Pilates Grasshopper | Illustrated Exercise Guide

Primary muscles: Glutes
Secondary muscles: Hamstrings, lower back
Equipment: No equipment

PILATES GRASSHOPPER INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lie on your stomach with your hands under your chin, your knees wide apart, the legs bent, and bring your feet together.
2. Point the feet toward the ceiling and raise your thighs off the floor as high as you can.
3. Lower your thighs back to the floor and repeat the exercise until the set is complete.

PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN

Keep your spine neutral, point the feet toward the ceiling and exhale as you lift the thighs off the floor and squeeze the glutes. Keep the movement slow and controlled and breathe in as you lower your thighs back to the starting position.

EXERCISE BENEFITS

The grasshopper is a pilates move that targets and strengthens the glutes. This move tones and sculpts the posterior chain muscles, lengthens the hamstrings and helps prevent lower back pain and injuries.

DEMONSTRATION

SETS AND REPS

Do 2 or 3, 30 second to 1 minute sets. To strengthen and tone the back of your legs and glutes, pair the pilates grasshopper with back leg lifts, the wall bridge and the step up with knee raise.

CALORIES BURNED

To calculate the number of calories burned doing the pilates grasshopper, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:

RELATED LOWER BODY EXERCISES

Try these other lower body exercises to strengthen, sculpt and tone your thighs, hips, legs and glutes:
Frog bridge
Step up crossover
Curtsy lunge side kick
Front and back lunges

WORKOUT ROUTINES