So, you’re keen to try a Pilates workout and join the likes of Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Hailey Bieber and even Harry Styles? (Yes, it’s reportedly his favorite sweat session).
It has long been huge in Australia, but has since grown in popularity in both the US and UK.
First invented in the 1920s, the low-impact activity is now a firm favorite for a number of reasons — it increases strength and muscle mass, works both the body and mind, as well as tones your body, according to expert Amanda Also promises to protect against injury. K Baracho x pilates (opens in new tab),
sound good? We think so too. In each session, you focus on precise, controlled movements and focus on six key components: concentration, control, centering, flow, accuracy, and breathing.
If you’re not sure where to start – keep scrolling. pilates coach Lottie Murphy (opens in new tab) shares her go-to Pilates workout (and what she believes combines all the best movements for a strong and sculpted body).
Keep scrolling for her 16-minute Pilates workout — “a great flavor but still challenging enough to allow you to grasp the fundamentals of Pilates,” she explains.
Don’t Miss Our Guide to Weight Training (opens in new tab)barre exercise (opens in new tab)and best fitness apps (opens in new tab)While you’re at it, and if you’re keen on buying kit ahead of your session, scroll through our guide to the best gym wear (opens in new tab) and best gym trainer (opens in new tab)Here.
Pilates Workout: It’s The Best Session At Home Or At The Gym
The 16-minute workout below focuses on working your hips, lower abdominals, obliques, and glutes, and promises to help mobilize your spine and boost your stability.
This is an essentials class, meaning it’s accessible to beginners, but also useful for any of you who’ve tried Pilates before and are looking for a session that will walk you through the best moves. Will take from
Begin by sitting at the front of your mat and taking a few grounding breaths. Then, work through the following – all you have to do is play Murphy’s video to follow along in real time.
She believes it to be one of the most effective Pilates workouts you can try. Ready to try it?
1. Pelvic Curl
How to do: Start on your mat and move your feet slightly closer to you. Start with some pelvic curls by standing on your feet, breathing in and keeping your arms alongside your body.
As you exhale, press your lower back into the mat and begin to draw your glutes upward. Make sure your knees, hips and shoulders form one long diagonal line. Inhale at the top and then exhale, trying to increase mobility in your spine as you return your hips and glutes to the mat.
Working from the top of your spine to the tailbone, rise up again, lifting your hips to stay in the upward position. Again, roll down and repeat.
how long: Aim for 12 lifts.
2. Toe Tap
How to do: Raise your legs up into tabletop position. As you exhale, tap your right foot on the mat, inhale, and then bring it back. Exhale and then tap the toe of the left foot. Inhale, and bring it back to its original position.
You can place your hands on your pelvis here, or place one hand under your lower back if this is more comfortable for you.
Aim for a nice, light touch when you tap your toe – try not to put any weight on it.
how long: Aim to do 12 taps on each leg.
3. Single Leg Stretch
How to do: Holding that tabletop position, bring your arms fully back and then hands behind your head, elbows just in your peripheral vision. Exhale while coming off the mat and inhale while coming down.
Try to keep tabletop position with feet together as you lower, and keep your ribs knit toward your hips, lifting the other end of your spine off the mat.
Keep your position in place – you should have a little bit of space between your chin and chest (around the size of a small lemon). Visualize yourself holding that fruit – then on the exhale extend the right leg forward, and on the exhale bring it back. While exhaling, step the left leg forward. Sigh, back.
how long: Aim for 12 rounds on each side.
4. Oblique Curl
How to do: Bring legs back to tabletop position, hands behind your head, lunge up, this time keeping knees next to each other as still as possible. Then, twist to the right, looking at the back of your right thigh. Inhale and center, exhale and twist to the left, alternating each inhale and exhale.
how long: Aim for 12 rounds on each side.
5. Single Leg Stretch with Oblique Rotation
How to do: Linking the previous two positions together (single leg stretch and rotation), lift your legs back up to tabletop position. Keeping your hands behind your head, curl forward and rotate to the right, extending your left leg. Similarly, kick your right leg away as you twist to the left.
