I love weight training, especially for lower body strength, but I’ve recently added Pilates to my routine to improve my muscle endurance, posture and coordination, and I’ve found that Pilates is also a great way to strengthen your core.
Since I usually do squats and deadlifts, I was interested to see if a Pilates routine could also work my legs.
Pilates instructor Saskia Longley recently shared a four-move workout on Instagram that targets the glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors.
I decided to put this routine to the test and see how it differed from weight training.
How to do a lower body Pilates workout with Saskia Longley
No equipment is required for this routine. All you need is a yoga mat if you want to use it to support your knees. If you are considering purchasing a yoga mat, check out our proven guide on the best yoga mats.
Longley recommends 10 repetitions of each exercise, and I did three rounds.
My Experience Switching Weight Training to Pilates
The advantage of this routine over your regular workouts is that you can do it at home with no equipment, making it perfect for those days when you’re tired and don’t feel like going to the gym.
Even without any equipment, this workout really got my leg muscles working: My glutes were on fire during the shoulder bridges, and I could feel my glutes sizzling during the clams, which activate my gluteus medius, a notoriously tricky muscle to train next to my hip.
Another thing I loved about this routine was how it constantly engaged and toned my core. Some of the moves in this routine, like the kneeling side stretch and toe taps, isolate your obliques and lower back, maximizing strength development.
My only concern is how to make this more challenging when repeated. It would be difficult to gradually increase the load of the training by adding more than ankle weights, which may limit its effectiveness in building muscle mass compared to weightlifting.
Still, I think it would be a useful addition to support my weight training. I notice when doing compound lifts that my glutes are a weak spot, so training like this helps strengthen them and minimizes imbalances, helping prevent injury.
This routine is also a great starting point for anyone new to strength training, who can then progress to something like this dumbbell leg workout.
