POLESTAR PILATES QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025/2026
✔✔Swan II (Dive) - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Lie prone with your legs hip-width apart. Place your flat palms next to your
shoulders. Your elbows are pointing straight back. Head may be turned to side. Inhale.
Exhale, pressing up w/ arms, peeling front of body off floor & bringing spine & hips into
extension, lower abdominals engaged. INHALE, press your torso up until your elbows
are straight but not locked. EXHALE, hover your palms above the mat, and
simultaneously lift your legs high so your body rocks forward onto your chest. INHALE,
use some momentum to lift your chest high as you rock back onto your pelvis. Rock
back and forth with your breath. Exhale forward, inhale back.
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
Program Design: Prone/Spine Extension
FA: Goal Post, Z-Sitting, Push Up, Superman, Prone Shoulder, Prone Press Up, Prone
Knee Bend
✔✔Leg Pull Front - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Get into your plank by starting in quadruped, step one leg back at a time.
INHALE, to prepare. EXHALE, lift your right foot 2-3 inches (5-10 cm), point your toes
back. INHALE, step your right foot back down. EXHALE, lift your left leg. INHALE, lower
it down. Continue alternating.
Benefits: HNSO, Axial Length, Shoulder Girdle Organization, Strengthens whole front of
body (arms, shoulders, abdominals, obliques, thighs).
Program Design: Full Body Integration, Upper Extremity Weight Bearing.
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
FA: Push Up
✔✔Leg Pull - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Seated, hands on floor behind body, legs extended, raise body from floor,
raise one leg towards ceiling, alternate.
Benefits: Hip Extension, Upper Back + Shoulders, Hamstrings, Glutes + Back Muscles,
Hip Flexion (When Lifting Leg).
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
Program Design: Upper Extremity Weight Bearing, Full Body Integration
FA: Long sit, Superman, Prone Shoulder Flexion, Half Squat, Full Squat
✔✔Quadruped - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Come onto your hands and knees. Align your wrists parallel to the front edge
of your mat, and directly below your shoulders. Position your knees one fist-width apart.
Direct your shins straight back in two parallel lines, so your heels are in line with your
knees. Point all ten toes straight back. INHALE, to prepare. EXHALE, reach your right
leg and left arm. INHALE, return to the starting position. EXHALE, reach your left leg
and right arm. INHALE, return to the starting position.
Benefits: Balance, Shoulder Flexion, Shoulder Girdle Organization, Upper Extremity
Strength, Hip + Shoulder Mobility, Hip Disassocation, Arm Disassocation.
Program Design: Upper Extremity Weight Bearing
, Planes of Movement: Sagittal + Frontal (if extend arm and leg to side).
FA: Push Up
✔✔Mermaid - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Sit sideways on your mat. Fold your right leg in and your left leg away from
you. This position is also known as "Half Pinwheel" or Z-Sit. Sink both sit bones evenly
into the mat and sit upright. Inhale to lengthen back of neck. Exhale, keeping pelvis still,
move the spine into lateral flexion away from legs. Press one hand into the mat & arc
other arm overhead. Reach top ribs up & apart to the ceiling with an inhalation. Maintain
length at both sides of the waist. Exhale to return to sitting position. Stretch toward the
legs placing hand on mat or wrapping around knee or ankle.
Benefits: Spine Mobility into Lateral Flexion, Shoulder Alignment + Awareness, Hip
Interal + External Rotation, Mobilizes spine in all directions, Stretches intercostals which
improves breathing, Lengthens Lat Dorsi.
Planes of Movement: Frontal/Coronal (+ Transverse w/ rotation)
Program Design: Seated
FA: FA: Z-Sit, Goal Post, Roll Up, Hundred, Push Up, Superman,
Prone Knee Bend
✔✔Hundred - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Supine, arms along sides, palms down, legs in TT. Inhale, exhale to roll head
& neck & shoulder blades off mat, maintaining axial elongation. At same time, reach
hands and hover, keeping lumbar spine in contact with mat. Pulse arms up and down.
Inhale for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts. Keep hands reaching away from shoulders; the
breathing is smooth & continuous.
Benefits: Core Control in Spine Flexion, Axial Elongation, Breathing, Muscular
Endurance, Abdominals (Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, Transverse Abdominis), Spine
Flexion.
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
Program Design: Supine Abdominals
FA: Hundred, Roll Up
✔✔Scarecrow - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: lay down prone, arms in captial "E" or goal post. Neutral spine, legs together.
Head hovering off mat, aligned w/ spine. Inhale & externally rotate arms, lift hands &
forearms off floor. Exhale to lift elbows, maintain hands higher than elbows. Inhale to
extend thoracic spine, continuing to ER arms and extend arms. Bend at elbows to bring
arms back. Exhale to roll back down to mat, maintaining arms elevated. Lower elbows
to mat, maintain hands higher than elbows. Lower forearms to mat.
Benefits: Shoulder External Rotators, Scapular + Humeral Strength + Awareness,
Thoracic Strength + Mobility, Core Control, Posterior Shoulders.
Program Design: Prone
Planes of Movement: All
FA: Prone Press Up, Superman, Prone Shoulder, Push Up, Goal Post
✔✔Spine Stretch - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
✔✔Swan II (Dive) - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Lie prone with your legs hip-width apart. Place your flat palms next to your
shoulders. Your elbows are pointing straight back. Head may be turned to side. Inhale.
