My 5 favourite Pilates Ab exercises!

Let me start by saying my abs don't look like the ladies in this picture. For a woman to show their abs your body fat level needs to be 23%* or lower. Let me say you have abs whether they are visible or not and they are working beautifully.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there are healthy body fat percentages based on your age. For people 40 to 59, women should fall between 23% to 33%. If you’re aged 60 to 79, women should have 24% to 35% body fat. But to show abs from googling around your body fat level needs to be 23% and lower, and 23% just shows the lightest of all ab definition.

While many consider abs to be a sign of peak fitness, medical experts believe that ultra-low body fat can be extremely harmful for women. It can lead to a compromised immune system, fatigue, muscle wastage, vitamin deficiencies, and in severe cases, organ shrinkage. If you are young it can affect your fertility so just stuff to be aware of.

What do abs actually do? They have many important functions, from holding organs in place to supporting your body during movement. When people tend to speak of wanting to have great abs they are referring to the rectus abdominis, the ones down the front of your body, that you see on all those buff people on instagram.

The abdominal wall is created by a range of muscles:

• external oblique

  • found on the anterior abdominal wall starting on rib 5

• internal oblique

  • found on the lateral side of the abdomen starting on rib 8

• transverse abdominis

  • they wrap around your trunk from front to back starting under the ribs

• rectus abdominis

  • they are between the ribs and the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis starting from rib 5

Did you know that muscles work in pairs? These pairs are called flexors and extensors. If look at the rectus abdominis (your abs down the front of your chest), this is a flexor, as it is used to flex the trunk of your body, the extensor to this muscles would be the erector spinae (these are muscles which run down both sides of your spine) they help to extend your torso and plays a part in lateral flexion (side bending).

As your muscles work in pairs, maybe we should work out the muscles in pairs also.....just a thought.

So...I was told this story in one of my training courses and I liked it, and it seemed believable, so I am retelling it to you. When Old Joe (Joseph Pilates that is) croaked it, they looked for someone to replace him, to carry on the torch of Pilates (back then called Controllogy), and they found Romana Kryzanowska. Romana was a ballerina and as I like to tell my class I don't think Old Joe put in pretty ballerina hands, and making it look pretty, I think this might of come through from the ballerina era. Anyway I am digressing, Romana believed that her students abs weren't cutting the mustard and they needed a boost. As such she created the series of 5.

1. Single Leg Stretch

2. Double Leg Stretch

3. Scissors (Single Straight Leg Stretch)

4. Double leg lift & lowers (Double Straight Leg Stretch)

5. Criss Cross

Now these are all quite challenging exercises, but they really do work your abs, and it feels wonderful. There is something brilliant when you do these 5 together without stopping, you go into the zone, you are in your meditative state, you are concentrating on your breathing, you are focused, and you are at peace, and then it is over...and you wanna do it again but not till next class - lol.

However doing all these exercises together in one go is a lot for a beginner. I do teach this in my class, but with stages to each exercise, and you can stop at the stage which is right for you. The beginning stages take out the crunch or ab element of the exercise, and that allows you to take a break. You do not need to rush in to the deep end, I think that exercise should be enjoyable. You can challenge yourself but you don't need to break yourself.

If you want to see what the series of 5 looks like and want to try it then send me a message on thankupilates@outlook.com with your email and I will send you a video so you can try it at home.

Now don't forget I said if you work the front end the abs you should work your back end also. Please remember to give those back muscles some loves and do some extension work. Some of my favourites are...

• Cobra Prep

• Dart

• table top stage 2

You can see these all on my social media pages

@thankupilates

If you want to come learn some of these lovely moves, then do drop me a line

www.thankupilates.com/contact