Pilates Sample Exercises:

Simple - Yet Effective - Exercises for Strengthening your Back.

The following are Pilates sample exercises to help strengthen your back - especially as you recover from back pain.

From my experience as a chartered physiotherapist and Pilates instructor over the years, I have commonly seen people who tend to overdo it when starting strengthening exercises for their back. Back pain caused by doing too much too soon, can do further long term damage to your back.

Strengthening of your back is a slow process.

It should be carried out under the guidance of a trained physiotherapist and subsequently Pilates instructor. Patience is required but the long term rewards are truly amazing.

Below are a few samples of Pilates back strengthening exercises I use with my own clients (find out more about the difference between Yoga and Pilates).

Warm up exercise before Strengthening Exercises.
Scoliosis

Ten minutes of walking, exercise bike or even walking on the spot is adequate. The importance of this general warm up is to increase the circulation to the muscles so as to facilitate their ability to perform in both stretching and strengthening movements. This will reduce the likelihood of injury while performing these exercises.

Activate the deep abdominal muscles in conjunction with all the below exercises. To activate your deep abdominal muscles draw up your pelvic floor, pull your belly button in towards your spine and imagine your rib cage flattening down towards your hips. Hold this contraction during the following exercises to give the deep abdominal muscles a work out in conjunction with your torso. Your abdominal contractions should be sustainable for a length of time, therefore, a gentle contraction is what is required not a maximum effort one.

a. Bridging: Scoliosis

Lie flat on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
Knees and feet hip distance apart.
Tighten your abdominals.
Lift your buttocks off the floor keeping your abdominals engaged.
Your shoulders and knees should be in a straight line.
Hold for 5 seconds.
Slowly lower buttocks to the floor.
Repeat ten times.

b. The Plank:

Lie on your stomach.
Place elbows and forearms on the floor.
Your elbows should be under your shoulder.
Lift your body off the floor.
You should be balancing on your elbows and toes.
Your back and legs should be straight like a plank.
Engage your abdominals.
Hold position for 15 seconds and slowly lower down.
Repeat 10 times.

c. Wall Squat: Scoliosis

Stand with your back against the wall.
Heels about 20 inches from the wall.
Feet shoulder width apart.
Engage your abdominals.
Slowly slide down the wall into a squat position with the knees bent to about 60º.
Hold for the count of 5 and repeat 10 times.

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Further References:

Discover the History and Benefits of Pilates
What Pilates Equipment should you use?
What should you look for in a Pilates Class?
What is Core Strength Training?
Choosing Yoga vs Pilates for back pain relief.
How useful is Pilates During Pregnancy?

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The information on this web site does not replace specific medical advice. It should only be used to complement advice from your doctor. Always seek in-person advice from a doctor or other qualified health provider for your particular condition.