Arms & Abs Mat

Hey. What's up? I'm Dane, and today, we are doing an arms and abs workout. That's right. But you're gonna need some light weights to get this party started. I have £3. Grab yourself something. Water bottles.

£5, whatever. Just get on this mat, and let's get this workout started. We're starting with some crosses. So with your feet about hip distance, soften those knees, grab those dumbbells up by your beautiful face, and cross from side to side, pivoting on the toe, Let's get this party started with a cross. Find your rhythm. Find your flow.

Breathe. Got it. Good. Add a little more energy. Remember, the cross comes from your core muscles. So pull your abs in and stretch that arm out in front of you. This is kind of fun, isn't it?

Did you know that Joseph Pilates was a boxer? He's looking down at us right now, and he loves what he sees. Trust me. Punch. Punch. One more time on each side. Come to second position.

Nice and wide. Make sure the knees are over the ankles, bicep curl into a star, take your arms out, plie, tailbone down, reach for the toes, Bicep curl hold, relevay, star. Put it together. Biceps curl, reach for the star. Touch your toes and reach out. Good.

When you come out to the star, make sure those limbs are equidistant. Yes. We touch our toes and we reach a little bit higher. On the next three, get a little bit deeper, and then come up a little bit higher. I love my superstars out there.

Come on. Reach for the stars. One more time. And let's go for a Bicep, scoop, take your right arm, scoop from the earth, take your left arm, and scoop, and let's find the flow. Adding the plie.

Yes. Today's workout is arms and abs focused, but that doesn't mean We're not gonna hit up those thighs as well. Every day is total body here at Pilates anytime. Let's get down there. Scoop a little bit deeper. Come on.

Give me the fantasy. Yes. We do a lot of ballet movements in Pilates, but right now, let's become modern dancers and get a little crunchy granola with the earth one more time on each side. Last one, hold the bicep curl, hold the grand plie isolations, elbows are up. Lift your heels and bicep curl hands to the temples. Let's go out and in do not move out and in just the heels, just the arms, shoulders are down the back, core is pulling in and up under the ribs, tailbone is down.

You got it? That's all. Woo hoo. Twinkle toes. They used to call me. Last one. Squeeze in and come up to stand.

We're gonna balance on one leg and do some shoulder circles. So I'm gonna balance on my left leg, put my right knee out, circle the arms up and out. Once you feel good about the circle, add the leg in and up. Some shoulder, mobility, but I also feel the burn in all the right places. Make sure it's not in the neck.

You have some freedom. You can look left and right at your admirers. Switch directions and switch legs, circle down and up, and now mimic the leg with the arms the arms come up. The leg comes up. Other direction, other leg.

Why does this feel like more of a workout for my brain? Because we are beautiful, and we are smart too, down and out. Let's do two more here. It doesn't matter what you do. It's how you look doing it.

Oh, mixed messages here, maybe. Let's take our arms out and pulse. In 2, 3, 4, and out 2, 3, 4. Small pulses in, and small pulses out. In 2, 3, 4, and out 2, 3, 4.

One more time. Come to the back of your mat. See if you can do this while walking to the front of your mat and to the back of your mat in 8 counts. We take it front, 2, 3, 4, back. And then walk back, 2, 3, 4 front.

Got it. Good. In 2, 3, 4, out. 2, 3, 4, in 2, 3, 4. Can you do it on your toes in 2, 3, 4, and 2, 3, 4, and strut, 2, 3, 4, and out. One more time in 2. I feel like Naomi Campbell Last one back, 2, 3, 4, and out 2. And now let's take it to some hip hop. Take those elbows out.

You're gonna cross your arms and pull back, cross your arms, pull back. This is hip hop. Reach out, reach in, pull out, reach in. My shoulders are burning, baby, but I'm having so much fun. I'm into it. How you doing at home? Putting on a show. Oh, I'm buying what you're selling over there.

You got this. 4, 3, 2, Come on. And that's just the warm up. Set down set down those dumbbells. We are going to come into some plank exercises now. Next.

So reach up, salute the judges, and let's walk our hands down into our lunge twist combo. Walk walk, walk those hands. Always an option to come to the knees. For the combination. Otherwise, stay with me in planks.

Spread out those fingers. Shoulders over the wrists. Soften the knees, soften the elbows, step your foot to your hand, twist. How you doing? Hand down and then return.

Try the other side. Step, twist, Hand down and let's flow. Good. I call this the world's perfect stretch Hit flexion, spiraling the spine, and then holding that plank, let's flow in the fitness movement right now, people are into the animal flow, and I gotta tell you. So am I? So next, we are going to A little more primal warfare. Whatever that means to you in this moment.

Maybe just adding a little animal sound. Ah, gets you more connected. Even if you laugh, That connects into the court too. One more time each side. And the other side, Next, loaded beast.

