Pilates Crisscross to Work the Waistline!
The Pilates CrissCross is my favorite Pilates move to work the oblique abdominal muscles at the waist. It is very effective if done correctly and can challenge even the most in shape of people.
Most of my students love to hate this Pilates move as they know how hard it is yet good for them to practice. Position for the CrissCross:
Lying on your back with knees up in tabletop position. Head and shoulders are curled off the mat in a head float position. Hands are clasped at the base of your skull with elbows wide. Draw the shoulder blades together and slide them down to keep the elbows out and from pulling on your neck. Keeping the elbows wide helps to stretch the sides of the torso and keep it elongated throughout the exercise for better oblique abdominal activation. Movement:
Extend one leg as you bend the other drawing your elbow to the outside of the opposite knee. Inhale and exhale as you repeat the exercise for 8-10 repetitions. Tips:
Be sure to do the CrissCross moving from the waist and not pulling on the neck and head as you turn. One elbow reaches to the floor as the other reaches the outside of the knee. When you start to lose your form you're done!
Enjoy this Pilates move and work up to more repetitions as you get stronger and then hold the stretches to each side longer to increase the activation of the oblique abdominal muscles.
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