A Beginner Pilates Workout You Can Do Right in Your Living Room
You don’t need to visit a studio or hop on a fancy Reformer to give Pilates a try. With a no-equipment, beginner Pilates workout, you can dabble in this popular form of movement right from the comfort of your living room—and we have a pretty awesome routine right here that fits that exact bill.
Pilates is a great exercise choice for pretty much everyone, Jill Rothenberg, a Boston-based certified Pilates instructor and founder of Movement with Jill, tells SELF. That’s because there’s a strong emphasis on proper form, mind-body connection, and core stability. All this means you’re intentionally moving in ways that feel good for your body, rather than mindlessly busting out a bunch of reps in ways that may not work for your joints or muscles. Plus, Pilates is a pretty stellar way to get stronger, especially if your goal is to help your muscles work for longer without needing to lift a bunch of heavy weights.
Another benefit of Pilates: There are lots of ways to “layer” exercises—meaning, make them easier for folks just getting started, or harder for people wanting more of a challenge. This means Pilates is accessible to a wide range of fitness levels—including, yup, beginners.
Take the classic single-leg stretch exercise, for example. This core-centric move can be modified by placing your head on the ground or bringing one leg back into your chest before extending the other. Or it can be made more challenging by curling your head, neck, and shoulders up and doing reps from that position so that your abs take on more work, or by simultaneously extending one leg as the other starts to come back toward your chest, Rothenberg says.
“The first layer will be really mindful, where you make sure you’re doing the right form, your hips aren’t rocking side to side, your range of motion feels right for you,” she explains. “And then we take it to the next step where you’re still keeping those same foundational cues and moves and sensations, but we’re just making it a little bit more intense.”
With that in mind, Rothenberg designed the five-move Pilates workout for SELF below that’s beginner-friendly and includes lots of ways to tweak the difficulty based on your exact fitness level. Centered on classic bodyweight moves—including the famous single-leg stretch, as well as bird-dog, toe tap, leg circle, and quarter-squat star toe touch—the routine has you working a bunch of muscles, including your legs, glutes, shoulders, arms, and back. And the entire time, you’ll seriously challenge your core too.
That final piece is a key, defining component of Pilates. “Your core should be active in every single Pilates thing you do,” Rothenberg explains, since a strong, stable midsection helps protect your spine and allows you to use your limbs efficiently and effectively in a variety of scenarios, whether you’re moving them during a workout (as in the bird-dog exercise or toe touch, for example), or using them to complete daily tasks (like hauling a bag of groceries, or wrangling a fussy child).
Because this routine is designed as a gentle beginner sequence, you don’t need to do a dedicated warm-up beforehand. However, if you have the time, Rothenberg suggests taking a few minutes to prep your mind with deep, focused breathing and gear up your body with moves like knee sways (which help mobilize your hips and lower back) and pelvic rocks (which fire up your butt and core muscles).
As you do this circuit, make sure to listen to your body and take breaks when you need to. On the flip side, you can also dial up the intensity by taking fewer breathers (or choosing the more challenging version of an exercise, listed below) if you’re raring for more of a challenge. “You’re the boss of your own body,” Rothenberg says. “No one can really tell you how you’re feeling, so really just honor what feels right to you.”
Ready to dip your toe into all that the modality has to offer? Here’s the five-move beginner Pilates workout that can help ease you into the practice.
The Workout
What you need: Just your bodyweight! You may want an exercise mat for comfort.
Exercises
- Toe Tap
- Leg Circle
- Single-Leg Stretch
- Bird-Dog
- Quarter-Squat Star Toe Touch
Directions
- Do each move for the number of reps prescribed below. For the leg circle, bird-dog, and quarter-squat start toe touch, do all your reps on one side, then switch sides and repeat.
- Once you’ve completed all the reps for an exercise, move onto the next exercise in the sequence.
- Repeat the entire five-move sequence for three total rounds, taking breaks between exercises and between rounds as needed.
Katie ThompsonToe Tap
- Lie on your back with your feet on the floor, arms at your sides. Your back should be flat on the floor.
- Bring your knees up to a 90-degree angle. This is starting position.
- Slowly bring your feet down so your toes can tap the floor. Reverse the movement to return to starting position. This is 1 rep.
- Do 10–12 reps.
