Saw: A Complete Guide
Quick Intro
Saw is a mat Pilates exercise performed sitting tall with the legs open wider than the hips and the arms spread wide, rotating the torso and reaching the opposite hand toward the opposite foot as if sawing the little finger past the little toe. The rotation happens first and completely before the reach forward begins, which is what separates this exercise from a simple forward fold.
Equipment Needed
No equipment is required. A Yoga Mat underneath is an optional comfort choice for cushioning the sit bones against a hard floor.
Why It Matters
Reaching the hand past the foot asks for hamstring and spinal rotation range, and finishing the twist before the forward reach takes body awareness. The waist muscles along the side of the torso (obliques) drive the rotation, and the lower back muscles (erector spinae) control the return to upright. A muscle at the back of the thigh (hamstrings, biceps femoris) lengthens as the torso reaches forward, a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset (transverse abdominis) keeps the movement controlled rather than collapsed and the inner thigh muscles (adductors) help anchor the wide-legged base the rotation works from.
When to Do It
Saw works well in the seated spinal portion of a Pilates mat session, usually placed among the other seated rotation and twist exercises. Two to three sessions a week is a reasonable pace for building this rotation-then-reach pattern.
Anyone with a current lower back issue should get individual guidance before adding this exercise, since combining spinal rotation with forward flexion places demand on the discs of the lumbar spine.
Getting Ready
A few rounds of a seated spinal twist, rotating without the forward reach, warm up the rotation before the saw motion is added. Sitting tall with the arms wide for a few breaths previews the base position the exercise starts from.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. The setup. Sit tall, legs wider than hip-width, arms spread wide at shoulder height.
2. The rotation. Exhale and rotate the torso fully toward one leg before reaching forward at all.
3. The saw. Continue the exhale and reach the opposite hand toward the opposite foot, back arm lifting and head dropping, with two small pulses at the furthest point.
4. The return. Inhale and roll back up to the tall seated starting position, then rotate the other way for the next rep.
How Many, How Often
Saw is dosed by reps, with each rotation-and-reach to one side counting as one.
| Level | Where you’re at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | New to combining rotation with the forward reach | 2 sets of 3 reps per side, keeping the rotation smaller |
| Intermediate | The full rotation feels controlled before reaching | 2 to 3 sets of 4 to 5 reps per side |
| Advanced | Comfortable with a full rotation and reach | 3 sets of 5 to 6 reps per side, adding the two pulses at the end range |
The torso rotating fully before the reach begins matters more here than how far the hand travels past the foot, since skipping straight to the reach turns a rotation exercise into a simple forward fold.
Modifications and Variations
As an easier version, Saw — Reduced Rotation shortens how far the torso turns before reaching forward, reducing the demand on rotational flexibility while the pattern is still being learned.
As a harder version, Saw — Three Pulses adds a third pulse at the furthest point of the reach, asking the rotation to hold under a longer sustained stretch.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Reaching forward before the rotation is complete. Starting the forward reach while the torso is only partway rotated turns the exercise into a diagonal fold, losing the rotation-then-flexion sequence it’s meant to be. The twist should finish fully before any forward movement begins.
Turning only the head. Letting the head lead the rotation while the ribcage stays mostly square skips the spinal rotation this exercise depends on. The rotation needs to come from the torso, with the head following along.
Letting the hips lift or shift during the reach. Allowing the sit bones to come up off the mat, or the pelvis to slide toward the reaching side, borrows range from the hips that should be coming from the spine. Keeping both sit bones grounded throughout the rotation and reach protects the quality of the movement.
After Your Set
Sitting tall and taking a few gentle rotations in each direction, well short of the working range, helps the spine settle after several rounds of full rotation. A wide-legged forward fold, resting the torso between the knees, eases out the hamstrings the reaching motion has been lengthening.
Going Deeper
This exercise usually works well as a test of rotational control paired with a hamstring stretch, since sequencing a full twist before a forward reach asks for more body awareness than either movement would demand alone. Once the pattern starts to feel familiar, the rotation and the reach tend to blend into one diagonal motion. Keeping the two phases distinct, a full rotation first and only then a reach, builds the skill faster than letting them blur together.
Someone new to this exercise generally manages the sequence with a smaller rotation within a few sessions, then works toward a fuller rotation and reach over two to three weeks.
How to Know You’re Improving
- A rotation that finishes fully before any forward reach begins
- A twist driven visibly from the ribcage
- Sit bones that stay grounded throughout the rotation and reach
- A reach that travels further past the foot while the sequence stays controlled
A rotation that completes before the reach starts matters more than how far the hand travels.
Muscles Worked
- Obliques (the waist muscles along the side of the torso, turning the seated trunk toward the opposite foot)
- Erector Spinae (the lower back muscles, controlling the return to upright)
- Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, lengthening as the torso reaches forward)
- Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, keeping the reach controlled all the way down)
- Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, anchoring the wide-legged base the rotation works from)
FAQ
Why does the rotation need to happen before the reach? Rotating first isolates the spinal twist, then the forward reach adds the hamstring stretch on top of it. Blending the two into one diagonal motion loses the distinct rotational challenge this exercise is built around.
Is it normal to feel more stretch on one side than the other? Yes, a difference in rotational range between the two sides is common and normal. Working both sides with the same attention over time tends to even that difference out gradually.
Is some rotational muscle fatigue after this exercise normal? Yes, fatigue through the waist and lower back after several rotations is expected. Sharp pain concentrated in the spine is a different matter, worth easing off for and mentioning to a doctor or physical therapist if it continues.
Is a slight knee bend acceptable with tight hamstrings? A small bend in the knees is a reasonable way to make the reach more comfortable while hamstring flexibility develops, though Saw — Reduced Rotation is the version to use if the full rotation still feels out of reach.
How often should Saw be practiced? Two to three times a week, as part of the seated spinal portion of a broader mat session, suits most people building this pattern.
Related to Saw — Reduced Rotation as the easier version with a shorter rotation and Saw — Three Pulses as the harder version adding a third pulse at the end range.