- Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced
- Equipment Needed: Ladder Barrel and Pole (I love using the Balanced Body Ladder Barrel.)
- Reps: 3-6 each side
- Warning: May not ideal for those with hip, back or neck issues.
- Questions: Contact us here
Side Sit Ups on the Ladder Barrel
Pilates Side Sit Ups is one of the exercises you can do on many different apparatus. Side Sit Ups on the Pilates Ladder Barrel has two variations. Depending on your strength and flexibility choose the one that is right for you. An easier version is to do them standing. But the eventual ideal Side Sit Ups is to do them using the ladder rungs. And eventually only using one leg. Work the two-leg version and one day you’ll feel when it’s time to try it with just one.
The stronger your legs the more mobility your side bend will have.
Standing inside the Ladder Barrel with one hip on the barrel place the bottom legs foot on the bottom or 2nd rung from the bottom (depending on height). Place the arch of the top foot on the 2nd rung from the top, knee bent and leg turned out. If needed bottom leg can be bent to get more strength in your base.
Hands behind your head or reaching up, eventually holding wide on a pole. Repeat the same motion as the standing version. Lift UP and OVER the barrel and then UP and OVER the other side. You want to find as much length as possible. Repeat 3-5x on both sides. Because you are higher up on the barrel it’s unlikely you will touch your waist to the barrel. And that isn’t the goal. The goal is to get length in both sides and find the longest side bend in both directions.
Be sure to check out more of my Pilates Ladder Barrel exercises. I want to help you continue your Pilates Ladder Barrel training!