Puzzle Pilates

28/08/2026

✨ This week’s Friday Focus is the Standing Side Splits (with a special guest appearance)!✨

This lower body exercise is a progression of the Kneeling Side Splits, an exercise we have previously looked at on our Friday Focus. As with the kneeling version, this exercise focuses on strengthening the inner thighs as well as stability through the hips and core.

Rather than kneeling on the carriage, you are instead standing with one foot on the platform and one on the carriage, pressing the carriage away into your standing splits.

Some important points to remember with your Standing Side Splits:

🔘 Maintain your neutral spine - avoid arching through lower back and leaning backwards, or dropping chest and leaning forwards
🔘 Keep hips square throughout the movement to keep your body weight central - avoid shifting hips to move carriage
🔘 Squeeze inner thighs to pull carriage back in - inhale and lift tall as you squeeze
🔘 If adding one of the progressions, focus on keeping the carriage still by engaging the inner thighs before adding the next part of the movement

To progress the exercise, add either a rotation, side bend or mini squat to challenge your control and stability. Focus on keeping the carriage still as you add the additional movement by engaging the inner thighs, and keeping the core strong to help with the stability.

Find these in one of our intermediate classes next week, or continue working on your Kneeling Side Splits in one of our foundation classes!

25/08/2026

Have you got your pair of Puzzle Pilates grip socks yet?

After the success of our white and purple socks, we recently brought in our brand new design! You may have noticed our new black and lilac socks being worn in your classes already, a great option to give you that little extra grip on the carriage!

Socks are available to purchase at the studio, so grab your pair next time you’re in!

Also keep an eye out over the next few weeks for some more exciting Puzzle Pilates merchandise 👀

21/08/2026

✨ This week’s Friday Focus is one of our Back Facing Arms exercises, the Chest Open!✨

This upper body exercise works the shoulders and upper back, as well as challenging core stability as the movement is performed.

Often performed kneeling on the carriage, holding the short straps with arms straight out in front, held at shoulder height. As you exhale, squeeze the shoulder blades together and open the arms out to the side of the room, remaining still through the torso by keeping the core engaged and the spine in neutral.

Some important points to remember with your Chest Open:

🔘 Maintain your neutral spine and keep the torso still - avoid leaning back or forwards to assist with the movement
🔘 Squeeze shoulder blades together to keep the shoulders down and chest open - imagine you’re trying to tuck your shoulder blades down into your back pockets!
🔘 Keep arms level with shoulders throughout the movement - avoid the arms dropping down as you complete more reps
🔘 Keep arms straight and strong - avoid allowing the elbows to bend as you open the arms out

To progress the exercise, begin to challenge the core stability more as well as adding in some lower body work by lifting into a raised kneel as you open the arms out. Make sure you maintain your neutral spine and squeeze the glutes to keep stable as you lift up.

Find it uncomfortable kneeling for an extended period of time? This exercise can be performed in a cross legged position seated on your carriage, or seated on the short box instead to alleviate this. To progress this when not kneeling, why not try performing the exercise with a single arm instead, challenging the core stability even more!

Give it a try in next week’s classes and see how you get on!

14/08/2026

✨ This week’s Friday Focus is Side Lying Glutes!✨

A lower body exercise that isolates the glutes as well as challenging the control around the hips.

Performed in a side lying position on the carriage, side lying glutes require the hips to remain stacked whilst you kick the leg out away from you, so as to isolate the glutes. As well as working the main gluteus maximus muscle, this exercise also challenges the gluteus medius muscle on the outside of the hip to keep the leg lifted throughout the movement, therefore strengthening around the hips.

Some important points to remember with your Side Lying Glutes:

🔘 Keep foot level with your hip as you kick out - avoid foot dropping down towards the springs as the glute med switches off
🔘 Stay lifted out of the shoulder by maintaining neutral spine - avoid collapsing down into the side of the body
🔘 Keep hips stacked on top of each other to isolate the glutes - avoid rolling hip back to kick leg out and allowing the quad to help with the movement
🔘 If sweeping leg forwards to progress, keep leg straight and lifted whilst also keeping hips stacked so glutes are still isolated

To progress your side lying glutes, why not sweep the straight leg out in front of you to increase the challenge, asking the glutes to work even harder to keep the leg lifted and resist against the straps to pull the leg back in. Performing the exercise on a long box on the carriage can also increase the difficulty and challenge the balance and control, making it even more important to keep hips stacked and not lean backwards with your kick out!

We can’t wait to see you in a class next week to give these a try!

07/08/2026

✨ This week’s Friday Focus is the Kneeling Plank!✨

Another plank variation used to challenge core strength, control and stability!

Starting in your 4 point kneel position with hands on the platform, begin by pressing the carriage away using the knees, keeping shoulders over wrists and core strong as you move into your kneeling plank.

