Pilates Corkscrew: Steps, Muscles and Common Mistakes

How to do the Corkscrew

Lie on your back on your mat with your arms resting by your sides and both legs extended straight up toward the ceiling.

1. Peel your spine off the mat until your hips are lifted over your shoulders and your legs are parallel to the floor.
2. Shift your legs slightly to the right side of your body.
3. Roll your spine down the right side of your back, keeping your legs squeezed together.
4. Sweep your legs in a circle down toward the floor and around to the left side.
5. Roll back up the left side of your spine until your hips are over your shoulders again.
6. Return your legs to the center to complete one repetition.
7. Reverse the direction by shifting your legs to the left and rolling down the left side of your back.

• Breath. Teachers cue breathing differently, but you will often inhale as you roll down one side of your spine and exhale as you sweep your legs around and roll back up.
• Where you feel it. You should feel deep work in your obliques, transversus abdominis, and rectus abdominis, along with effort in your adductors. You should not feel sharp pain in your neck or lower back.
• How many. 3 to 5 alternating repetitions in each direction

Common mistakes

• Dropping legs too low. Keep your leg circle small enough that your lower back does not arch away from the mat.
• Resting weight on the neck. Keep your weight balanced across your upper back and shoulders, never resting on your cervical spine.
• Letting legs separate. Actively squeeze your adductors to keep your inner thighs and feet glued together.
• Using momentum. Rely on your obliques and rectus abdominis to smoothly control the movement rather than swinging your legs.
• Tensing the shoulders. Press your arms gently into the mat and keep your collarbones wide to avoid shrugging.

Make it easier or harder

Easier

• Keep your pelvis flat on the mat and practice small leg circles without the inverted lift.
• Bend your knees slightly if tight hamstrings make it difficult to keep your legs straight.
• Place your hands under your pelvis for extra support while circling your legs.

Who should be careful

• This exercise puts weight on the shoulders and upper back with the hips above the head. Skip it if you have neck problems, osteoporosis, glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure, or are pregnant, unless a clinician who knows your history has said it is fine.
• Twisting under load is something people with osteoporosis are often advised to limit. Keep the rotation small and upright, or ask your clinician.
• After the first trimester of pregnancy, many guidelines advise against long periods lying flat on the back. A side-lying or propped version is an alternative.

Related exercises

• Open Leg Rocker Intermediate to advanced
• Single Leg Stretch Beginner to intermediate
• The Hundred Beginner to intermediate
• Teaser Intermediate to advanced
• The Saw Beginner to intermediate

When to see a doctor or physical therapist

• Sharp or shooting pain in your neck or cervical spine.
• Numbness or tingling traveling down your arms or legs.
• Sudden, sharp pain in your lower back during the leg sweep.
• A feeling of intense pressure in your head or eyes while inverted.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or are recovering from an injury or surgery, check with your own clinician before trying new exercises.

How we put this page together. Exercise data (type, level, equipment and muscles) was compiled by our editors from the classical mat order in Joseph Pilates’ 1945 book and from commonly taught mat repertoire. Muscle lists are a general anatomy guide; cueing differs between teachers. Text drafted with AI assistance and checked by the Editorial Team. See our editorial policy. Last checked October 2026.