It’s the season of shorts and mini-skirts but you’re not alone if you’re not rushing to join that throng. Especially if you long for toned legs and a pert behind.
But here are 5 Pilates moves that can help your legs feel toned, strong, and even pert, from your hips to your toes.
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Side Bend for a pert booty
My personal Pilates favourite this is the best exercise for working the buttock muscles. And it has the added bonus of also working your waist and shoulders too.
It’s a challenging move though so in the video below I share the move itself and then some ways to adapt it to suit you.
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Side Kick for strong hips & toned thighs
Keeping the focus on those hips and buttocks, this move again really challenges the muscles and again targets those belly muscles too.
The original move is done from a kneeling position – but if that’s not for you, check out my variations in the video below to get the benefits in a position that suits you.
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Leg pull (prone) for a peachy bottom
If you’re not a fan of planks, this may make you groan a little (don’t worry there are ways to adapt it!). Yet again, Pilates comes up trumps by working the core muscles as well as your legs – all at the same time.
Bringing some focus to the back of the thighs and calves too, this move requires some balance and co-ordination – totally worth it for the leg work included in this move.
Check out the video for how to do it, and also how to adapt the move to make it right for you.
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Shoulder bridge for toned hips and thighs
If you’re getting the impression that Pilates allows you to work lots of body parts all in one go – you’re right! This move targets the abdomen, hips, buttocks and back of the thighs too.
There are lots of ways to vary this movement too – I’ve shared some of them in this short video.
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Single leg stretch for shapely pins
So far we’ve worked the hips, bum, back of the thighs and calves – let’s turn (literally) to the front of those thighs now.
We’re still challenging the core muscles but focussing on the thighs for this challenging move.
As always, there are ways to adapt this movement to suit you. Whether you’re a complete beginner or advanced Pilates pro, there’s a way to adapt each move.. I share some ways to do that in this video.
Bringing it all together
A key ingredient of Pilates is flow – and those 5 moves above work really well together as a little routine.
Pair them up with:
- Good hydration
- Sensible portion sizes
- Plenty of sleep
- Being more generally active
to see and feel a real change in your lower body strength and shape.
And if you’d like to join in with more Pilates why not check out my in-person or live Zoom sessions, or just access my online Pilates library.
For a FREE 7 day trial of my Online Pilates library, just click the button below: