Inner Thigh Flexibility with Pre-Pilates Exercises

What it is:
To be balanced we must keep (or try as best we can) to keep equal amount of strength and flexibility in our musculature.  As we well know by now Pilates is one of the best ways to keep this equalization happening in the body.  Here we will look at some adductor stretches to keep length in the inner thighs and balance throughout the leg musculature.

Here’s How:
It is essential to be warm before doing these stretches.  If you do them cold you run the chance of pulling an inner thigh or groin muscle.  A brisk walk, abdominal and inner thigh strengthening exercises would be great to do before going into any of these stretches.  You should not feel any of the following stretches in the knee or at the attachment sites of the groin.

Exercise – BUTTERFLY INNER THIGH STRETCH
You can do a narrow and a wide version of this pose.  If you don't have a lot of flexibility and/or have a tight back sit up on a folded blanket to give yourself a bit more height and to allow the knees to be on a more even level with the hips.

• Bring the legs into a butterfly position.
• The soles of the feet should be together with the knees pointing to each side. 
• If the knees are way up near the chest or shoulders put more blankets under you to sit on.

There are three ways to arrange the torso in this pose.

Sit up tall

• Anchor the sitz bones and grow through the crown of the head.
• Lengthen out of the lower back and belly and feel the ribs pull away from the pelvis. 
• Feel the inner thighs lengthening out as the knees reach toward the floor. 
• Hold for 5 to 8 breath cycles.

Bring the straight back to a diagonal over the legs

• Start with a tall back (same alignment cues we used in the previous version)
• Keep a straight spine and start to hinge the back diagonally over your legs.
• As you start to hinge you can place your fingertips on the floor to help guide and stabilize you.
• Remember to keep the back straight, the neck in line with the rest of the spine and the chest open.
• Hold this position, cycle the breath for 20 to 30 seconds and focus on gently lengthening the inner thighs but keeping the sitz bones grounded.

Fold over the legs

• Again, start with your tallest back and then hinge forward on a diagonal. 
• The hand or finger tips should be on the floor to help you stabilize and find length.
• From the long, diagonal back gently fold over your legs.
• The neck and shoulders should be completely relaxed.
• The sitting bones stay anchored into the floor as you round over.
• Hold this position, cycle the breath for 20 to 30 seconds and focus on gently lengthening the inner thighs.

You can do all three versions in either a small diamond shape (so the heels are as close to the groin as comfortably possible) or in a wider diamond shape.  This wider version is sometimes more comfortable if your hips are a bit tight.  Both the smaller and wider diamond will create a different stretch in the hips and inner leg so it's nice to switch it up a bit.


Exercise - WIDE ANGLE STRETCH
This next one can sometimes be a bit more challenging.

• Sit on your mat with the straight legs spread apart wide.
• This  pose will look very different on different people.  There are many ways to modify it!
• If you can open your straight legs so they form a wide V in front of you while still staying upright in the pelvis and torso then you don't need any props under you or to bend the knees.
• Most people will need to have oe or two folded blankets under them.  This will lift the hips and put a little slack in the hamstrings. 
• Most people will also need to have a small bend in the knees throughout the stretch .
• Once you find your proper position with the legs wide and the torso upright (make sure the sternum is lined up over the pubic bone) and you are feeling a comfortable stretch in the inner thighs and hamstrings  then you can add on if you wish.
• To add on, place the fingertips to the floor as you hinge your straight back forward.
• The sitting bones should stay anchored as you come over.
• Hold the straight hinged position for 20 to 30 seconds taking deep inhales and exhales.

Hot Tips:
As you breath notices where you are holding tension.  Try to go to that place with your breath.  Inhale and try to fill up the tight space with breath.  Exhale and try to soften and melt the tension away in that specific area.  Try to scan the whole body for tension and use the breath to bring total relaxation in the pose.

If you want to add on and go a bit deeper you can round the chest and head to the floor from the hinged straight back position.  The sitting bones should again stay anchored as you surrender the torso and head toward the floor.

Join us next time for some more Magic Circle exercises for upper-body strength.  

Also, I wanted to mention a great site for self help I found called peoplejam. You can view a post of mine there at: http://www.peoplejam.com/blog/14056/fusion-pilates