Tutorial #1938

Double Leg Pull Tutorial

10 min - Tutorial
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Description

Dana Santi teaches this detailed tutorial on the Double Leg Pull, also known as the Double Leg Stretch. She believes that the feeling achieved by this exercise can be applied to all Pilates exercises - a two-way stretch with a strong middle. This tutorial teaches you how to achieve that feeling, and provides you with modifications and variations of the Double Leg Pull.
What You'll Need: Mat

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(Pace N/A)
Nov 30, 2014
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Transcript

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Hi, my name is Dana Santi. And today we are going to explore an exercise called the double egg pole. Um, some people call it and know it as the double leg stretch. They're both the same exercise. Um, I, when I had my first lesson with Jay Grimes, he said to me, if you can describe [inaudible] in one exercise, it's the double leg pole. There's a two way stretch and there's a strong middle.

And that was kind of what hit home to me. It was one of those Aha moments that we all have in, in PLTs. And it's, you know, he said, find it in every exercise and it's one of those where you actually, you can, and all you have to think of is the energies going out one way out the other and it's strong in the middle. So we're going to break this exercise down a little bit at the beginning and then we'll, we'll add on a couple of variations that make it, um, maybe different, maybe, um, a little harder, but it's, it's one of those where it's it. Anybody can do it. Anybody can do it. So what we're going to have or do, so we can kind of go over that two way stretch for a second.

She's kind of in a rolling like a ball position and she's going to pull in here. Okay. So now as she stretches those legs out, she's not going to move the torso so much. She's going to reach those arms out. So she's got a two way stretch. Just because the legs are down doesn't mean that they're not reaching arms are reaching up. She's going to be strong in the middle as she scoops and she pulls everything back in and pull those abs in reach.

So now from here, if you watch this, where do you go? If she actually were to roll back, right? We go into the roll up. Okay, so why isn't this the double leg hole, right? Come back up, roll up, bend your knees and come back home. Okay, so a couple more this way. Scooping in reach, hold it and then bend the knees and bring it in and again reach. So maybe I taught a kid's class not too long ago. And a lot of times this is where they go. Somebody with a bad neck, you know, maybe you decide to have them do it this way because they don't have to lay down and try to lift.

Or it's different than lying down and keeping their head down and come back home. So now you're gonna just roll down from there. Okay, so a two way stretch and a strong middle. So here technically she's got a two way stretch, right? And a very strong middle. Bring the arms down so there's no plots. Police saying that the legs have to move, right? We need to have that.

That again, energy out the feet, energy out the head and the fingers. Strong Center. So she's going to lift her head up, reach those arms nice and long, and she's going to inhale, reach, exhale, and bring it back home. She's going to inhale, reach now strong. Now push that magic circle down. Inhale, reach and exhale home again. Reach. Now, pull that away. Exhale. One more time. Inhale, hold it there.

Reach those legs longer, longer and exhale home, rest the head. So maybe you have somebody that can't bend their legs in. Um, you know, a lot of people in need of a hip replacement and they can always bend it in that way so they don't have to. Okay, from here we're going to just do the legs now. So she's going to bring her knees in. Okay. And a lot of times this is the one that we, um, see Joe doing in his a return to life book. So the head comes up and from here, reach, hold it. So now reaching the legs, pulling in energies coming out here and she is reaching those arms. Stay there, I'm sorry, reach. So she's reaching, but the arms at the same time have to pull back and plug into those shoulder blades and now bend and come back in.

That is a lot of work and reach. Hold it. So reach, pull, plug and come back home. And again, inhale, hold the breath. And now exhale. Now really pull in, give it that stretch. As she pulls in, she has to reach the lower back, the opposite direction. Okay. Inhale, reach and exhale, reach. And again, inhale, hold it, and exhale, pull it in and then rest your head. Yes. Okay, so now we'll go on to um, the double leg pole, kind of as we all know it, we're going to lift the head up. She's going to do the arms and the legs. So reach out, hold it there, hold it there. Exhale. And now pull in hard. That's it. Inhale, reach, hold there. I say, hold it enough to take a picture. Exhale, pull it back in and inhale, reach, hold it, and exhale. Find the two way stretch in the spine, right. Inhale, reach, hold it. And exhale. One more time. Stretch it out long.

Now press the magic circles down and bring it back in. All right, rest your head down. So now we're going to go onto, um, we're just going to really change the rhythm of it. Head comes up from here. Reach those arms and legs out. Hold it. Now the arms are going to come as second before the legs do. And it does, it changes the feeling of it. Hold it, she goes arms and then her legs and stretch it out.

Hold it arms and then your legs and stretch it out. Hold it arms and then your legs and stretch it out. Hold it arms and then your legs. And then rest the head. Yes. Okay. Now the last variation that we're going to go through, I want you to lift your head up. So we're going to kind of, it's almost um, similar to adding like a bicycle almost into the, into the legs. So she's going to reach, let's just do your legs first for a second, just for show.

She's going to reach the legs down, reach him out, scoop and then Ben and bring them right back in. And she's gonna reach 'em down. Scoop out and pull it back in. Alright, with those arms and reach, scoop it out. There it is, and come back in and again, reach, scoop it out, lengthen and bring it in and inhale whole the [inaudible] and then exhale. And again, inhale, nice strong arms.

Lengthen it out and come back into more times. And inhale, reach and exhale. One more time, and inhale, reach and x, Hale and release. And that is the double leg pole.

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Comments

Thank you
1 person likes this.
i like very much the way you introduce the exercise sure I will use with my clients
thank you
4 people like this.
Thank You Dana! It was great to see you again, and to hear your wonderful explanation and reminder of Jay's favorite, all-inclusive exercise! I'm new to Pilates Anytime, and being homebound right now with my husband having ALS, it is such a delight to have this beautiful tutorial in my home. It's allowing me to feel connected to the many others out there sharing their passion in the world of Pilates!
love this!
1 person likes this.
My favorite mat exercise - perfect coordination of upper body, lower body & breathing...thank you for that fantastic breakdown & progression
Thank you all for the kind words! I'm glad you like:)
Wonderful cueing! This is one of my absolute favorite exercises and now I have an even better way or presenting it to my clients! Love the "2 way stretch and a strong middle" description. So very relevant to our Pilates work! Thank You!
1 person likes this.
Fantastic breakdown of the exercise. I loved the first one especially, doing it sitting up. I can think of many clients this will be good for!
1 person likes this.
Agree, Amy and Yoly: you took the words...
Thanks so much, Dana!!

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