Pushups are already one of the toughest exercises you can do using just your body weight, but if you’ve mastered the classic way of doing them, there are still plenty of ways to make them even more challenging. Just ask any Pilates instructor. Julie Erickson, instructor and founder of Endurance Pilates, who has more than 30 years of experience teaching the modality, points to the Pilates pushup into leg pull front combination as a way to progress while simultaneously challenging the entire body.
“This exercise will build shoulder girdle stability and mobility, arm and chest strength, torso control, leg flexibility and muscular endurance in hip extension, full-body coordination, and control in isometric balance,” Erickson says.
As you age, keeping your shoulder stability, core strength, and coordination helps you stay strong and move confidently, whether it be lifting heavy objects or catching your balance after a stumble. Combining pushups with controlled leg lifts forces your core and hips to work together, helping build full-body strength and control that doesn’t always get addressed in traditional strength training. Try the Pilates exercise below.
How to Do a Pushup Into a Leg Pull Front
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- Start in Pilates stance with heels together, toes turned out, and glutes and inner thighs engaged. Rise onto your toes, keeping your heels connected, and reach your arms overhead to lengthen your body.
- Keeping your arms and legs straight, roll down and place your hands on the floor. Walk your hands out to a plank in four steps, keeping your core engaged, heels together, and shoulders stable.
- Perform one pushup, then lift your right leg into hip extension. Shift your body forward and back using your ankles, wrists, and shoulders while maintaining control. Repeat with your left leg.
- Walk your hands back toward your feet with straight arms and legs, keeping your heels lifted. Roll back up to standing and reach your arms overhead to return to the starting position.
- Repeat the sequence, increasing the number of pushuups and leg lifts on each side by one round at a time, working up to 10.
Modifications and Progressions
As you build familiarity with this exercise, you can modify by keeping your heels on the floor during the roll down for better balance. You could also bend your knees slightly if you have tight hamstrings, or perform the pushups from your knees. Additionally, the leg lifts can be eliminated completely initially to focus on maintaining a stable plank throughout the movement.
For a progression, increase the number of pushups and leg lifts. You can also slow down the leg lifts and forward and backward shifts to increase the stability and core control required, making sure to maintain proper form as fatigue builds.
Experts
- Julie Erickson, instructor and founder of Endurance Pilates