Exhale, pressing up w/ arms, peeling front of body off floor & bringing spine & hips into
extension, lower abdominals engaged. INHALE, press your torso up until your elbows
are straight but not locked. EXHALE, hover your palms above the mat, and
simultaneously lift your legs high so your body rocks forward onto your chest. INHALE,
use some momentum to lift your chest high as you rock back onto your pelvis. Rock
back and forth with your breath. Exhale forward, inhale back.
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
Program Design: Prone/Spine Extension
FA: Goal Post, Z-Sitting, Push Up, Superman, Prone Shoulder, Prone Press Up, Prone
Knee Bend
✔✔Leg Pull Front - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Get into your plank by starting in quadruped, step one leg back at a time.
INHALE, to prepare. EXHALE, lift your right foot 2-3 inches (5-10 cm), point your toes
back. INHALE, step your right foot back down. EXHALE, lift your left leg. INHALE, lower
it down. Continue alternating.
Benefits: HNSO, Axial Length, Shoulder Girdle Organization, Strengthens whole front of
body (arms, shoulders, abdominals, obliques, thighs).
Program Design: Full Body Integration, Upper Extremity Weight Bearing.
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
FA: Push Up
✔✔Leg Pull - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Seated, hands on floor behind body, legs extended, raise body from floor,
raise one leg towards ceiling, alternate.
Benefits: Hip Extension, Upper Back + Shoulders, Hamstrings, Glutes + Back Muscles,
Hip Flexion (When Lifting Leg).
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
Program Design: Upper Extremity Weight Bearing, Full Body Integration
FA: Long sit, Superman, Prone Shoulder Flexion, Half Squat, Full Squat
✔✔Quadruped - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Come onto your hands and knees. Align your wrists parallel to the front edge
of your mat, and directly below your shoulders. Position your knees one fist-width apart.
Direct your shins straight back in two parallel lines, so your heels are in line with your
knees. Point all ten toes straight back. INHALE, to prepare. EXHALE, reach your right
leg and left arm. INHALE, return to the starting position. EXHALE, reach your left leg
and right arm. INHALE, return to the starting position.
Benefits: Balance, Shoulder Flexion, Shoulder Girdle Organization, Upper Extremity
Strength, Hip + Shoulder Mobility, Hip Disassocation, Arm Disassocation.
Program Design: Upper Extremity Weight Bearing
, Planes of Movement: Sagittal + Frontal (if extend arm and leg to side).
FA: Push Up
✔✔Mermaid - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Sit sideways on your mat. Fold your right leg in and your left leg away from
you. This position is also known as "Half Pinwheel" or Z-Sit. Sink both sit bones evenly
into the mat and sit upright. Inhale to lengthen back of neck. Exhale, keeping pelvis still,
move the spine into lateral flexion away from legs. Press one hand into the mat & arc
other arm overhead. Reach top ribs up & apart to the ceiling with an inhalation. Maintain
length at both sides of the waist. Exhale to return to sitting position. Stretch toward the
legs placing hand on mat or wrapping around knee or ankle.
Benefits: Spine Mobility into Lateral Flexion, Shoulder Alignment + Awareness, Hip
Interal + External Rotation, Mobilizes spine in all directions, Stretches intercostals which
improves breathing, Lengthens Lat Dorsi.
Planes of Movement: Frontal/Coronal (+ Transverse w/ rotation)
Program Design: Seated
FA: FA: Z-Sit, Goal Post, Roll Up, Hundred, Push Up, Superman,
Prone Knee Bend
✔✔Hundred - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: Supine, arms along sides, palms down, legs in TT. Inhale, exhale to roll head
& neck & shoulder blades off mat, maintaining axial elongation. At same time, reach
hands and hover, keeping lumbar spine in contact with mat. Pulse arms up and down.
Inhale for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts. Keep hands reaching away from shoulders; the
breathing is smooth & continuous.
Benefits: Core Control in Spine Flexion, Axial Elongation, Breathing, Muscular
Endurance, Abdominals (Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, Transverse Abdominis), Spine
Flexion.
Planes of Movement: Sagittal
Program Design: Supine Abdominals
FA: Hundred, Roll Up
✔✔Scarecrow - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
Exercise: lay down prone, arms in captial "E" or goal post. Neutral spine, legs together.
Head hovering off mat, aligned w/ spine. Inhale & externally rotate arms, lift hands &
forearms off floor. Exhale to lift elbows, maintain hands higher than elbows. Inhale to
extend thoracic spine, continuing to ER arms and extend arms. Bend at elbows to bring
arms back. Exhale to roll back down to mat, maintaining arms elevated. Lower elbows
to mat, maintain hands higher than elbows. Lower forearms to mat.
Benefits: Shoulder External Rotators, Scapular + Humeral Strength + Awareness,
Thoracic Strength + Mobility, Core Control, Posterior Shoulders.
Program Design: Prone
Planes of Movement: All
FA: Prone Press Up, Superman, Prone Shoulder, Push Up, Goal Post
✔✔Spine Stretch - ✔✔Equipment: Mat
