Finding time to exercise isn’t always easy, so why not try these six Pilates instructor-certified ab exercises? All it takes is five minutes and your own body weight to cross a core workout off your to-do list.
We also recommend rolling out your best yoga mat to support your lower back during quick sit-ups, and since Move With Nicole does her workouts on the beach, we imagine you could roll that out pretty much anywhere.
Pilates sit-ups are suitable for most fitness abilities, and everyone from beginners to more advanced Pilates practitioners can benefit from exercises that target the abs, obliques and lower back, helping to counteract the effects of sitting. Just remember to scale accordingly and stop immediately if you feel any pain.
Watch Nicole’s 5-minute Pilates Abs Workout
There’s barely any time for introduction as we’ll dive right into this ab routine overseen by pilates instructor, dancer, and YouTube sensation Nicole (aka Move With Nicole).
“It can be enjoyed on its own or combined with other workouts,” Nicole suggests. “If you’re feeling particularly fit, try repeating the workout to burn even more!”
The workout format is typical of an ab routine: work for 45 seconds, rest for 15. Throughout the entire workout set, focus on pressing your lower back into the mat, tightening your stomach, and gently drawing your belly button in toward your spine.
There is no weight training, but if you want to increase the intensity and get a deeper burn, you can add in some light dumbbells or the perfect ankle weights.
Nicole has complete control over the exercises, moving slowly, working as many muscles as possible, using her body to control the breath, directing how to breathe as she moves. The idea is not to rush the movements, which can increase the intensity of the exercise from a 3 to a 10, but moving slowly is enough.
Even if you’re new to Pilates exercise, you can do the workout with Nicole from start to finish, provided you can tolerate the slightly retro background music, reminiscent of ’80s phone hold music.
Here’s my review of the 6 Pilates abdominal exercises
Think of your torso, from your rib cage to your hips, as the center of your powerhouse. This is where you drive movement and create stability and control. Within this powerhouse is a network of muscles collectively known as your core.
The Pilates exercises shown in this video target some of the muscles such as the hip flexors, abdominal muscles (superficially known as the rectus abdominis and internally known as the transverse abdominis), obliques (internal and external obliques), and, to a much lesser extent, the hips, buttocks, legs, and arms.
I tried this quick routine on my yoga mat one morning as a pre-run warm-up and found it to be much more effective at strengthening my core than I expected, which is especially helpful before hitting the sidewalk.
If you’re a beginner, ab workouts might be enough as a stand-alone routine, but if not, consider adding them to the beginning or end of another workout, or adding extra rounds if you want to up the intensity.
Strengthening these muscle groups helps build a more functional engine and produces better quality movement that is driven from the core, rather than the habitually dominant hips and more dominant, overworked muscle groups.
For many of us, sitting for long periods of time at a desk or commuting can leave our core muscles, hips, glutes and hamstrings underused and weak. To counter the effects of sitting all day, strengthen these powerful muscles, learn to move with your core and make sure you move regularly during the day.
That doesn’t mean you have to train your abs every day. Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups and joints at the same time, and they’re found in a variety of workouts, including full-body bodyweight exercises, calisthenics, and weight training. Heavy squats and deadlifts also focus on working your core muscles.
It’s important to move more and train smarter, so here are some ideas to tone your abs without spending too much time at the gym.
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