You heard me. We are doing an exercise called loaded beast. Hands are down. Come back to a downward dog, but bend the knees and bring your seat back to your heels. Now from here, roll through your spine, tuck your tailbone, angulate rolling through, hips down, chest up, chin to chest, roll up, roll up, roll back, loaded beast. Try to make a wave through your body. As your hips come down, collarbone through the shoulders look up, chin to the chest, push yourself up, roll through your back, and sit back on your heels.

Do that two more times Find the wave. Hips down chest up. Breathe. Chin to chest. Roll through your back in the flexion, extension at the end into the loaded beast. And then a quick child's pose.

Awesome job. Let's come down to a low plank. This is going to test the muscles a little differently. On side 1, make sure you stack your shoulder over your forearm, over your elbow. Turn to me. Always an option to come to the knees.

Otherwise, I want you to tripod or stack. Take that arm up. Hold it. Now, the smallest movement lift that hip up and down. Just a little booty lift. Up.

Up. There we are. Keeping the shoulder down the back, shoulder earring is off, just another 8, small movement for 6, Keep breathing for 4, 3, 2, thread the needle, reaching under and lifting high. Do that again. Reach under and extend and lift. Reach for something and then throw it in the air. I don't know what that is.

Money. Make it rain. Last two. And up spiraling once again, pulling the abs in tight and transition straight to the other side. No breaks.

Once you find the position and the shoulders down the back, you feel good. Lift that hip. Up, up, notice my arm, my shoulders do not move. It's all in the waistline, lifting up, up, just that little booty lift for 7. 432. Hold it. Thread the needle.

I'm looking to you. There you are. Hello, gorgeous. And up. Let's do it. Exhaled ring out the lungs. Inhale.

Stretch to the sky. Oh, I'm shaking on my left arm. How you doing there at home? Come on. I need you here. Stay with me. 2 more.

I've never been so happy to do some tricep dips. Have a seat. Now option If you feel this in the wrists or your back, grab those dumbbells, give me some tricep extensions. Otherwise, feet are down. Hands come back. First, we take a stretch and a tabletop, lift your hips up. That feels really good.

Now bring your hips back and see how this feels. Can you lift your feet? And then bring yourself up halfway, bend those elbows, and straighten. Let's work it down and up. Now I want that full range of motion, but not at the expense of your form.

So shoulders away from the ears, down your back, magnetize those elbows together. So keep bringing the elbows together in the back to expand the stretch in your chest in your postural muscles. What? You wanna try one leg? Okay. Let's try it and pulse up and down. 4 more.

Other leg, no problem. Safe transitions always. Down up. Down up. Come on. Give me 4 more. 4321.

And stretch forward. Pull your abs in, out of your thighs, drop your head. Break is over time for arms and abs on our back. We're gonna keep this classic, and I really want you to focus on the arms during these exercises that you might know well. Roll on your back Anytime you can rest your head, we'll do single leg stretch, curl up, use your arms outside hand to the ankle, inside hand to the knee. Let me see your biceps here and then switch.

Biceps, switch triceps, switch, shoulders, everything in the upper body, pulling everything in the lower body resisting. It's always a 2 a stretch, and that's what keeps me coming back for more As long as I can think about the stretch, I can do anything. Well, I think I can. Self belief is important. Last one, double leg stretch, ankles together, use your arms come in, and then arms shoot up to the ears, legs shoot out. Do that again.

Grab on 1. Exhale. Inhale. Stretch. Exhale. Pull. Make sure your abs are holding your head up Not the neck. I need you to look down into your own abdominals to continue that flexion of your spine.

Keep your tailbone and pelvis anchored. Although I want you to use those arms to pull the inside of the knees to your temples. Come on. 2 more. Straight into scissors. Grab an ankle, not the calf.

The ankle, shoulders are down. Use the arms. Kick and pull switch. Kick and pull switch. Use the arms. Every time you grab, it's a kick and pull. It's a kick and pull.

It's an opportunity to stretch those beautiful legs, but always an opportunity to work the arms. Here in California, we have to be ready year round to show them off, kick and pull, so much pressure kick and pull. I'm here for it. Both legs up cradle the head. Double leg straight leg stretch. Both legs down.

And lift, soften the knees if you need to. Most importantly, do not allow your body to track forward make sure naval pulls into the spine, neutral spine into the mat, and then see how low you can go. With that neutral spine. 2 more. I am shaking.

My teacher, Carol Wiley, used to step on my stomach during this exercise, and that's what I think about in these moments. Bend the knees, twist, criss cross to me, criss cross away. Chris crossed to me. Chris Cross away. Chris Cross will look to where you're going in the back wall.

Look to where you're going in the back wall one more time each side. And then gently rock yourself up, feeling toasty, straight into push ups. We worked the arms. We warmed up the core, and now we put it all together here. Fingertips forward, put your feet back into plank.

I'm gonna start modifying, crossing my ankles on my knees, Make sure you don't keep that booty up. Save it for the weekend. Hips forward. Chest down. Come down as one strong unit here.

