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Single-Leg Stretch

Pilates / Popular

Coordinate breath and limb movement while stabilizing the core.

What coaches agree on

  • On the bent leg, put your outside hand on your ankle and your inside hand on your knee - this grip is what lets you guide the leg as it switches.
  • Keep your spine and pelvis still as your legs move - the switching should come from your legs, not from your torso rocking or your lower back arching off the mat.
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  • Exhale as you stretch the leg away, and inhale as you switch legs and draw the other knee in.
  • Point your feet and keep your legs parallel to each other rather than letting them turn out or splay.

Common mistakes

  • Treating it as an arm exercise - yanking the leg in with your biceps and crunching your elbows toward your chest - instead of pulling like a rowing motion that comes from your back and deep abdominals.