10 Beginner Pilates Exercises You Can Do At Home | VigorUS Fitness Shop

Performing Pilates from home is affordable and time-efficient. You might want to get started with Pilates by attending a class sometimes. But Pilates classes can be expensive and time-consuming. Here, you will find a list of exercises that you can perform from the comfort of your home. You will only need a mat, towel, bottle of water, and a computer to view instructions. Let's get started.

1. The Hundred

• Lie on your back with your knees bent at right angles above your hips. Draw your inner thighs together and hold your legs so that. your knees  and feet are touching. Raise your arms straight up above your shoulders with your palms facing your feet.
• Breathe out, engage your abdominals, lift your head and shoulders from the floor and curl forward. Lower your arms by your sides to the level of your hip bones, palms facing down.
• Straighten your legs so that they are at an angle of approximately 60 degrees to the floor, with your feet flexed and turned slightly outward. Beating time with your arms on the floor, inhale for 5 counts then exhale for 5 counts. On each exhalation, draw the stomach muscles down further. Build up to 10 repetitions, giving a total of 100 beats with your arms. Inhale to lower to the floor.

Muscles Targeted:

• Spinal flexors: rectus abdominis; internal obliques; external obliques
• Hip flexors: ilipsoas; rectus femoris; sartorius; tensor fascia latae; pectineus.

 

2. The Roll-Up

• Lie flat on your back with your legs straight on the floor and feet gently pointed. Stretch your arms out on the floor alongside your head with the palms facing upwards, shoulder-width apart.
• Breathe out, engage your abdominals, lift your arms forward above your torso and raise your head and shoulders off the floor, simultaneously flexing the feet.
• Keep curling your upper body forward, with your fingers leading the way, until you are leaning over your thighs. If you are flexible enough, touch your palms to the sides of your feet.
• Inhale and roll back down until the back of the tailbone makes contact with the floor. Then breathe out as you roll slowly all the way down the floor and bring the arms overhead to the starting position. Repeat 10 times. 

Mucles Targeted:

• Spinal flexors: rectus abdominus; internal obliques; external obliques.

 

 

 

3. The Neck Pull

• Lie on your back with your hands clasped behind your head and legs straight. Flex your feet and imagine your heels glued to the floor. Make sure that your back is flat and your pelvis is neutral. Engage your abdominals. 
• Breathe in and begin rolling your upper body upward and forward.
• When you reach the upright position, breathe out as you curl back down with a curved spine. Repeat 10 times.

Muscles Targeted:

• Spinal flexors: rectus abdominis; internal obliques; external obliques.

 

 

 4. The Spine Twist

• Sit on the floor with your legs straight, knees and feet together, and feet flexed. Engage your abdominals, ensuring your back is completely straight, and feel the stretch down through your heels.
• Breathe in and lift your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, parallel to the floor, with palms facing down.
• Breathe out and turn to one side, keeping your pelvis steady and your spine long. Keep your arms in a straight line. Repeat 10 times in each direction, breathing out to turn and breathing in to return to centre.

Muscles Targeted:

• Spinal rotators: internal obliques ; external obliques; erector spinae (longissimus iliocostalis); semispinalis; deep posterior spinal group (especially multifidus). 

 

5. The Saw

• Sit with the trunk upright, legs straight and feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flexed. Hold the arms out to the sides at shoulder height, reaching slightly back, with palms facing down. 
• Inhale and rotate to the right, lifting out of the hips, with the back straight but flexible.
• Bring the head and upper spine forward and downward so that the left hand reaches to the outside of the right foot, while the right arm rotates inward and reaches back. Rest the fingertips on the floor behind your right hip. Return to the starting position and repeat to the left. Repeat 5 time on each side. 

Muscles Targeted:

• Spinal rotators: internal obliques; external obliques; transversus abdominis; erector spinae (longissimus iliocostalis); semispinalis; deep posterior spinal group.
• Spinal extensors: erector spinae (spinalis, longissimus, iliocostalis); semispinalis; deep posterior spinal group.

