your hand on wall or maybe there's a chair close by if you're having problems with your balance, but try and get your hips square.

We want that hip square not turned out. Put your hands here and resist so you get that beautiful extension through your upper back. Let's try eight more, eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, three, two, one, hold it there and bend your knee, come all the way down. Now let's do that nice stretch towards the knee, that rotation stretch. And then come down, knee bends, roll yourself up.

Back to center, lift up, dive down, reach up, dive down, two more, reach up, dive down, last time, reach up, your heart center's lifting up to the sky, and release. Take one deep breath in, inhale up, and exhale out. Good job you guys, it was a great workout. Just a short workout, totally works your upper body, kinda got a sweat going, sometimes that's all we need just to get our energy going through the rest of the day. So I hope that did it for you, it certainly did it for me.

So hopefully I'll see you next time. Have a great day, bye.