I exercise regularly and go to the gym to do weight training most mornings before work. But when life gets busy, it can be difficult to fit a full hour of exercise into your day.
So I was looking for a quick, punchy routine to replace my usual gym session, and recently came across Pilates instructor Katie Barth’s 15-minute workout.
I’ve dabbled in Pilates, attending the odd class and doing Pilates routines at home, and I’m always impressed by how much Pilates challenges me. It’s great for not only building muscle strength, but also improving posture, coordination, and increasing core stability.
Bath’s routine promises a full-body workout in just 15 minutes, so I thought I’d give it a try on my lunch break.
How to do Katie Barth’s 15-minute Pilates routine
This routine has seven movements, each completed with 10 repetitions (on both sides of the body for unilateral exercises). Complete the entire workout twice.
How I discovered Katie Barth’s 15-minute Pilates routine
I’m used to lifting heavy weights, but Pilates brings a different kind of challenge. Exercises like bridge crunches and slow mountain climbers require balance, stability, and muscular endurance.
To maintain proper form, I contracted my core throughout these exercises. This means that your muscles are constantly under tension.
Movements like the side lift also targeted the lower body, specifically the glutes and obliques (the muscles along the sides of the abdomen). Bridge crunches also put strain on my calves.
This workout definitely burned my core muscles. But it wasn’t meant for my whole body. Some of the exercises worked my shoulders, but this workout didn’t target my arms or back.
Although there were a lot of exercises that worked on my glutes, I didn’t think I needed to focus too much on my quadriceps or hamstrings (the two main muscles in my thighs).
While this session may serve as a core finisher at the end of a full-body workout, I didn’t feel it was taxing enough for all my muscles.
As such, I will continue to lift weights to build and maintain total body strength and rely on Pilates to increase body awareness and coordination.