 

6. The Roll-Over

• Lie on your back with your legs straight and at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees to the floor, feet softly pointed and arms by your sides. Breathe in.
• Breathe out, engage your abdominals and lift your legs until your feet are above your head.
• Breathe in and slowly lower your legs down to the floor behind your head, touching your toes to the floor if you are flexible enough, so that your weight is resting on your shoulders and arms. Press into the palms of your hands.
• Rotate your heels toward each other. Separate your legs so they are shoulder your legs so they are shoulder-width and parallel.
• Breathe out and slowly roll back over. When you reach the starting position, bring your legs together again. Repeat 20 times. 

Muscle Targeted:

• Spinal flexors: rectus abdominis; internal obliques; external obliques.
• Hip flexors: iliopsoas; rectus femoris; sartorius; tensor fasciae latae; pectineus.

 

7. Rolling Like a Ball

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent, legs together, and place your hands on the fronts of your ankles, elbows wide. Engage your abdominals as you lift your feet off the floor and balance on your tailbone.
• Breathe in and roll backward onto your shoulder blades. Breathe out as you roll forward again. Don't allow your feet to touch the floor. Repeat 10 times, keeping up the momentum. 

Muscles Targeted:

• Spinal flexors and anterior stabilizers: rectus abdominis; internal obliques; external obliques; transversus abdominis.

 

 

8. The Open-Leg Rocker

• Sit with your knees bent, shoulder-width apart, and hold onto your ankles. Engage your abdominals and lift your feet off the floor, toes pointing, so that you are balancing on your tailbone.
• As you breathe out, straighten both legs into a V position, holding your calves as close to the ankles as you can.
• Keeping the V position, breathe in and roll back onto the bottom of your shoulder blades. Breathe out as you roll forward again. Repeat the rock back and forward 10 times 

Muscles Targeted:

• Spinal flexors and anterior stabilizers: rectus abdominis; internal obliques; external obliques; transversus abdominis.
• Hip flexors: iliopsoas; rectus femoris; sartorius; tensor fasciae latae; pectineus. 

 

9. The Teaser

• Lie on your back with your legs straight up in the air at right angles to the floor, toes pointing to the ceiling. Stretch your arms on the floor behind your head, pointing your fingers. 
• Breathe out, engage your abdominals and lower your legs so that they are at an angle of about 60 degrees to the floor. Breathe in and raise your arms, then lift your upper body off the floor so that your arms are parallel to your legs. Hold this V position, balancing on your tailbones. Lower your legs slowly to the floor again and roll back down to the floor, vertebra by vertebra. Repeat 5 times.

Muscles Targeted:

• Spinal flexors and anterior stabilizers: rectus abdominis; internal obliques; external obliques.
• Hip flexors iliopsoas; rectus femoris; sartorius; tensor fasciae latae; pectineus.

 

10. The Leg Circle

• Lie flat on your back with your legs straight and arms by your sides, palms facing down. Bend your right leg upward so that the knee is at right angles above the hip.
• Straighten your leg up toward the ceiling so that it is at right angles to your body. Gently point the right foot and flex the left one.
• Engage your abdominals, stretch the right leg across your left hip, then circle it down, around and back up to 90 degrees again. Breathe out as the leg moves away from you, then breathe in as it comes back up. Pause briefly the top before starting the next circle. Repeat 5 times with each leg. 

Muscles Targeted:

• Anterior spinal rotators and stabilizers: rectus abdominis; internal obliques; external obliques; transversus abdominis.
• Posterior spinal rotators and stabilizers; erector spinae (iliocostalis, longissimus, spinalis); semispinalis; deep posterior spinal group.

 

I hope you enjoyed these quick Pilates beginner exercises. You can book a session with me for strength training and meal planning support. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!