Troy Hurst holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Carroll University. He is a physical therapist specializing in both athletic and vestibular rehabilitation with an emphasis on performance running.
With the growth in popularity of Pilates as a low impact workout for both weight loss and muscle toning, doing Pilates against the wall has become rather popular. While core exercises are what Pilates is best known for, you can use these workouts to lose weight and help tone other body parts like arms, legs and more.
Wall Pilates scissors is one such exercise that has been modified from the traditional variation that uses a reformer. It provides a great workout and stretching exercise that can be done right in the comfort of your home.
Read on to learn more about this workout, how to do it, some wall Pilates scissors benefits and much more!
Wall Pilates scissors is a lower abdominal and oblique workout. Wall scissors can also be used to help stretch the thighs as a warm up stretching exercise before doing a lower body wall Pilates routine.
As stated above, wall Pilates scissors have two benefits
Having a strong core has been shown to have a number of benefits including (16, 7, 9)
Stretching before and after a workout has been shown to help prevent injury, decrease soreness, and improve performance. Stretching, even when follow up workouts are not involved, helps keep your muscles flexible and healthy, which helps them achieve and maintain full range of motion in surrounding joints (12, 15).
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You really do not need much to start following a wall Pilates plan. With a wall and a gym/yoga mat you are good to go. The lack of specialized equipment is what makes wall Pilates such a popular exercise among many. It’s super cheap, especially compared to studio or gym fees, can be done in the privacy of your home and very convenient, seeing as they can be done while traveling or even while on vacation.
If you would prefer, however, you can add some extra small equipment to help compliment your workouts and increase the resistance whenever you feel like your workouts are too easy. Such equipment may include:
Now that you better understand the benefits of this workout and know the equipment needed to accomplish it, here are the best wall Pilates scissors variations that you can do to work the core and, at the same time, stretch the muscles of your lower body.
Before starting any of these variations, make sure to clear some space around you to allow free movement. Place your yoga/exercise mat on the floor next to the wall.
This wall Pilates scissors variation is great for the core and the inner thighs:
Unlike the above variation that largely targets the inner thighs, this second variation targets the glutes and hamstrings.
Read more: Wall Pilates for Butt: A Quick Guide for Beginners
This can also be referred to as the wall Pilates double leg stretch. With this wall Pilates leg stretch variation, you stretch both the legs and the arms and also work to strengthen the core:
This variation is often referred to as the wall Pilates kneeling side kick. If you are looking for a wall Pilates thigh stretch that not only increases flexibility, but really works the thigh muscle and the core, then this is it.
Pro tip: Use ankle weight to get the most out of this exercise
The main difference between wall Pilates and Pilates is simply the equipment used. Traditional Pilates require the use of the reformer while wall Pilates just need a mat and any walls in the house. For the most part, wall Pilates do not require any machinery, but those with a little extra cash in hand can invest in a wall unit – namely a ladder unit or a classic springboard unit which can help with these workouts.
Yes, they do. A simple point to remember is that wall Pilates are a modified version of studio Pilates. They can do the same thing and work the same muscles – the only difference is that one uses machinery and the other one generally doesn’t. The same benefits achieved when doing Pilates in an expensive studio can be achieved at home using a simple wall and mat combo.
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In terms of convenience and cost effectiveness, absolutely!
Wall Pilates can be done anywhere with or without a studio nearby. Because wall Pilates requires little to no equipment, you are also able to save up on costs that you would incur to pay for classes or a gym membership. With the right programming, the results of wall Pilates can be just as good as traditional Pilates!
The 28-day wall Pilates program is a routine established by BetterMe to help beginners get into wall Pilates and achieve their fitness goals. The program is absolutely free. Just download the app today, sign up and start your Pilates journey!
BetterMe understands that life is busy and we don’t all have hours to spend at the gym. The exercises included in the 28-day wall Pilates plan are anywhere between 13 and 30 minutes long. Do not be fooled by the time period, research has shown that short intense workouts (or bursts of workouts) work just as well as longer and more drawn out workout sessions (11, 6).
You should aim to do wall Pilates 3 to 5 times a week. While you can be tempted to do these workouts 7 days a week, this can lead to overtraining, a condition that can adversely affect your mental health, muscle strength, performance, immunity and even lead to excess pain (8). Regardless of your training plan, always allow yourself at least 24 to 48 hours of rest a week.
If you want to exercise your core and also stretch your lower body, then wall Pilates scissors should absolutely be in your workout routine. This simple exercise helps kill two birds with one stone – strengthening the core and keeping the legs and thigh muscles stretched and flexible.
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