So far in "Pilates for two" series, we have
toned the abdominal muscles with the "Oblique" exercise and sculpted
the outer thigh muscles with the "Outer Thigh Toner." Now, the "Air
Push Up" strengthens and tones the arms.
Start position: stand
facing away from your partner, back to back. The closer you are
together, the easier it may be to balance, but if you want to challenge
core strength, step away from one another! The man holds the middle of
the band shoulder distance apart and the woman holds the ends of the
band. Elbows are bent close to the sides with the fists in front of
the shoulders.
Inhale, pull in the abdominal muscles and lengthen through the spine. Make sure the neck and shoulders are relaxed.
Exhale, without elevating the shoulders, extend the elbows to simulate a "push up" in the air.
Inhale, return to the start positon with control, trying not to rock back and forth on the feet.
Exhale,
repeat, adjusting the tension as necessary by either changing the hand
position on the band or stepping away (or closer to) one another.
Repeat 10-12 times.
For you men out there, if you find this
exercise too easy, don't fret! Working with lighter tension can
strengthen the smaller muscles of the rotator cuff which always work to
stabilize the head of the humerus in the glenohumeral joint.
For more great arm workouts, try "Pilates in Ten Arms" from the Pilates on Fifth Video Podcast or "Strong, Shapely Arms" from the Strong, Svelte and Savvy series of workouts on UltimatePilatesWorkouts.com.