How to Do the Saw Exercise in Pilates

The Pilates saw exercise will stretch your abdominal muscles and increases your ability to reach out to your toes. You'll also work out the muscles in your abdomen and lower back. Use these steps to perfect the Pilates saw exercise.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Sit up on your mat. Elongate your spine and pull in your navel.

2. Spread your legs as you comfortably can. Point your toes up but keep your legs flexible. Do not strain to make the position work. You will feel stress on different muscles with this unfamiliar position, but you should not experience pain.

3. Raise your arms out by your side until they are parallel to the floor. Make sure your arms are straight.

4. Cross, or saw, by twisting your abdomen to the right. Touch the right pinky to the smallest toe on your left foot. Inhale and return to the starting position. Do not worry if you cannot touch your toe on the try. Just reach as far as you can. The goal is the stretch, so go as far as you can until you feel a little burn.

5. Twist so that your left pinky touches the smallest toe on your right foot. Repeat this exercise several times.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have mastered the basic Pilates saw, you can make it more difficult by spreading your legs farther.

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