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Pilates for Beginners

Pilates - Knee Drops

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  • Dori Markakos
     
     

    Dori is an experienced fitness professional whose love of fitness began in grade school with her love of dance and ballet. She’s danced classical ballet since she was 5. As her interest in fitness grew, she began experimenting with all varieties of group fitness and weight lifting. Dori went the practical route to college and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a specialization in Marketing from the University of Virginia’s School of Commerce, but not before receiving her fitness instructor certification in her spare time. After college, Dori went to work for Environmental Design & Construction, LLC (EDC) where she is presently the Controller. In this position, Dori serves as the company’s chief business officer. But, Dori’s heart is in the field of fitness. Dori maintains her certifications and puts them to work as a personal trainer, spinning and Pilates (mat and reformer) instructor. As part of her career development, Dori also received specialty training in pre and post natal fitness, with a specialization in pre/post natal Pilates. Dori currently works with clients as Pilates instructor, while keeping up with her own workouts. She’s run multiple marathons and is an accomplished triathlete having run numerous triathlons as well having completed the Ironman Triathlon. Dori resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Peter and daughter Mia.

  • Pilates - Knee Drops

    Certified Pilates instructor, Dori Markakos will take you through a complete beginners Pilates workout. This video is designed for someone just starting out in Pilates and wants to learn the basic postures, alignments and positions, all the while getting a great work out that will tone and lengthen their entire body.

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  • Transcripts

    Dori Markakos: Hi! I am Dori, your personal Pilates instructor and I am showing you some of the most basic and popular Pilates exercises. Right now, I am going to show you how to do knee drops, it is one of my favorite. So, go ahead and sit yourself right here in the middle of the mat, hands resting right underneath your hamstrings, take a big, deep breathe in, sitting up nice and tall. As you inhale, I want you to exhale, unrolling your spine one at a time, sitting nice and comfortable on the mat. Go ahead and look straight up at the ceiling to keep your spine in neutral. Open up your chest and your shoulders and arms are going to reach out in a T-position. Go ahead and do your pelvic tilt. So, do the pelvic tilt, just in case you dont remember, rotate those hips under pulling your navel into your spine and your spine into the floor, hands are going to be extend out towards the side and knees are pulled up right on top of your hips. So, your knees are connected and your ankles are connected. Chest is open, big, deep breathe in and as you exhale, I want you to drop those knees over to the right, keeping the left shoulder completely in ground to the floor. Once you start to feel that left shoulder start to pop up, engage those obliques, and bring you right back to the center. Realign yourself, big, deep breathe in and exhale, knees dropped to the left and right shoulder stays anchored. Big, deep breathe in and exhale, engage those obliques to bring you right back to the center. Take it again, inhale and exhale, knees dropped to the right, make sure that ankles are still connected and exhale, bring you right back to the center and one more time inhale and exhale, knees dropped to the left, right shoulder stays connected with the floor or the mat, inhale and exhale. Come right back to the center. Let's take it for one more time for side. Knees dropped to the right, really engage those obliques, keep the shoulder engaged, both are square on the floor, come right back to the center. Last time to the left, inhale and exhale, knees dropped to the right. Inhale and exhale, use those obliques to bring you right back to the center. Go ahead and hold on to those hamstrings, round up your spine one vertebrate at a time, sitting upwise nice and tall. Let's go ahead and move on.

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