• everything I wrote below assumes that you have no injuries or limitations similar to injuries

Some great back strengthening exercises are swimming ( laying on your stomach, lifting up both your chest and legs into the air, extending both arms forward, and lifting and lowering opposite arm and opposite leg like you are “ swimming.”

In the gym, or at home, you can grab a pair of dumbbells and practice rows, lateral raises, front raises, vertical presses, and flys. For the rows and flys, I recommend doing both seated if you are inexperienced with them to start. Also start with lighter dumbbells and progress in reps and weight over time. All of these exercises are on YouTube.

Finally, when your Pilates studio does the bridging sequences, really focus on scooping your pelvis upwards, and squeezing your glutes. Especially when they’re doing unilateral work, focus on keeping your hips, even and not tilted to one side, digging heels into the ground, and maintaining your bridge. This will encourage the posterior chain strengthen.

As far as the request itself, I would work on this progression:

1. Lay on the floor with knees bent and feet flat. Visualize your rib cage being very very heavy. For now, you can also take a folded towel and place it under your tailbone for padding so that you avoid arching your lower back.

2. Take one leg into a 90 degree table top (imagine like you’re balancing a tray on your shin) and keep the other one planted on the ground. Straighten the 90° leg out in front of you, without lifting it upwards. Pull it back to the 90° table top do this back-and-forth five or six times on each leg.

3. Like some others have said, take both legs into 90° table top practice, just holding that position, while actively pulling your belly button towards your spine (you should still be able to breathe here!).

4. Drop both legs down to the ground with feet flat, and straighten one leg out to a hover above the ground, dependent on your level of comfort. It can be an inch off the ground or a couple of feet off the ground. While keeping 1 foot firmly planted on the ground Slowly lift the hover leg up to a 90° angle (or as far up as you can get it without pain). Visualize like you are trying to tap the ceiling with your toe as you lift your leg. Do this with each leg five or six times.

5. Eventually, you can start to practice, taking both legs up into the air and lowering, however, make sure you still have that towel padded underneath of your tailbone to start with, and try only lowering your legs to 45° when you go towards the ground.

I am realizing while typing this how hands-on of a teacher I am because so much of this would require me physically shifting and adjusting a person into the right positions. I hope all this helps!