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Pilates Roll Down

Rolling your spine down and up one vertebra at a time: core control and back mobility, a Pilates foundation.

Also known as: roll down, Pilates mat

Level: Beginner
Equipment: Bodyweight
Type: Compound

Movement

Muscles worked

Pilates Roll Down muscle map: lower back, hamstrings and abs highlighted on the front and back of the body

How to do it

Stand with feet hip-width apart and knees softly bent.
Tuck your chin and start rolling your spine down from your head.
Roll down one vertebra at a time, letting your arms hang toward the floor.
Roll back up from your pelvis to your head.

Form cues

Slow, segment by segment.
Abs engaged the whole way.
Your head is the last thing up.

Common mistakes

Folding with a flat back: it's not a deadlift, it's a roll.
Locking your knees: keep them soft.
Snapping up head first.

Sets and reps

5-8 slow reps as a warm-up or within a Pilates session.

Variations

Same movement, different equipment. Pick based on what you have and what you want from the Pilates roll down.

Roll over
Lying down, roll your legs over your head.
Bodyweight · Advanced
How to do it
1. Lie on your back with the legs straight and the arms pressed into the mat beside you.
2. Lift both legs to vertical without letting the lower back arch.
3. Press the arms down and take the legs overhead until they are parallel to the floor behind you.
4. Open the legs slightly, flex the feet, and roll the spine down one vertebra at a time.
5. Return the legs to vertical and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Primary
Abs, Deep Core
Secondary
Lower Back, Hip Flexors
Saw
Seated, twist and reach toward the opposite foot.
Bodyweight · Intermediate
How to do it
1. Sit tall with the legs straight and slightly wider than the hips, arms out to the sides.
2. Rotate the torso to one side, keeping both sit bones on the floor.
3. Fold forward over that leg and reach the opposite hand past the little toe.
4. Roll back up through the spine and return to the centre.
Primary
Lower Back, Obliques
Secondary
Adductors, Hamstrings
Spine stretch forward
Seated, round your spine forward.
Bodyweight · Intermediate
How to do it
1. Sit tall with the legs straight and slightly wider than the hips, feet flexed.
2. Reach the arms forward at shoulder height.
3. Drop the chin and curl the spine forward one vertebra at a time, reaching past the toes.
4. Restack the spine from the base upwards until you are sitting tall again.
Primary
Lower Back, Abs
Secondary
Hamstrings, Deep Core
Spine twist
Sitting tall, rotate your torso.
Bodyweight · Intermediate
How to do it
1. Sit tall with the legs straight and together, feet flexed, arms out to the sides at shoulder height.
2. Grow tall through the spine and press both sit bones into the floor.
3. Rotate the trunk to one side as far as the hips stay square, then return to the centre.
4. Rotate to the other side in the same way.
5. Keep alternating for the desired number of repetitions.
Primary
Obliques
Secondary
Lower Back, Deep Core
Side bend
A side plank raising and lowering your hips.
Bodyweight · Intermediate
How to do it
1. Sit on one hip with the legs bent to the side and the supporting hand on the floor under the shoulder.
2. Press into the hand and the lower leg to lift the hips off the floor.
3. Reach the top arm overhead so the body forms a long arc from the hand to the feet.
4. Lower the hips under control back towards the mat.
5. Complete the repetitions and change sides.
Primary
Glute Medius, Obliques
Secondary
Front Delts, Deep Core
Leg pull front
In a high plank, lift one leg.
Bodyweight · Intermediate
How to do it
1. Set up in a high plank with the hands under the shoulders and the body in one line.
2. Brace the trunk and squeeze the glutes so the hips cannot rotate.
3. Lift one straight leg a few centimetres above hip height without letting the pelvis tilt.
4. Lower it under control and repeat with the other leg.
5. Keep alternating for the desired number of repetitions.
Primary
Glutes, Abs
Secondary
Front Delts, Lower Back, Deep Core
Leg pull back
In a reverse plank, lift one leg.
Bodyweight · Intermediate
How to do it
1. Sit with the legs straight and the hands on the floor behind the hips, fingers pointing forward.
2. Press into the hands and heels and lift the hips into a reverse plank.
3. Keeping the hips level and high, lift one straight leg as far as the pelvis stays still.
4. Lower the leg under control and repeat with the other one.
5. Finish the set and lower the hips to the floor.
Primary
Lower Back, Glutes
Secondary
Hamstrings, Rear Delts, Triceps