10 of The Best Pilates Exercises For Core Strength.

Pilates exercises are a method of exercise that consists of low-impact flexibility and muscular strength and endurance movements. One of the best things is it develops your core strength in all workouts you do. A strong core involves to develops your abs, obliques, posture, and lower back muscles – all these muscle groups developed by Pilates. It also helps your body balance and stability by maintaining your proper posture and keeping your spine stable and safe.

What are Pilates Workout?

Pilates is a great form of exercise for those looking to improve their strength and flexibility while also working on their posture. Most Pilates workouts last between 45 minutes to an hour, making it a great option for those with a busy schedule.

You can do Pilates with or without equipment (more on that below), but no matter what you can expect the moves to involve slow, precise movements and breath control.

Pilates moves tend to target your core, although the exercises work other areas of your body as well. “Pilates is not restricted to specific body parts,” Yes, many classical Pilates moves to focus on your core and trunk, but that doesn’t just mean your abs. Although, Pilates is an effective workout for the core muscles, which include the abdominal muscles, the hips, the inner and outer thighs, and the back. However, it is important for clients to know that the core also includes the entire trunk. Many Pilates instructors mix in moves specifically meant to engage areas like your arms, glutes, and lower legs. So expect a full-body workout.

There are a lot of workouts to develop your core strength, but involving pilates moves in your routine is a great way to engage your core muscles. So, not wasting your time, read the 10 different best pilates training program that really builds your core muscles:-

1. Leg Circle

How to do it?

Lie down straight face up with your arms by your sides, palms down. Extend your right leg up at 90° to the floor and start circling outside to the side, down toward the ground, and return to your starting position. Make the circle big as you can while keeping your lower back and neck on the floor. Complete the 10 to 15 rep of one leg, then repeat with the other leg.

Why lying single leg circle: The single leg circle is a classical Pilates mat exercise, and one of the best for challenging your core strength and pelvic stability. The abdominal muscles must work hard to keep the entire torso controlled despite the circular movement of the leg in the hip socket.

2. Teaser

How to do it?

Lie on the mat and bend your knees over your hips and lift your feet off the mat. Extend your legs at a 45° angle and straighten your arm to the opposite side of the body along your ear. Now reach your arms toward your feet and lift your head and shoulders off the mat. Try to create a V shape with your torso and legs. Hold for 5 breaths, and then roll onto your back and bend your knees again.

Why Teaser Exercise: Strength and activation of the abdominals, hip flexors, and anterior leg muscles are targeted with the Teaser. Controlling the motion challenges these muscles along with stabilizers of the spine, inner thighs, lower legs, and shoulders. Flexibility is also challenged and imperative for the full execution of the Teaser.

3. Side Teaser

How to do it?

Lie on your right side on a line, with the support of your right hand. Engage the core and rotate your hips to lifted legs as high as possible from the mat to engage obliques. Return to starting position with control and repeat the reps until 10 reputations are done. Then switch the position and do the same as you did.

Why Side Teaser: The pilates side teaser exercise is a great way to work on your abs and slim down your waistline. It’s a small sequence that is very effective in burning abdominal fat. To do the exercise, you will need to be on your left side with your left arm stretched out on the floor. Your right hand should be at chest height to help keep you balanced.

4. Pendulum

How to do it?

Lie face up with your arms extended out in the line of shoulders. Raise both legs up perpendicular to the ground now bend your knees over the hip. Make a posture like a cobra snake from the hips to the feet. Let both the knees fall slowly to the right of the body and in a flexible way return both legs to starting position. Then repeat on the other side with the same procedure, while by doing the exercise keep your lower back on the mat.

Why Pendulum: The Lying Pendulum exercise is a core exercise that primarily works your erector spine and obliques, but also hits your lower back, quads, and hamstrings. This exercise will help burn belly fat and build muscle in your obliques.

5. Criss-Cross

How to do?

Lie on the mat, and place your hands on the back of your head. Bring both of your knees toward your chest and they are parallel to the ground. Keep your elbows wider and curl your head up. Now bring your left shoulder toward your right knee by extending your left leg straight and right arm back. So, your left elbow can touch or near to right knee. Engage your core and slowly back the left elbow and right knee by bringing your right elbow toward your left knee as you extend the right leg. Continue the momentum on the alternating side.

Why Criss-Cross: The crisis cross is an effective way to target your rectus abdominis muscle – also known as the six-pack muscle. This muscle is responsible for stabilizing your pelvis and spine while controlling flexion and extension.

6. Single-Leg Stretch

How to do it?

Lie faceup and bring one by one knee toward your chest. Curl your head up off the floor, place the hands on your shins and stretch it toward your chest. Extend one leg out at a time, alternating sides. Keep your lower back on the floor and engage your core.

7. Double-Leg Stretch

How to do it?

Raise your shoulders off the ground slightly and engage the core to support your lower back. Extend the arms up along your ears side and raise the legs at a 45° angle from the mat. Circle your arms around the shins and extend them to below the knees. Pull the knees towards the chest and hug the thighs to the chest.

8. Plank Leg Lift

How to do it?

Make a position of push-ups and then bend your elbows under your shoulder, putting your hands forwards. Take an alternate lifting your leg off the floor as high as you can but not above shoulder height. Hold a 30-40 seconds position or you can also go to failure. Then do with same procedure to others one.

Tips: Keep your core, butt, and quads engaged to avoid rocking your hips.

Why Leg Raise Plank: Adding leg raises into plank can help activate your ab muscles more than regular planks, and they’re effective at strengthening your core. With a strong core comes good posture, better balance, and even a healthier back.

9. Slow Motion Mountain Climber

How to do it?

Start on a high plank with your hands directly under your shoulders. For coming in action slightly put your feet forward (like 2 to 4 cm). Bring one knee toward your chest by another one straight. Alternate, bring the opposite knee forward with the same action at a time, while when you put the first knee back to the same position.

Tip: Keep your core, butt, and quads engaged to avoid rocking your hips.

Why Mountain Climbers: Mountain climbers are an effective bodyweight exercise that works many muscles. Your shoulder muscles, triceps, chest muscles, serratus anterior, and abdominal muscles work mainly to support your body against gravity while holding a plank position.

10. Hip Dip

How to do it?

Start in a side plank with your right elbow directly underneath your right shoulder and your left foot stacked on top of the right. Dip your hips down toward the ground and then lift them back up. Repeat 10 times before switching to the left side.

What are the benefits of Pilates Workout?

The benefits of Pilates exercises:-

• It improves your flexibility, ability, and endurance.
• It develops your core muscles includes abdominal muscles, lower back, hips, and buttocks.
• Helps to improve the stabilization of your spine.
• Improved posture.
• Improved concentration.
• Stress management and relaxation.

Pilates vs Yoga

Both Pilates and yoga are low-impact exercises, but there is one important difference. When practicing yoga, you typically adopt a position and hold it, or flow into a different position. In Pilates, you adopt a position and then challenge your core by moving your arms or legs. Both approaches increase strength and flexibility. 

Pilates moves require stabilizing your core before going through a series of range-of-motion exercises. Although some Pilates studios use specially designed machines, you can also do Pilates on a mat without special equipment. 

Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice rooted in India. As a fitness strategy, it blends physical poses (asanas) with breathing techniques(pranayama). Because it has some elements of mindfulness, yoga is sometimes called meditative movement. It is popular in the United States. A 2017 survey showed that one in seven adults had practiced it during the preceding year. About 94% of those who do yoga say they do it to improve their overall wellness.