The latest pilates phenomenon, Fluidform, has graced our shores, founded by Kirsten King and loved by many famous bodies across Australia.
Taking a holistic approach to fitness, Fluidform favours a combination of movement, stretching, and nutrition as the best way to start your day—and 20 minutes is all you need. And while we can’t get over to the Fluidform studios in Sydney or Byron, Fluidform At Home is available online, offering over 160 custom workouts designed to boost your wellbeing and bolster strength.
Although finding the motivation to work out at times can be tricky, King’s modern outlook on pilates means the workouts are engaging and enjoyable—music to our ears!
To inspire you to get your pilates on at home, here are eight Fluidform moves to kickstart your morning, stretch your body, strengthen those muscles, and do something good for you.
1. Superman
Start standing with a soft bend in your knees. Slowly hinge from the hips, extend one leg back and reach the arms forward. Keep the hips level, tummy drawn in, the spine lengthened, and look down towards the floor. Alternate the movement with the other leg.
2. Dancing move
With the legs in right-angle positions, keep the shoulders down and away from your ears. Keeping your feet where they are, slowly start to lift and rotate your body forward. Drop down into a deep one-leg squat, taking the arms out wide. Alternate the movement with the other leg.
3. Prayer position
Keeping the little gap underneath your lower back, interlace your hands behind your head, with the thumbs running down your neck. Direct your eyeline to over your knees, keeping the soles of your feet together, and the knees wide. With your legs in a right-angle shape, inhale and extend. Exhale to deepen through the abdominals as you lift the head and chest, keeping the legs in the same position. Complete 18 repetitions, alternating sides.
4. Abs sequence (bicycles)
Keeping the little gap underneath your lower back, interlace your hands behind your head, with the thumbs running down your neck. Lift one leg into tabletop position (a right-angle shape), and exhale as you rotate your opposite shoulder towards the leg. As you extend, lengthen the leg out long on a 45-degree angle. Complete 20 repetitions, alternating sides.
5. Side-lying glutes
Lying on one side, bend your legs into a right-angle shape, leaving a small gap under your bottom waist. With the band over the bottom knee and top foot, exhale to engage the abdominals and lengthen the top leg in line with your body. Then, slowly bend the knee back into the start position. Complete five repetitions, then switch sides and repeat.
6. Obliques over ball
Place a pilates ball underneath your side waist, above the hips and below the ribcage. Keep your bottom leg bent and top leg long. Place your bottom hand behind your head and your top hand on the floor in front. Exhale to lengthen the spine and slowly lift the head and chest, working through the top waist, then lengthen the spine as you lower back into the start position.
7. Mermaid stretch
Sit with one leg forward, the other leg back (in the shape of a Z). Place your hands on the floor, slowly reaching over with the opposite arm to the front leg, lengthening through the arm to feel the stretch down the side of the waist. Alternate with the other leg forward.
8. Plank to pyramid
Start in a plank position with wrists under shoulders and the body in a long line. Lift up the hips towards the sky by pressing back into your heels.
Upon signing up for a Fluidform subscription, you’ll receive a complimentary equipment pack, spring meal plan, smoothie recipes, and access to workouts. To find out more, visit fluidformpilates.com.au.
