Pilates Single Leg Teaser: Technique, Muscles Worked and Modifications

How to do the Single Leg Teaser

Lie on your back on the mat with your knees bent and both feet flat on the floor. Extend one leg out straight at a diagonal, keeping your knees in line with each other.

1. Reach your arms overhead or straight up toward the ceiling.
2. Nod your chin slightly toward your chest to begin the movement.
3. Roll your spine up off the mat one vertebra at a time.
4. Reach your hands toward the toes of your extended leg.
5. Pause at the top in a V-shape, balancing just behind your sit bones.
6. Slowly roll your spine back down to the mat with control.
7. Lower your arms and head back to the starting position.

• Breath. Teachers cue breathing differently, but you will often inhale to prepare and exhale as you roll up. Inhale at the top, then exhale as you slowly roll back down to the mat.
• Where you feel it. You should feel deep work in your abdominal muscles and the front of your hips, along with effort in the thigh of the extended leg. You should not feel sharp pain in your lower back or neck.
• How many. 3 to 5 slow repetitions per leg

Common mistakes

• Using momentum. Avoid throwing your arms or jerking your upper body to get up. Roll up smoothly using your abdominal muscles.
• Dropping the extended leg. Keep the knee of your straight leg in line with your bent knee throughout the entire movement. Your quadriceps and hip flexors need to stay active.
• Tensing the neck. Keep your gaze forward and your shoulders relaxed away from your ears. Let your core do the heavy lifting instead of straining your neck.
• Arching the lower back. Maintain a slight scoop in your belly and focus on spinal flexion. Do not pop your ribs forward at the top of the movement.

Make it easier or harder

Easier

• Keep both feet flat on the mat and practice rolling up halfway.
• Hold onto the back of your thighs with your hands to help guide your spine up and down.
• Bend the knee of the raised leg into a tabletop position instead of keeping it completely straight.

Harder

• Extend both legs straight out to perform the full Teaser.
• Hold a small Pilates ball or light hand weights in your hands as you roll up and down.

Who should be careful

• If you have osteoporosis or low bone density, or a recent disc injury, ask your clinician whether repeated loaded forward bending of the spine suits you. Many bone health organizations recommend limiting it.
• Rolling on the spine is not a good idea with osteoporosis, a bony or sensitive spine, or a recent back injury. Use a thick mat, or hold the balance without rolling.

Related exercises

• Scissors Advanced (supine version beginner)
• Teaser Intermediate to advanced
• Double Leg Stretch Intermediate
• Roll Up Intermediate
• Bicycle Advanced

When to see a doctor or physical therapist

• Sharp or shooting pain in your lower back during the roll up.
• A pulling sensation or pain in your neck that does not resolve with a chin nod.
• Pinching in the front of your hip joint.
• Numbness or tingling traveling down your legs.

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.