Pilates Instructor & Founder of Pilates Prescription Rebecca Dadoun shares a comprehensive guide to one of Pilates’ most classical and challenging moves – the Pilates leg circle.
This foundational exercise isn’t just about moving the leg in a circular pattern; it’s about mastering control, strength, and stillness throughout the body. By focusing on stabilisation, leg circles build core strength, improve hip mobility, and enhance coordination – making them a go-to move for people seeking to refine their practice and unlock deeper benefits from Pilates.
What are Pilates leg circles?
Pilates leg circles are a full body Pilates move from the classical repertoire that require you to disassociate (move a limb without moving the trunk) the leg from the body while moving it in a circular movement. The work is in maintaining stillness through the body.
What are the benefits of doing Pilates leg circles?
You are strengthening the hip flexors and the leg muscles but the whole body should be working to stabilise. The core muscles stabilising the body, the still supporting leg active and pressing into the mat and the backs of the arms should be working to help anchor the body down.
Who are Pilates leg circles best for?
Pilates leg circles are more suited to someone who has practiced Pilates for a while. I’m hesitant to level a leg circle as everyone has different strengths and modifications can always be used with the same results.
How to do a Pilates leg circle?
Start position:
Lying down on your back with your legs extended and pressed into the floor in parallel. Feet flexed.
Arms to your side in a low V; palms pressing down into the mat.
Take one leg and bend your knee into tabletop. Turn the hip out so your knee is angled more towards your shoulder and then lengthen the leg toward the ceiling. Foot softly pointed.
Move:
Inhale: draw the leg across the body.
Exhale: in a sweeping circle take the leg down, out and back up to the start.
Tips and tricks:
If you can’t lengthen the leg keep a bend in the knee.
You want to keep the spine and pelvis still so only make your circles as big as you can manage whilst the spine is still.
Use the backs of the arms to stabilise and anchor through the leg on the floor. Think about the heel reaching away from the body in the stabilising leg.
Final Thoughts:
Modify if needed. Bend the knee into tabletop and work with this until you build your strength to lengthen the leg. Breath is key. Think about drawing the navel in towards your spine as you fully exhale through the mouth.
ABOUT REBECCA DADOUN, FOUNDER OF PILATES PRESCRIPTION
Coming from a career in the finance industry, Rebecca discovered the magic of Pilates when she was recovering from the difficult delivery of her first child. After over a year of training, she began teaching in studios. She opened her boutique practice to create a Pilates space that welcomes all bodies and abilities. Rebecca’s refreshing approach to Pilates learning and teaching practices is at the heart of Pilates Prescription. Rebecca’s qualifications extend through the Body Control Method of Pilates, further enriched with specialist training and certifications in pre and postnatal Pilates. She is also a qualified BACK 4 GOOD® practitioner for addressing lower back pain.
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