The move: Roll-Up With Weights

Works on: This is a controlled sit-up with concentration on the core muscles.

David Sprague/Los Angeles Daily News (ENLARGE)
To prepare for the Roll-Up With Weights, trainer Mari Winsor lies flat with weights in each hand.
David Sprague/Los Angeles Daily News (ENLARGE)
As noted in Step 1, raise the arms -- holding the weights -- straight up.
David Sprague/Los Angeles Daily News (ENLARGE)
Then roll up, reach forward and extend the back into a C curve.
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Setup: With a 2-pound weight in each hand, lay flat on your back with your arms at your sides.

Step 1: Raise your arms straight up.

Step 2: Roll up, reaching forward, fully extended with back in a C curve and neck relaxed forward, pulling in your stomach. Then inhale and slowly return to the starting position. Exhale as the spine reaches the floor, feeling each vertebra touching as you return to the starting position.

Repetitions: Do this exercise three times slow and three times fast.

Certified trainer, Mari Winsor began developing her innovative workout nearly 20 years ago and opened her first Pilates studio in 1990 in Los Angeles. She has co-written several books, and her series of Winsor Pilates DVDs have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

— Los Angeles Daily News