Issue #468
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
An “Internal Shower” on the Ladder Barrel
by Brett Miller
Today, I want to share a fantastic exercise on the ladder barrel that will give you what Joe Pilates called an “internal shower.” It’s a challenging variation of the side bend that deeply twists and tones your core.
This move is all about getting into your deep tissue and internal organs—squeezing them like a dish rag—to improve circulation and function. As Joe Pilates wrote in his book, Return to Life, “As a heavy rainstorm freshens the water of a sluggish or stagnant stream and whips it into immediate action, so too will the Pilates Method purify the bloodstream and whip it into instant action.” Let me show you what I like to do to experience that internal cleansing effect, or “internal shower.”
Plus, it builds strength and leaves you feeling amazing.
Getting Set Up
To begin, set yourself up just as you would for a regular side bend on the ladder barrel.
Place one foot on a rung of the ladder you find best.
Cross your other leg in front of it, mimicking a ballet “fifth position.”
Ensure your hips are square to the front.
Extend both arms out to the sides at shoulder height.
This exercise involves a dynamic twist in two directions: one towards the ladder and one over the barrel.
Part 1: The Twist Towards the Ladder
From your starting position, lengthen through your upper body and twist your torso away from the barrel to bring your shoulders parallel to the ladder.
Keep the hip on the side of your front leg pushed forward a bit to maintain squareness. This creates a deep twist through your entire body.
Feel your internal organs getting a deep, healthy, rigorous squeeze.
Return to your starting position with arms extended.
Part 2: The Twist Over the Barrel Now, you’ll reverse the direction to work the other side of your body.
Engage your center and “scoop” it in deeply.
Twist your body as you bend over the barrel, keeping the hip on your front leg pushed back to maintain squareness
The goal is, while twisting, to round your body with the curve of the barrel, getting a satisfying stretch and squeeze.
I understand that in the pic my body is not really rounded to match the barrel, the important thing is that I am trying.
Return to the starting position.
And that is it!!
Repeat this two-part sequence, moving fluidly between the twists. Aim for five to six repetitions on each side, focusing on control and feeling that “internal shower” sensation with every movement.
I love this exercise.
Give this exercise a try and let me know how it feels!
Here is a video demonstration.
Brett Miller is the founder of Pilates Intel, he started his professional life in the world of ballet, working with various companies in the US. Later on he moved to New York and branched out into modern along with the ballet. Since then, he has lived in Finland and now in Stockholm Sweden.
Brett became a Pilates instructor in 2005 and has been teaching ever since. The intelligent technique that Pilates is, and the chance to continue to be physical, attracted him to this field after being so long in the dance world. Along with teaching Pilates and publishing Pilates Intel, Brett is a software developer for Ericsson.