Some important points to remember with your Kneeling Plank:

🔘 Maintain neutral spine - avoid arching through the lower back by tucking belly button up and underneath rib cage, squeezing shoulder blades so upper back doesn’t round
🔘 Keep shoulders over wrists - don’t allow shoulders to shift back with the carriage as you press your knees back
🔘 Squeeze glutes and keep belly button in to keep hips stable - avoid hips dropping down towards the springs or sticking up in the air as the carriage moves back
🔘 To progress, press carriage further out by pressing shoulders away from wrists - keep glutes squeezed to keep hips still as carriage moves further out

To progress once in this kneeling plank, press hands into the platform to press the carriage further out - imagine an ab roll out reformer style! Fancy another way to progress? Why not add a long box onto the carriage and perform your plank here instead!

Struggle with your wrists? Place the box across the platform and rest forearms down rather than having your hands on the platform and continue in the same way!

Get yourself booked into a class next week and you can give these a go!

06/08/2026

31/07/2026

✨ This week’s Friday Focus is Kneeling Side Splits!✨

A great lower body exercise for all abilities, focusing on strengthening through the inner thighs as well as stability and control around the hips and core.

Kneeling on the platform and carriage, and separating the knees to press the carriage to the back of the reformer, using the inner thighs to control the speed of the carriage and to pull it back in to its starting position.

There are a number of different layers to add once you are able to control the movement of the carriage; adding a rotation to the back, a side bend or a mini squat. These all increase the need to keep the hips and core stable, as well as teaching the body to engage the inner thighs in different positions.

Some important points to remember with your Kneeling Side Splits:

🔘 Keep hips square to the way you’re facing - avoid using the hip to scoop the carriage back in
🔘 Squeeze the inner thighs to pull the carriage in - control the movement with the inner thighs and use this to dictate how deep you go into your splits
🔘 Maintain neutral spine throughout by keeping belly button in and squeezing glutes - avoid arching through lower back during the movement
🔘 When adding any of the layers, make sure the carriage is held still - engage the inner thighs so the carriage doesn’t move as you add your rotation, your side bend or your mini squat!

Alternatives to kneeling side splits include our floor side splits and our standing side splits, both of which challenge the body in slightly different ways. Keep an eye out for a future Friday Focus on these variations!

Fancy giving this exercise a try? Make sure you’re booked into a class next week and get those inner thighs working!

29/07/2026

First class with us and wondering what to do when you arrive?

Here’s our step by step guide for when you arrive for your class!

24/07/2026

✨ This week’s Friday Focus is Feet in Straps!✨

One of the most popular exercises, especially at the end of a tough class, often used as part of our cool down.

Lying on the carriage with both feet in the long straps, this exercise continues to work on core control and stability, whilst also stretching the legs and increasing hip mobility.

There are a number of variations of the exercise, targeting different muscles depending on what the class focus has been that session. Leg lowers, circles, hamstring stretches, Peter Pan stretches… the list goes on!

Some important points to remember with your Feet in Straps:

🔘 Maintain your neutral spine as you lower your legs - as soon as you feel your lower back start to lift or arch stop and float the feet back up to the ceiling!
🔘 Stop feet directly over hips so tailbone stays pressed down into the carriage - don’t let the ropes pull your feet up over your head
🔘 When adding circles, keep the hips still - if hips start to rock make the circles slightly smaller
🔘 When adding the hamstring stretch, keep the tailbone pressed down into the carriage - this will help to deepen the stretch even more!
🔘 When adding the Peter Pan stretch, keep the opposite hip pressed down into the carriage to deepen the stretch and avoiding tipping to the side

One of the hardest parts of the exercise? Getting into position to start with! Check out our quick guide into how to get your feet in the straps above ⬆️

And next time you’re coming to the end of your class, let us know which variation of Feet in Straps is your favourite!

17/07/2026

✨ This week’s Friday Focus is the first look at a Side Plank variation!✨

This particular variation of the side plank involves kneeling on the carriage with your hand on the footbar, pressing the carriage away into the side plank.

This exercise challenges both core strength and stability, particularly through the obliques, as well as the stabilising muscles around the hips and shoulders.

Some important points to remember with your Side Plank when your hand is on the footbar:

🔘 Avoid hips dropping down towards the springs or lifting up - aim to keep a straight line from top of the head all the way down the spine
🔘 Keep belly button tucked in and squeeze glutes to support hips and lower back - avoid bending or arching through hips
🔘 Allow knee to lift away from the carriage as it moves - this will help to keep the body in a straight line
🔘 Keep arm straight throughout movement - avoid bending elbow and leaning into the arm
🔘 Keep thumb same side of the footbar as your fingers - rest weight through heel of your hand

To progress this variation of the side plank further, whilst still keeping the knees on the carriage, lift the top arm out to create a T shape or lift the top knee away to increase the challenge on your hip stability!

Fancy even more of a challenge? Why not straighten your legs to rest on your feet instead of your knees to really test those obliques!