Inhale down. Exhale up. Inhale down. I'm telling you, these modified push ups are kicking my butt right now because my fingers are spread out. I'm pointing my elbows back and I'm thinking about my entire body as I lower and lift. Okay. Fine. I'll do a few full push ups. You got it. You don't have to beg Come on.

Down and up. Down and up. Handstand push ups, down and up. Just kidding. 2 more. Last one.

And oh, it's froze. Awesome. Downward facing dog. Just enough time to pedal out the heels. And come back to our feet.

Press the heels down one at a time. Walk your feet to the hands. And slowly roll up your back, tailbone tucks, bone by bone, by bone, You know, I'm gonna grab my towel here for a second. Is it getting hot in here? Is it just me? Back to work.

Grab those dumbbells safely. Try set salute here. Heels together, toes apart, bring your arms up for that Pilates salute. I want you to pitch a little bit forward here, bring the weights to your forehead, and then push your weights out, bending the elbows, flaring out, and then pushing the arms to the high diagonal. Do not go into your back right now.

Make this work as you lean a little bit forward, and now let's add on. Bend the knees, straighten and relevay. Plevay at the top. Smooth it out. It's in. Push out.

Inhale. Exhale. Good. Imagine you are working those springs on the Cadillac here in and out. Can you reach a little bit higher while keeping those shoulders down and connected?

I'm feeling this, of course, in my triceps, but really in my shoulder heads, And I'm trying to keep this in my core. Let's do 2 more. Push out. Last one. And then push out and push up. Next, we're going to do a tricep combination.

Palms are up. Check this out. You're going to hinge forward. Reach your weights to your heels. Lift on 2, push together, the weights on 3, and then come back on 4.

So it's 1, up 2, connect 3, and 4. You're making a box squeezing the weights and then dropping the weights down. And then you put it together. It's down, up squeeze, down, up squeeze. Let's do a few more like this. Now that we are warm in our hip flexors, I'm able to come down a little bit deeper.

See if you can maintain that long neutral spine. Reach down. Tap the weights behind you. A little booty tap. Never hurt nobody.

Squeeze and lower. Let's do 3 more like this, and then we're gonna pause at the top for some circles. Keep that long neutral spine. Sit got that booty, but pull up on the low ribs, circle the arms in for 8. Small dime sized circles, lifting those arms as high as you can straighten out through the wrists.

Reverse it. 87. Breathe. Let's go for 4. 3, 2, and 1. Roll it down to roll it back up Face me. Let's have some fun.

Elbows into the body nice and tight hinge forward. Take your right arm, extend it out. Take your right leg, extend it out, and then bring it in. Let's pump the side off for 8. 8. Good. 7. Oh, this one feels good.

I love a pre party pump. Come on, push out in, out in, and then change for 8. 7, squeeze. 6, 5. I'm feeling cute now. 3, 2. Alternate. Tap.

Tap. Oh, you can have some fun. You're allowed to put your body into this baby. It's your body. Come on out.

Out a few more like this. Oh, I'm a add a little hop because I this is my life This is my class. No. This is your class. I'm so happy we're here together. Let's do 3 more, 2, even out on 1.

Back to profile, final presses, get those arms straight, and press those arms. Come on. Press press. I want you taking an Instagram selfie after this class showing off those guns and of course, tagging body by Dane along the way. Press.

Press. Press. 43. 2, straight and hold. Round your body.

Shake your head. Yes. Shake your head. No. Roll up your spine. Let's go for a final chest expansion. He also gathered toes apart palms are back.

Breathe. Feel the energy flowing through the body. Shoulders down the back again. Pull in on the abs. Reach your arms back.

Back. Back. Hold your breath in. Look to the right, look to the left, back to center, Do it again. Reverse. Inhale. Hold your breath.

Reach your arms back. Look to the left. Look to the right. Look center. This time, look any way you want.

I am going to pretend I'm on next top model at my go see, giving my profile for the booking agents, You're hired. Reach the arms forward. With your arms, we're gonna make a few circles just to make sure all the muscles around the neck, have a moment for some freedom here. So chin down to the chest. I want you to roll down halfway arms are hanging heavy, abs are in, and make little circles going in.

Breathing. And then reverse the circles, see if you can simply hold the weight and let the circles happen themselves. Sometimes these passive exercises can be the most challenging. Drop the arms heavy. Roll up the spine. I'm gonna set down my waist for our final stretch together. Set it down.

Take your left ear, your right ear, my left ear, to the shoulder, let the arm flow it up and down, like a bird. And down one more time. And then bring me other ear to the other shoulder. Take the hand on top. Give a little bit of traction and let that arm float up and down.

Up and down. One more time. I feel so good. And one deep breath in. And let's see those guns. Come on.

I hope you feel as good as I do right now, and I hope we can do this workout again. Maybe tomorrow. I'll take whatever I can get here at Pilates anytime. Great job, everybody.