Exercise guide · Pilates

Pilates Single Leg Stretch

Single Leg Stretch is a classic Pilates core exercise on the mat. You stay lifted in your upper body while alternating which knee you pull in and which leg reaches long and low.

Targets: Core
Equipment: Mat (Pilates)
Type: Isolation

Step by step

How to do the Pilates Single Leg Stretch

Lie on your back on a mat with knees bent and feet flat, or start in tabletop with shins parallel to the floor.
Lift your head, neck, and shoulders slightly off the mat. Bring both knees toward your chest, hands on shins.
Inhale. On exhale, extend one leg out at a diagonal while keeping the other knee pulled in. Place one hand on the bent ankle and the other on the bent shin, just below the knee.
Gently pump the bent knee twice toward your chest as the other leg reaches long and low without touching the floor.
Inhale and switch legs: draw the extended leg in and send the other leg out, hands switch, two small pumps.
Continue alternating with smooth breath. Lower head and legs when finished.

Form cues

Pull your navel to your spine
Keep head lifted without straining your neck
Extended leg stays long and low but controlled
Move from your center, not just your hip flexors

Common mistakes

Lower back peeling off the mat
Extended leg too high or floppy
Holding breath or rushing switches
Pulling on the neck with your hands

Muscles worked

Primary

Core

Secondary

None significant

Safety: Stop if you feel neck strain—support your head with one hand behind your head or keep it down on the mat.

Alternatives

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