The Criss Cross Exercise for Pilates

Video Transcript

" The next exercise I am going to demonstrate for you is called the crisscross. Go ahead and lie flat on your mat. You are going to take both hands, place them behind your head and elbows are going to come out to the side. Go ahead and bring both knees in toward your chest, finding a neutral alignment in your spine and navel toward your spine. I am going to have you lift your head off of the mat using your abdominals. So pull the navel in, exhale as you lift, keeping those elbows back, your goal is try to get the right shoulder toward the left knee and the left shoulder toward the right knee. Inhale, exhale and extend that right leg out and take your right shoulder, lift the shoulder blade and rib cage off of the mat, switch to the left side and inhale and switch. Shoulder blade and rib cage come up. Inhale and exhale switch. Try not to pull on your neck. Keep your elbows back and exhale as you extend. Inhale."