Pilates Move Of The Week: Let’s Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer With A Little Salsa In Your Hips

A variation on the traditional plank, adding the knee tuck will target those ab-defining obliques and lower abdominals, whist also giving a more little love to your chest, shoulders, and triceps. This all over body combo is a great compliment to our existing core and HIIT series to keep you Summer-ready all year round!

Starting position:

Start in a full plank position, stabilising on your tippy toes, keeping your palms flat and directly under your shoulders whilst engaging neutral spine (if you have trouble staying in a full plank due to sore wrists, this can also be done on your elbows). Focus on the positioning of your body, and start thinking about the connection you’re about to make between your arms and legs.

Exercise Execution: 

1. Engage your abdominal muscles as you position your neutral spine, stabilising your upper and lower body.
2. Without lifting your waist too much to the sky, rotate your hips inward and bring your knee across and under your torso towards your opposite elbow engaging your obliques with a tight squeeze.
3. Keeping your abdominals engaged, return your foot to the ground and resume a full plank position.
4. Repeat this movement with your alternate knee

Breathing:

1. Take slow, deep breathes, whilst in full plank.
2. Inhale to prepare. As you rotate your hips and draw your knee across your torso towards your opposite elbow, force an exhalation through pursed to contract and control your abdominal muscles.
3. Inhale as you return to a full plank position, releasing your abdominals slightly, and prepare to balance out the movement with your alternate knee
4. Exhale again as you re-engage your abdominals and complete the sequence.

Reps:

Start out with 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions and increase if desired.

Advancements:

Add a push-up between each alternative knee drive, or at the top of your push-up, twist your entire torso into a slide plank elevating one arm to the sky.

KX Tip: 

To add KX intensity to the exercise, turn this movement into a dynamic mountain climbing by adding some speed. Group your knee to elbow movements into quick bursts of 15 reps followed by 1 push-up for a total of 5 sets for that belly shredding cardio hit!

Aaron Smith is the CEO & Founder – KX Group. KX is a boutique fitness company with 17 studios across Melbourne and Sydney, offering dynamic pilates, barre and yoga. KX also run international retreats to Vanuatu and Bali.

Model: Cherida Forde, KX International Retreats Trainer.