This exercise really engages your core, especially your lower abs and pelvic floor, Rothenberg says. As you perform reps, make sure your hips stay steady (don’t let them rock side to side) and that your low back stays connected to the ground, she says. Make it easier by tapping down one leg at a time, alternating sides. Make it harder by curling your head, heck, and shoulders off the ground and performing reps from there. Or add external resistance (and thus, intensity) by wearing ankle weights or looping a mini band around your thighs.
Katie ThompsonLeg Circle
- Lie face up with your arms by your sides, palms down.
- Bend your left knee and place your left foot flat on the floor. Extend your right leg up so that it’s perpendicular to the floor.
- Circle your right leg in a clockwise direction: Move it out to the side, down toward the ground, and return to your starting position. Make the circle as big as you can while still keeping your lower back on the floor.
- That’s 1 rep.
- Complete 8–10 reps on one leg, then repeat on the other.
This move hones in on pelvic stability and core stabilization while also challenging your hip and thigh strength. It also incorporates upper-body activation of your shoulders, triceps, and upper-back, since those muscles need to engage to help you stay stable on the floor without wriggling around, Rothenberg explains. Make it easier by bending your moving leg. Make it harder by adding a counterclockwise circle, or placing your non-working leg on a block, ball, or other unstable surface, she says.
Katie ThompsonSingle-Leg Stretch
- Lie face up.
- Bring both knees in toward your chest, place your hands on your shins, and curl your head up off the floor.
- Extend one leg out at a time, then alternate sides. This is 1 rep.
- Continue alternating sides for 10–12 total reps. Keep your lower back on the floor and your core engaged throughout.
This is another move that requires pelvic stability—you want to make sure your hips don’t wiggle as you perform reps. It also engages your legs and hip flexors, says Rothenberg. Make it easier by resting your head on the ground, or by bringing one leg all the way into your chest before you start extending the other leg. Make it harder by wearing ankle weights or looping a resistance band around your thighs or ankles.
Katie ThompsonBird-Dog
- Start on your hands and knees in an all-fours position with your wrists stacked under your shoulders and your knees stacked under your hips. This is the starting position.
- Extend your right arm forward and left leg back, maintaining a flat back and keeping your hips in line with the floor. Think about driving your foot toward the wall behind you. Hold briefly.
- Squeeze your abs and return your arm and leg to starting position. This is 1 rep.
- Do 8–10 reps, then repeat with the other arm and leg.
This is a “really good full-body” exercise that works your glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, and both the front and backside of your core, Rothenberg says. As you perform reps, think about keeping your torso steady (imagine there’s a bowl of water on your lower back that you don’t want to spill) and keep equal weight in your supporting arm and leg, she says. If you need a break between switching sides, drop into child’s pose, she says. Make it easier by reaching just one limb at a time. Make it harder by hovering your knee over the mat instead of letting it rest on the ground after each rep. Another option: Wear ankle or hand weights for added resistance.
Katie ThompsonQuater-Squat Star Toe Touch
- Stand with your feet close together and core engaged. Come into a quarter squat by bending both knees just a little and sending your hips back.
- Shift your weight into your left foot and lift your right heel so you are only resting on your right toes.
- From this starting position, maintaining a half squat, tap your right toes directly in front of you, then return to start. Immediately tap them to the far right side, then return to start. Now tap them behind you, then return to start. This is 1 rep.
- Continue this way, tapping front, side, and back as quickly as possible without putting much weight at all on your right foot. You should really feel this in your left glute (your supporting leg). Focus on keeping your core engaged and back straight throughout.
- Do 8–10 reps on one side, then rest 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Here you’re working your glutes, hip flexors, and core stability, says Rothenberg. Try to find stability in your stationary leg so that you’re not wobbling or shifting around as you tap your other toe. Make it easier by doing bodyweight squats instead, or by returning to a standing position after each tap, she says. Make it harder by reaching your arms out as your leg extends, holding hand weights, or looping a mini-band around your thighs or ankles.
Demoing the moves above are Gail Barranda Rivas (GIFs 1 and 4), a certified group fitness instructor, functional strength coach, Pilates and yoga instructor, and domestic and international fitness presenter; DJ Rock (GIFs 2 and 3), a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and certified mat Pilates instructor; and Laura Girard (GIF 5), a NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of the Energy Academy.
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