I love the way Pilates challenges my body, especially the way it helps improve core strength, flexibility, balance, and overall body awareness. However, Pilates can be an expensive hobby to maintain, especially if you’re like me and pay a monthly fee for a gym membership. and spend money on either best running app Access your training plans. That said, I often practice Pilates at home. That’s how I discovered Wall Pilates.
I spoke to Abbie McLachlan, Pilates teacher and founder of East of Eden, about Wall Pilates. She explained that it’s just a traditional Pilates exercise done against a wall to add resistance. So, consider your favorite Pilates exercises to strengthen your core. However, the body is pressed against the wall.
She adds, “It’s very low impact and requires only a yoga mat and a wall, so there’s no need for expensive classes or equipment.” “I will,” he added. , flexibility, improved posture, and spine. ”
Curious to see what a wall Pilates workout feels like, I rolled out my best yoga mat in my apartment and tried a 15-minute wall Pilates session. I’ll explain what happened.
15 minutes full body wall pilates
I wanted something that didn’t take too long and could target multiple areas of the body. That’s when I discovered a 15-minute wall Pilates routine created by certified personal trainer Jenna Collins.
Using the wall as resistance, Collins has put together a series of different exercises that target your lower body, core, and arms. This workout has no repetitions, and with each movement he works for 40 seconds and then rests for 20 seconds, giving his muscles time to rest.
Provides thorough training
When McLachlan said Wall Pilates was perfect for beginners, I thought it would be a super easy 15-minute exercise. My ego was wrong. I attended this full body wall Pilates session while feeling some delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in my lower body after a recent weights session, and immediately felt the impact working against a wall had on my Pilates practice. Ta.
For example, one of the first exercises in your routine is to press your feet against a wall and perform a hip thrust. Pressing against the wall increased activation of the gluteal muscles, particularly the gluteus maximus, which is involved in hip extension. I also felt my core muscles tightening as I tried to maintain stability and control during the hip thrust movement.
I loved fighting against the wall to complete the exercises, maintain good form, and feel my muscles working hard.
positioning is important
My regular exercise plan doesn’t involve wall exercises very often. When I was younger, I loved practicing handstands against the wall. But for me, throwing myself into an upside-down position doesn’t hold as much appeal as it used to. So Wall Pilates seemed like a nice, low-impact way to exercise using the walls of my apartment.
I had to pause the workout video a few times to make sure I was in the same position as my instructor, Collins. At times it felt like my butt was too close to the wall or too far away, so I had to experiment a little with each exercise to mimic Collins’ form as best I could.
I felt pain in my knees when I practiced kneeling and pressing the bottom half of my legs against the wall. If you’re trying a wall Pilates routine where you kneel and press your lower body against a wall, it’s a good idea to double up on your yoga mat or make sure you have a soft surface underneath your mat. I completed this routine on a thick yoga mat, but since that mat was placed on a hard wood floor, it put unnecessary pressure on the balls of my knees when I tried to perform certain exercises. Ta.
It’s a great way to practice Pilates at home
As mentioned above, Pilates can be an expensive hobby to maintain. It felt like a bit of a win to be able to roll out my mat in my apartment and use one of his on the wall to add some free resistance to my at-home Pilates practice. After 15 minutes, I truly felt like I had challenged my muscles. My muscles felt different compared to how they felt when I previously completed a 45-minute traditional Pilates class. To accomplish this, I slowed down my movements and spent time under tension in my daily routine to effectively load my muscles.
While walls cannot replace a reformer, they do provide support and resistance. If you’ve tried a Reformer Pilates class before, you can’t expect to feel the same benefits by trying Wall Pilates. However, Wall Pilates helps with alignment during your practice and provides a full-body workout.
