Pilates is a great way to build a stronger and more mobile body. It’s also a superior option if you work out at home, with virtually no equipment needed for a mat session.
Take this 20-minute routine from Pilates instructor and founder of Shape Pilates, Gemma Folkard, for example. It promises to strengthen your entire body, mobilize your hips and more with just five bodyweight moves.
All you have to do is roll out your yoga mat and get started.
Gemma Folkard is a certified Pilates instructor and founder of Shape Pilates, an online platform with over 200 on-demand Pilates and strength classes.
How to do Gemma Folkard’s full body Pilates routine
- Tricep dip with leg raise x6-8
- Oblique crunch with hip opening and leg rainbow x6-8
- Spinal stretch with leg extension x6-8
- Lunge with arm lift x6-8
- Arm Raise Lunge x12
Perform the above moves as a sequence. Each is designed to flow into the next, so try to transition between them without pauses. See below for instructions and video demonstrations to help you execute each correctly.
Complete the entire sequence on one side of your body, take a few deep breaths, and then repeat on the other side. This should take about 20 minutes, according to Folkard.
He also recommends warming up with a few cat/cow stretches before diving in.
1. Tricep dip with leg raise
- Start on all fours, with your knees directly under your hips and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders.
- Extend your left leg behind you so that it is parallel to the floor.
- Keeping your elbows in line with your hands and your back flat, lower them to the floor. As you do this, allow your left leg to continue to form a straight line with your torso.
- Pass your hands to straighten your arms again.
- For an easier alternative, perform this movement with both knees on the floor.
The instructor’s view
Folkard says this move provides a nice stretch for the back and abdominal muscles, while improving balance and developing upper body stability.
2. Oblique crunch with hip opener and leg rainbow
- Keep the left leg raised in the previous position. Place your right forearm on the floor so that your elbow is under your shoulder. Press the mat to keep it stretched.
- Open your hip outward by rotating it to the left so that your left knee is higher than your hip, then extend your left leg.
- Pull your left knee toward your left shoulder. You should feel it on the left side of your abdomen.
- Extend your leg and grab it behind your other foot in an arc (hence the name rainbow).
- Reverse this movement to return to the starting position and then repeat.
The instructor’s view
Folkard describes it as a “combination move,” which brings together a few different moves in a fluid sequence to provide various benefits.
“[It’s designed to] mobilize the hip joint, activate the waist and strengthen the hips and glutes, specifically the gluteus medius or gluteus lateralis, which is important for stability,” he explains.
3. Stretching of the spine with leg extension
- Keep your left leg up.
- Pull your left knee toward your nose, arching your spine as you do so. Your focus here is to control the stretch using your abs.
- Extend your leg behind you as your spine lengthens to neutral. Avoid dipping your lower back by staying parallel to your leg and slightly pulling your lower ribs up.
The instructor’s view
You may see similarities between this move and the cat/cow stretch, with both providing a nice stretch along the back and abs.
This pose offers fewer points of contact with the floor, which challenges your balance and forces you to work on upper body stability.
4. Lunge with arm elevation
- Bring your left foot under your body and between your hands, then stand up straight in this split position.
- Inhale, lower your right knee until it’s just above the floor and pull your elbows to the side of your ribs. You should now be in a lunge, which is your starting position.
- Exhale and straighten your right leg to push your torso diagonally forward. As you do this, extend your arms above your head in line with your ears.
The instructor’s view
This is a full-body movement, with muscles in your legs, shoulders, arms and more recruited simultaneously. As a result, you’ll get your heart rate up while building strength and mobility in your lower body.
5. Grip with raised arm
- Stay in a lunge position, with your weight on your front leg and your left knee over your ankle.
- With energy, reach both arms above your head in line with your ears. They should be at an angle of approximately 45° to the floor.
- Lower one arm so it’s in line with your torso, then bring it back over your head, lowering the opposite arm to your torso as you do.
- Connect to movement and muscles to build resistance, advises Folkard. You can also pick up light weights to level up each move.
The instructor’s view
Your arms may be the body part that moves here, but it’s your lower body that’s most likely to feel the effects of this exercise. That’s because the smaller stabilizing muscles around the knee, hip, and ankle joints will be challenged to maintain the lunge position as you move your upper body, Folkard says.
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