Pilates Practitioner 101: Summer Countdown for Weeks 33-34

While my knee is almost completely better, I’m still taking things real slow with my Pilates home practice by continuing to create my own light routine for the next week. I did take a week off only from my home practice, due to a flare-up in my right knee and lower back. Hopefully, this week, I’ll now start modifying the exercises, since my knee is about 95% better. I did take a day off from my Pilates and Hydro Pilates class, earlier this week and resumed Hydro Pilates today. Since we’re down to the final weeks of spring, it’s time to count down to summer. do have my medicine leftover from last month, enough to get m

Here’s my own Pilates home practice routines I’ve started out with easy warm-ups, some familiar exercises, and a couple to cool down with modified reps per routine. Give this a try at your home.

Workout #9 Warm-up: 4 Pelvic Tilts-Pelvic Curls, 6 Roll Ups, 6 High Clams.
Routine: 5 reps of one cycle of the 100, 3 Open Leg Rockers, 3 One Leg Balances, 6 Double Leg Stretches, 4 Double Straight Leg Lowers, 2 Swimming Cycles.
Cool Down: 3 Kneeling Leg-Arm Balances, 4 Cat-Cows, 1 Child’s Pose.

To kick off my summer Pilates session, we’ve returned to our regular mat routines, sans props, for another full Pilates routine. We’ve warmed up with our arms over in a stretch did some new leg extension exercises, including a spine stretch by tilting our legs to the right and to the left. We’ve also did the 100 on our back and stomachs, the chest lift with rotation, the criss-cross, the roll-ups and mini peel-ups, the single and double leg stretch, the single straight leg stretch. We’ve also added the open leg balance, 2 swimming cycles, the sidekick series with the double leg tap, the double leg lowers and single leg lowers for top and bottom leg, the side sashay/reverse side sashay, the bicycle and backpedal, and the single and double leg circles to our routine. We’ve also did some planks with pulsing our feet with bent and extended arm, heels beats (which was done differently than I did in my home practice), the swan prep, some downward dog and cat-cows, and finished it with the Pilates stance.

For the 17th Hydro Pilates session, we’ve warmed up with some body twists and side stretches in the cold water of the pool. We’ve did some knee raises, left lifts, squats with straight and bent legs, and some press and pull side stretches on both sides, and the hinge stretch. We’ve also did the plank and the one-legged plank by pulsing our feet in the water, and also did it with one leg circle on both sides. We’ve also did arm circles and the side plank to do some sone bicycle/backpedal exercises and the side sashay/reverse sashays. The one exercise we’ve did was the knee pull-ups and the pendulum. We’ve also did the tree pose, in which I was able to balance pretty steady on my right leg. We’ve also did the Warrior stretches, and another set of the press and pull stretch pose, and the chair squat pose in the water, too. To finish out the session, we’ve did the mermaid side stretch and the spinal twist and the Pilates stance.


For my 18th Hydro Pilates session, we’ve warmed up with some reach stretches and side stretches in the cold water of the pool. We’ve also did the plank and the one-legged plank by pulsing our feet in the water, and also did it with one leg circle on both sides and in reverse, which was followed by lower leg extensions, knee pull-ups, and flexed foot on both sides, too. We also balanced on our legs, too. We’ve also have done the side plank to do some sone bicycle/backpedal exercises and the side sashay/reverse sashays, along with the one-armed plank on both sides. We’ve also did the tree pose, in which I was able to balance pretty steady on my right leg without needing the wall. We’ve also did the Warrior stretches and the chair squat pose in the water, too. To finish out the session, we’ve did the mermaid side stretch and the spinal twist and the Pilates stance.