The Kiley
I wrote the original version of this program for a very lovely client, Kiley Durham. Kiley inspires me every time she comes in the studio. Last year, as she was preparing to be away for the month of August, we decided she needed a travel program -- with a squishy ball of course! The overball is super portable making it your perfect Pilates travel companion. Pack yours and channel Kiley's drive to keep your practice consistent while you are enjoying summer!
**We have included some of Kiley's favorite beach tunes so you can really get in the mood and mind set. Her picks were inspired by time spent with her son!
1. Arch and Curl
Place the 1/2 way deflated ball under your pelvis. Knees bent, feet on the mat. (In parallel!)
Inhale and arch your lower back sending your tail bone towards the floor. Exhale and curl tucking your tail towards the ceiling and lowering your waist towards the floor.
Remember to give the weight of your pelvis to the ball the whole time and do most of the work from your deep abdominals.
Keep your ribcage and throat relaxed moving efficiently and only engaging where you need to.
8-10 sets
3.Knee reaches
Keep the ball under your pelvis. Reach your right knee past your left, with your pelvis resting on the ball. Think of lengthening the right side of your pelvis and lower back. Keep your hip points level.
Return to center and repeat on the left.
10 times
5. Hip flexor stretch on the ball
Keep the ball under your pelvis and extend your right leg on the mat. Hug your left knee into your chest and relax your ribs. Allow your right hip to open for three breaths.
Repeat on the left.
7. Marching Bridge
Remove the ball from your knees and set it close by.
Roll up into your bridge.
Exhale and shift all your standing weight into your right foot. Keep your hips level as you float your left foot off the mat three inches.
Inhale your left foot back to the mat.
Exhale and repeat on the left.
Remember to keep your hips level and lower back long. Top of your hamstrings and your gluts should be working. Take your time to stay centered.
10 sets
9. Obliques using the wall.
Lie down with your legs extended and feet flat against the wall. Find a strong reach down into all surfaces of your feet while lifting up with your abdominals. Hands are interlaced around the back of your head.
Come up into a low chest curl. Side bend to the right. Pass through center. Side bend to the left. Return to center. Lower your head. Repeat 10 sets alternating which side you bend to first. Keep your feet connected to the wall no matter where you are in the movement.
11. Leg lifts and curls with the ball
Time for your favorite!
Continue to lie on your abs. Place the ball between your ankles. Make a pillow for your forehead with your hands.
Reach back through your tail bone and draw your low belly wide across your hip points and away from the mat.
Squeeze the ball and lengthen your legs back as you lift your thighs off the mat using your hamstrings and gluts. Keep lengthening as you lower.
Check in with your upper body and make sure it's not bracing away from the mat.
Repeat 12 times with straight legs.
Add your hamstring curl for the next 12.
In the same position lift your legs and ball. Keep your thighs hovering as you curl your heels to your seat. Track your knees in parallel and maintain length through the front of your hips so they are connected to the mat.
13. Plank with the ball between your thighs
Come up to hands and knees. Place the ball between your thighs. Hands under your shoulders and toes flexed under. Exhale up into a strong plank position, mindful of any elbow hyperextension and wrapping your shoulder blades flush onto your back with your serratus.
Hold for three breaths. Repeat 3 times.
You can alternate this with a quadruped knee hover with the ball between your knees.
2. Pelvic Clock
Keep the ball under your pelvis and connect all four points from above. Tuck under, roll to your right hip point, roll to your arch with tail bone reaching towards the floor, roll to your left hip bone and back to your navel.
Make 3-6 circles in each direction. Strive for round smooth circles and take time to reach in to stuck places along the way.
4. Knee Folds
Keep the ball under your pelvis, arms long beside you, hands on the mat.
Inhale to prepare and lengthen, exhale and fold your right knee over your right hip keeping your hip flexor soft.
Inhale your right foot back to the mat.
Exhale your left knee over your hip.
Inhale back to the mat.
Continue to march staying centered and neutral through your torso imagining your thighs sinking deep into the sockets.
10 sets
6.Bridging
Place the ball between your knees. Knees bent, feet in parallel.
Exhale squeeze the ball gently and inner spiral your thighs. Lift up into your bridge keeping your mid back relaxed and your hips long.
Inhale and roll back to the mat.
Repeat 10 times
8. Chest Curls
Place the ball behind your back underneath your shoulder blades. Knees bent, feet on the mat in parallel. Hands go behind your head. Wrap your shoulders and elbow points to prepare.
Inhale and feel your bottom ribs open up.
Exhale and fold your bottom ribs to curl up in to your chest curl. Send your elbow points to the ceiling.
Throat and hip flexors are soft.
Inhale arch back over the ball.
10-15 times. Working evenly on both sides of your waist.
10. Swan with the ball.
Flip onto your abdominals and place the ball under your sternum. You may like to let more air out of the ball for this. Hands go under your shoulders on the mat, forehead resting on the mat. Legs are together, connected at the heels.
Inhale and arch up into your swan thinking of nudging your ball forward with your sternum. Exhale and relax back over the ball.
Maintain a strong reach back through your legs and a lift in your low belly.
10 times
12. Side lying leg lifts with ball
Flip onto your right side with the ball between your ankles. Place your left hand on the mat in front of your waist. Set your head and neck up to be supported and aligned. Line your head, ribs, pelvis and heels up. You can do this against the wall to feel those structures in place. :) Check to make sure the underneath side of your waist is lifted away from the floor, obliques engaged.
Exhale squeeze the ball and lift both legs off the mat. Inhale and lower. Maintain your stacked alignment head to heels the whole time as well as the space between your waist and the mat.
10 on each side.
Happy Summer length, love, center and balance!