Bodyweight training is a great way to build strength, especially if you’re new to strength training and don’t know where to start.
Personal trainer and Pilates instructor Katie Barth recently shared a beginner’s bodyweight routine that strengthens muscles throughout the body. This is a Pilates style workout that features his seven slow, controlled movements designed to strengthen muscle strength and improve posture and coordination.
This workout requires no equipment other than a yoga mat, so it’s perfect to do in a quiet corner of your home or gym.
How Katie Barth trains
Repeat each exercise 10 times. For unilateral exercises, complete repetitions on both sides of your body. Challenge yourself by repeating this several times to maximize the strengthening effects of this routine.
Benefits of this training
Pilates is a great, low-impact way to build muscle strength without putting pressure on joints like your hips and knees, unlike other weight-bearing exercises.
This exercise places special emphasis on strengthening your core muscles, which are the middle muscles in your trunk and lower back. Strengthening these muscles will improve your posture and support your lower back. This is especially important if you spend long periods of time sitting, which can weaken your core muscles.
Some movements in this routine (like the opposite reach and waist lift) require you to move different parts of your body at the same time while maintaining core balance. Exercises like this help improve coordination and develop the mind-muscle connection.
By practicing this workout once or twice a week, you’ll gradually build strength and eventually be able to move on to more difficult Pilates routines, such as the Power Pilates workout for core strength.
