Pilates Leg Pull Back

Muscles worked by the Pilates Leg Pull Back

Primary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlutesGluteus Maximus

Secondary

HamstringsHamstring MusclesRear DeltsPosterior DeltoidTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: erector spinae, spinal erectors, lower back muscles, back extensors, glute, glutes.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Pilates Leg Pull Back

1. Sit with the legs straight and the hands on the floor behind the hips, fingers pointing forward.
2. Press into the hands and heels and lift the hips into a reverse plank.
3. Keeping the hips level and high, lift one straight leg as far as the pelvis stays still.
4. Lower the leg under control and repeat with the other one.
5. Finish the set and lower the hips to the floor.

Form tips

• Stop the leg lift where the hips start to drop; height is not the point.
• Keep the chest open and the shoulders away from the ears.
• Bend the knees slightly if the straight-leg version pulls at the hamstrings.

At a glance

Pilates Leg Pull Back in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Bird Dog Hold
• Bird-Dog
• Camel Pose
• Pilates Leg Pull Front
• Reverse Plank
• Reverse Tabletop Hold
• Sphinx Pose
• Supported Shoulderstand

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "pilates-leg-pull-back",
  "name_en": "Pilates Leg Pull Back",
  "name_de": "Pilates Leg Pull Back",
  "name_es": "Leg Pull Back de Pilates",
  "description_en": "A reverse plank with alternating leg lifts: the hips stay high while one leg at a time is raised, so the glutes and the back of the trunk work against the shifting support.",
  "description_de": "Ein umgekehrter Plank mit abwechselndem Beinheben: die Hüfte bleibt hoch, während je ein Bein angehoben wird, sodass Gesäß und Rumpfrückseite gegen die wechselnde Unterstützung arbeiten.",
  "description_es": "Una plancha invertida con elevaciones alternas de pierna: las caderas se mantienen altas mientras se eleva una pierna cada vez, de modo que glúteos y parte posterior del tronco trabajan ante el apoyo cambiante.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "dynamic",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_maximus"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "hamstrings",
    "posterior_deltoid",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "core",
    "calisthenics"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit with the legs straight and the hands on the floor behind the hips, fingers pointing forward.",
    "Press into the hands and heels and lift the hips into a reverse plank.",
    "Keeping the hips level and high, lift one straight leg as far as the pelvis stays still.",
    "Lower the leg under control and repeat with the other one.",
    "Finish the set and lower the hips to the floor."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Setz dich mit gestreckten Beinen hin, die Hände hinter der Hüfte am Boden, die Finger zeigen nach vorn.",
    "Druck über Hände und Fersen und heb die Hüfte in einen umgekehrten Plank.",
    "Halte die Hüfte waagerecht und hoch und heb ein gestrecktes Bein so weit, wie das Becken still bleibt.",
    "Senk das Bein kontrolliert ab und wiederhole mit dem anderen.",
    "Beende den Satz und setz die Hüfte ab."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate con las piernas estiradas y las manos en el suelo detrás de las caderas, con los dedos hacia delante.",
    "Empuja con manos y talones y eleva las caderas a una plancha invertida.",
    "Con las caderas niveladas y altas, eleva una pierna estirada mientras la pelvis siga quieta.",
    "Baja la pierna de forma controlada y repite con la otra.",
    "Termina la serie y baja las caderas al suelo."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Stop the leg lift where the hips start to drop; height is not the point.",
    "Keep the chest open and the shoulders away from the ears.",
    "Bend the knees slightly if the straight-leg version pulls at the hamstrings."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Stopp das Beinheben dort, wo die Hüfte abzusinken beginnt - Höhe ist nicht der Punkt.",
    "Halte die Brust offen und die Schultern von den Ohren weg.",
    "Beug die Knie leicht, wenn die gestreckte Variante an der Beinrückseite zieht."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Detén la elevación donde las caderas empiecen a caer; la altura no es el objetivo.",
    "Mantén el pecho abierto y los hombros lejos de las orejas.",
    "Flexiona un poco las rodillas si la versión con piernas estiradas tira de los isquiotibiales."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/pilates-leg-pull-back-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/pilates-leg-pull-back-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "pilates-leg-pull-back");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.