If you’re looking for a way to build core strength without doing endless sit-ups and crunches, Pilates is a great place to start. Pilates strengthens your body and mind, improves your balance, and strengthens your core muscles — all without the use of weights.
And we’ve found a Pilates workout that will help you activate your deep muscles, improve your stability, and stretch your entire body. So roll out your best yoga mat and get ready to work those abs.
This 40-minute workout is led by Rachel Lawrence, certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Girl With the Pilates Mat. Lawrence will lead a variety of workouts that combine standing and seated movements to build core stability and strength.
This workout is designed to flow so you’ll move effortlessly from one move to the next as Lawrence leads you through some of the best Pilates exercises for core strength, including Leg Circles, Core Twists and Pilates 100 exercises.
“This is a great way to awaken your deep muscles, energize your body, and get ready for the day,” Lawrence explains. “This intermediate class will get you moving with thorough workouts and stretches. [with] Intense core work, deep stretches, and [full-body moves].”
Watch Rachel Lawrence’s 40-Minute Pilates Routine
Learning how to properly activate your core is one of the most effective things you can do during any exercise session, as it helps to stabilize and strengthen your body while supporting your pelvis and spine, and this workout is no exception.
To do so, Lawrence suggests starting the routine by standing on a mat with your feet hip-width apart, placing your hands on your hipbones, and gently contracting your abs.
It’s important to perform each pose and movement with proper alignment to engage the right muscles and avoid arching your back, which can lead to pain, discomfort, and even injury.
What are Pilates training good for?
Almost everything. It would be easier (and quicker) to make a list of what Pilates can’t do, but we haven’t found anything yet!
We say this because a report published in 2023 at the World Congress on Multidisciplinary Collaboration for Positive Health and Wellbeing came to the very exciting conclusion that Pilates can improve mental health, pain, flexibility, fitness, balance and physical function among adults and older adults.
Additionally, a review published in the Journal of the Faculty of Physical Therapy that same year found that this mind-body exercise improved strength, core stability, muscle control, posture and breathing.
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