For beginners who prefer a low-impact workout, here is a 20-minute Pilates hip workout that offers hip-strengthening exercises.
The “Pilates for Strong Hips” workout works your whole body whilst stretching and strengthening the muscles around your hips, making your body more mobile, stable and flexible. As it’s a mat Pilates session, all you need is your best yoga mat (or similar) to roll out to protect your joints.
Before I recommend an exercise, I like to try it for myself first, so I rolled out my mat at home and pressed play on a 20-minute Pilates class. Here’s why I love Pilates:
Check out this 20-minute Pilates Hip Workout from Flow with Mira.
Flow with Mira has garnered a lot of attention on her YouTube channel, with the workout having been viewed nearly 500,000 times to date. Hip strengthening exercises for beginners depend on your experience and lifestyle, so what works for one person may not suit another.
That said, I would recommend this Pilates workout to most people, although anyone with an injury or illness should always exercise with caution and get clearance for any exercise routine from a relevant medical professional first.
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“Stretching and strengthening your hip muscles will improve your stability and flexibility, improve your movement and help prevent injury,” says Mira. “Many people suffer from weak and inflexible hips due to too much sitting and lack of exercise.”
Incorporating just an hour of regular, consistent Pilates into your exercise routine has been shown to strengthen, lengthen, tone and tone muscles. Key benefits of Pilates include improved posture and flexibility, reduced risk of injury and increased range of motion. Pilates is also considered one of the most functional forms of exercise.
It’s a vigorous workout that can be done in 20 minutes, but can also be fitted into your lunch break or any other free time throughout the day. Mila explains that the workout targets the muscles that support the hip joints and aims to “build a strong and stable pelvis”, which can lead to improved everyday functional movement and flexibility.
While this is not a recommended ab workout, learning how to properly activate your core during any workout will help improve the mind-muscle connection during movement, so I encourage you to consciously activate your core throughout.
As with any Pilates routine, there’s an emphasis on breathwork – using your inhale and exhale as you move. Activating diaphragmatic breathing means directing your breath towards your stomach, rather than the restrictive chest breathing you unconsciously do during the day.
According to sources like the Cleveland Clinic, diaphragmatic breathing, and breathing exercises in general, while exercising has been shown to improve muscle function and have a relaxing effect.
Pilates Instructor Shares 20-Minute “Healthy Hips” Pilates Workout for Beginners — Here’s My Review
This session primarily targets muscles involved in spine and hip support and posture, including the glutes, lower back, hamstrings, hip flexors, core and quads.
As an avid CrossFit, dynamic yoga, and sprint runner, Pilates is boring (sorry, Pilates lovers), but it’s something my body absolutely needs. Practicing it regularly makes me stronger and more agile for more intense training.
If you’re looking for a more intense workout, you won’t find it here. This is a typical mat Pilates session, with lots of slow, controlled movements that move with your breath and consciously compress and activate muscle groups.
That doesn’t mean the workout doesn’t feel intense — you just won’t be sweating or out of breath. One of the key lessons I learned as a Pilates beginner is that learning to slow down and control your movements can help you generate a lot of heat.
Combining more repetitions and time under tension (increasing your range of motion and working your muscles for longer) can help you build a stronger body and greater muscular endurance, countering the effects of prolonged sitting.
If you have trouble engaging your hips and buttocks or sitting for long periods of time, we highly recommend this short Pilates routine. If you want to continue with a more dynamic session, we’ve provided some options below. However, you’ll leave this session feeling inspired.
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