Side Splits: How to Do It and Muscles Worked

How to do the Side Splits

Stand carefully with one foot resting securely on the wooden platform and your other foot placed on the carriage, keeping your legs straight but not locked.

1. Stand tall with your weight distributed evenly between both feet.
2. Keep your neutral spine held steady and engage your transversus abdominis.
3. Slowly press the carriage away from the platform by opening your legs.
4. Pause briefly when you reach a comfortable, controlled width.
5. Pull the carriage back to the starting position using the muscles of your inner thighs and hips.
6. Repeat the movement with control before carefully stepping off to switch sides.

• Breath. Teachers cue breathing differently, but a common pattern is to inhale as you press the carriage out and exhale as you pull it back in. Some instructors may ask you to exhale on the outward push to help engage your deep core.
• Where you feel it. You should feel strong work in your hip adductors on the inside of your thighs and your gluteus medius on the outside of your hips. You should not feel pinching in your lower back or sharp pain in your knee joints.
• How many. 6 to 10 controlled repetitions per side

Common mistakes

• Shifting weight unevenly. Keep your body weight centered perfectly between the carriage and the platform. Do not lean entirely over the stable leg.
• Losing neutral spine. Keep your transversus abdominis engaged to support your lower back. Avoid arching or rounding your spine as your legs open.
• Locking the knees. Maintain a very soft bend in your knees throughout the movement. This helps prevent joint strain and keeps the work in your muscles.
• Moving too quickly. Control the carriage on the way out and resist the spring tension on the way back in. Momentum takes the work away from your hip adductors and gluteus medius.

Make it easier or harder

Easier

• Hold onto a long dowel or a balance pole for extra stability while standing.
• Limit your range of motion, pressing the carriage out only a few inches before returning.

Harder

• Perform the movement without using your arms for balance, keeping your hands gently placed behind your head.
• Hold a small, light weight in your hands close to your chest to challenge your center of gravity.

Who should be careful

• Reformer springs and the moving carriage add load and instability. Learn it with a qualified instructor, who can set the springs for your body and goals.

Related exercises

• Feet in Straps Beginner to intermediate
• Frog on the Reformer Beginner
• Pilates Side Plank Intermediate
• Backstroke Intermediate
• Clam Beginner

When to see a doctor or physical therapist

• Sharp or sudden pain in your hip joints or groin.
• A feeling of instability or giving way in your knees.
• Pinching sensations in your lower back.
• Dizziness or lightheadedness while standing on the moving equipment.

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 reformer 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.