Remember to breathe and center as well.
how long: Aim for 12 rounds on each side.
6. Roll Back
How to do: Wiggling to sit up, sit nice and tall. From here, extend the arms in front of you and lower your back. Tilt the pelvis down, round your upper body, and then lower yourself back into that roll-back, anchoring through the legs.
Elongate your spine as you roll upward — imagine you’re rolling around a beach ball or a large Pilates ball and coming up and arching your back. Aim for a position that is comfortable but also challenging.
Lifting through the spine, try to bring yourself closer to the floor with each effort, using your core strength and not your legs to pull yourself back into a squat position.
how long: Aim for 12 rounds.
7. Pulse Roll Back
How to do: In the roll back position, move it up an inch and an inch, pulsing eight times, staying in line with the edge of your mat.
Focus on engaging your core muscles and lengthening your body.
how long: Aim for eight pulses.
8. Roll Back with Oblique Twist
How to do: Place your feet on the mat and cross your arms over your chest. From here, twist at the waist – look over your right shoulder and twist to the right. Then, look over your left shoulder and twist to the left. Inhale as you twist and exhale as you return to center.
Now, roll back and add both left and right rotations. Try to keep the knees nice and level with each other.
For the final level, run back even further, aiming for the C curve. Exhale as you lift your right and left leg up, bring the arms back to the chest, and swing again to the right, then left. If you can’t do this balancing exercise, feel free to modify it and place your feet on the floor.
how long: Aim for 6 rounds of each of the three movements.
9. Shoulder Bridge
How to do: Take a bridge, lift your hips up and lower them back towards the ground as you exhale. Then, inhaling, raise them again, hinging from the hip joints and aiming for a straight up, straight down motion and lifting both your glutes and hamstrings.
how long: Aim for 12 rounds.
10. Shoulder Bridge Knee Drop
How to do: Keeping your hips nice and stable, drop your right knee down, then, lock in. Next, drop your left knee to the left allowing it to drop open and lock in.
Make sure not to let the other knee move.
how long: Aim for 6 knee drops on each side.
11. Full Roll Up
How to do: Finish with a roll up through the spine, keeping your legs nice and long. Walk your arms behind you and then roll up, rounding through the spine, flexing the feet as you reach the backs of the toes and then slowly rolling down as you walk your feet away. do and lie back down.
This move is all about centering yourself, so be sure to focus on your breathing here as well.
how long: Aim for 12 rounds.
12. Cat Cow
How to do: Come on all fours, rounding your back and exhaling. Then, release the spine and slowly arch, sending your spine forward.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
13. Downward Dog
How to do: With your palms flat against the mat, tuck your toes under you and send your hips up so you’re making a downward V shape. Here you should feel a stretch in the back of your legs.
Don’t worry about straightening your legs here – kneeling is often more comfortable and effective. Remember to wrap both your shoulders and stretch your hamstrings where possible.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
14. Roll Down
How to do: From standing, roll down, exhale and return to head start. Try not to let the pelvis move until you have to bend from the hips and slowly lower yourself toward the floor until you can go no further.
Then, as you inhale, begin to arch your spine and lengthen as you stand up again. Raise your shoulders up, inhale and exhale.
how long: Aim for 60 seconds.
Which celebrities practice Pilates?
According to Baracho, famous athletes have been known to practice Pilates to strengthen muscles or get a lean body, while others have taken to Pilates to rehabilitate their bodies after injury or to resolve temporary health problems. Have turned towards
“Celebrities such as Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Hilary Duff, Kate Winslet, Anna Faris, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock, Tiger Woods, and Hugh Grant practice Pilates regularly,” she explains. .
Baracho explains that Jennifer Aniston used Pilates in 2021 when she was suffering from an injury and it quickly became her go-to exercise (she’s now one of Pilates’ biggest advocates). “Similarly, Lady Gaga used Pilates to help her cope with her fibromyalgia, and Belinda Carlisle also claims that using Pilates increased her height by 6cm!”
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